---
title: Development environment
description: Setting up your development environment for contribution
---
[](https://discord.gg/B8zZKbbyET){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"}
This page describes how to setup your development environment (Cloud or locally) to contribute to Powertools for AWS Lambda.
```mermaid
graph LR
Dev["Development environment"] --> Quality["Run quality checks locally"] --> PR["Prepare pull request"] --> Collaborate
```
End-to-end process
## Requirements
!!! question "First time contributing to an open-source project ever?"
Read this [introduction on how to fork and clone a project on GitHub](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/contributing-to-projects){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"}.
Unless you're using the pre-configured Cloud environment, you'll need the following installed:
* [GitHub account](https://github.com/join){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"}. You'll need to be able to fork, clone, and contribute via pull request.
* [Python 3.8+](https://www.python.org/downloads/){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"}. Pick any version supported in [AWS Lambda runtime](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/lambda-runtimes.html).
* [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"}. We use it to run documentation linters and non-Python tooling.
* [Fork the repository](https://github.com/aws-powertools/powertools-lambda-python/fork). You'll work against your fork of this repository.
??? note "Additional requirements if running end-to-end tests"
* [AWS CDK CLI](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/v2/guide/getting_started.html#getting_started_prerequisites){target="_blank"}
* [AWS Account bootstrapped with CDK](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cdk/v2/guide/bootstrapping.html){target="_blank"}
* [AWS CLI installed and configured](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started-install.html)
## Cloud environment
> **NOTE**. Be mindful of [Gitpod pricing structure](https://www.gitpod.io/pricing){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"} for long-running contributions. When in doubt, use the local environment below.
To use a pre-configured environment, replace `YOUR_USERNAME` with your GitHub username or organization.
```bash
https://gitpod.io/#https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/powertools-lambda-python #(1)!
```
1. For example, my username is `heitorlessa`.
Therefore, my final URL should be `https://gitpod.io/#https://github.com/heitorlessa/powertools-lambda-python`
Once provisioned, it'll install all development dependencies and tools you'll need to contribute.
## Local environment
> Assuming you've got all [requirements](#requirements).
You can use `make dev` to create a local virtual environment and install all dependencies locally.
!!! note "Curious about what `make dev` does under the hood?"
We use `Make` to [automate common tasks](https://github.com/aws-powertools/powertools-lambda-python/blob/1ebe3275a5c53aed5a8eb76318e7d0af2367edfa/Makefile#L7){target="_blank" rel="nofollow"} locally and in Continuous Integration environments.
## Local documentation
You might find useful to run both the documentation website and the API reference locally while contributing:
* **Docs website**: `make docs-local`
* If you prefer using Docker: `make docs-local-docker`
* **API reference**: `make docs-api-local`