This article is primarily for staff and student employees, but may be helpful for those interested in learning more about web and cloud application development.
Development Environment
We provide clear, platform-compatible documentation and pre-configured virtual images to help you get started on macOS, Windows, or Linux. These reference environments have been chosen to work reliably with GitHub, AWS multi-account workflows, and common language runtimes so that your local setup behaves consistently with production pipelines and campus support systems.
Beginning on the same path reduces wasted time and prevents environment-specific issues when collaborating or when ITS provides support. When everyone uses the recommended configuration, onboarding is faster, debugging is simpler, and we can focus on improving your project rather than chasing differences in local setups.
Developer Tools
We recommend a focused set of tools that balance productivity and supportability.
Visual Studio Code is the preferred editor because it integrates with GitHub and AWS, supports useful extensions, and is widely used within the community.
For API work, Postman is recommended; Insomnia is also supported where vendor ecosystems prefer it. Using OpenAPI for API documentation ensures your services are easy to test and integrate.
Keeping to a shared toolset helps us partner with you effectively. It creates predictable workflows, reduces friction when handing projects between teams, and enables ITS to offer targeted help and automation that benefits everyone.
Learning Paths
Our learning paths are organized to take you from setup to delivery. Start with Development Environment and Source Version Control, which cover Git and GitHub fundamentals. Front End Development covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React, and includes St. Thomas Digital Accessibility training, such as the Developing for Accessibility badge.
For cloud development, we offer paths in the Serverless Application Model (SAM), infrastructure-as-code, authentication and authorization, and integration with external campus or vendor systems. Professional development resources focus on secure development practices, writing useful documentation, collaborating through pull requests, and applying monitoring and observability to maintain healthy services.
Following these paths makes it easier for us to work in partnership with you. When you adopt the recommended tools and complete the core learning modules, ITS can provide more effective support and architectural guidance, and conduct faster, more predictable production-readiness reviews.
Learn More
The Developer and Cloud Tools service page provides an exhaustive list of developer tools to help you get started. As you explore and discover opportunities to innovate within your area, feel free to reach out with any questions you may have using the Developer and Cloud Tools Request Service form.