COIT13235 — Development Environment Setup Guide

What you're building: A Java 26 + Spring Boot 4 development environment in VS Code. Budget about 30-45 minutes for the full setup. Tick each checkbox as you go — the progress bar tracks your completion.

Complete each step in order. Steps 1-4 are installation; Step 5-6 verify it all works.

1✓

Download & Install OpenJDK 26

~10 min

▶

Version note: This unit uses Spring Boot 4 with JDK 26 where possible. Fallback: Spring Boot 3.x with JDK 24. Some A2 quizzes use JDK 17 due to infrastructure (mainly different library names).

1a. Download OpenJDK 26

Go to the official OpenJDK site and download the archive for your platform (~200 MB):

jdk.java.net

Windows

macOS

Linux

Choose Windows / x64 → ZIP archive.

The file will be named something like openjdk-26.0.1_windows-x64_bin.zip

Choose macOS / aarch64 (Apple Silicon) or x64 (Intel) → tar.gz archive.

Mac is not officially supported by the unit but should be workable. You may need to adjust paths.

Choose Linux / x64 → tar.gz archive.

1b. Extract to a permanent location

Unzip/extract the archive to a folder you won't move or delete. You'll reference this path later.

Windows

macOS

Linux

Suggested location:

C:\openjdk-26.0.1_windows-x64_bin\jdk-26.0.1

Right-click the ZIP → Extract All → choose C:\ as the destination.

tar -xzf openjdk-26*.tar.gz -C ~/Library/Java/

sudo tar -xzf openjdk-26*.tar.gz -C /opt/

1c. Verify Java is accessible

Open a terminal/command prompt and run:

Windows

macOS / Linux

C:\openjdk-26.0.1_windows-x64_bin\jdk-26.0.1\bin\java --version

~/Library/Java/jdk-26.0.1/bin/java --version

You should see output like: openjdk 26.0.1 ...

▶ Troubleshooting: "command not found"

Double-check the path — make sure you're pointing to the bin folder inside the JDK.
Ensure you extracted the full archive (not a nested folder).
On Windows, you may need to restart the command prompt after extracting.

2✓

Download & Install VS Code

~5 min

▶

2a. Download VS Code

Download the installer for your platform (~110 MB):

code.visualstudio.com

2b. Install and launch VS Code

Run the installer with default settings. Open VS Code when done.

Tip: If you use the Microsoft build of OpenJDK, the Java integration in VS Code may be smoother. But the standard OpenJDK from jdk.java.net works fine with manual configuration (next step).

3✓

Install VS Code Extensions

~5 min

▶

In VS Code, click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (or press Ctrl+Shift+X).

3a. Install "Extension Pack for Java" by Microsoft

Search for Extension Pack for Java and click Install.

This pack includes: Language Support, Debugger, Test Runner, Maven, IntelliSense, and Project Manager.

3b. Install "Spring Boot Extension Pack" by VMware

Search for Spring Boot Extension Pack and click Install.

This adds: Spring Boot Tools, Spring Initializr, and Spring Boot Dashboard.

After both extensions are installed: Your IDE now supports Maven and Spring Boot project creation. We'll verify this in Step 5.

4✓

Configure Java Runtime in VS Code

~5 min

▶

4a. Open VS Code settings

Go to: Manage (gear icon, bottom-left) → Settings

In the search bar at the top, type: java.configuration.runtimes

Click "Edit in settings.json".

4b. Add the Java runtime configuration

Add the following block inside the settings.json file (adjust the path to match where you extracted the JDK):

Windows

macOS

Linux

{
  "java.configuration.runtimes": [
    {
      "name": "JavaSE-26",
      "path": "C:\\openjdk-26.0.1_windows-x64_bin\\jdk-26.0.1"
    }
  ]
}

Note the double backslashes \\ — JSON requires you to escape backslashes. So C:\folder becomes C:\\folder in the JSON file.

{
  "java.configuration.runtimes": [
    {
      "name": "JavaSE-26",
      "path": "~/Library/Java/jdk-26.0.1"
    }
  ]
}

{
  "java.configuration.runtimes": [
    {
      "name": "JavaSE-26",
      "path": "/opt/jdk-26.0.1"
    }
  ]
}

Save the file (Ctrl+S). VS Code will now use JDK 26 for Java projects.

▶ Troubleshooting: VS Code doesn't detect Java

Check that the path points to the JDK root folder (the one containing bin, lib, etc.), not the bin folder itself.
Restart VS Code after saving settings.json.
Open the VS Code Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run Java: Configure Java Runtime to see if the JDK is detected.

5✓

Create Your First Spring Boot Project

~5 min

▶

This is the moment of truth. If this works, your entire setup is correct.

5a. Start the Spring Initializr wizard

In VS Code, go to: File → New File... → select New Java Project → choose Spring Boot.

If you don't see "Spring Boot" as an option, your extensions may not be installed. Go back to Step 3.

5b. Configure the project wizard

Choose these options at each prompt:

Prompt	Choose
Build tool	Maven
Spring Boot version	4.1.0 (or latest)
Language	Java
Group Id	com.example
Artifact Id	demo
Packaging	Jar
Java version	26
Dependencies	No dependencies (skip)

Choose a temporary folder to generate the project into.

5c. Open and run the project

VS Code will open the project. Navigate to:

src/main/java/com/example/demo/DemoApplication.java

Click the ▶ Play button (top right of the editor, or the green triangle next to main).

6✓

Verify — The Spring Boot Banner

~1 min

▶

In the VS Code Terminal panel, you should see this banner:

6a. Confirm you see the Spring Boot banner above

If you see this banner, you're done. Your environment is fully configured for COIT13235. You can delete this test project now.

▶ Troubleshooting: Application fails to start

Wrong Java version: Open a terminal in VS Code and run java --version. It should show 26. If not, check your settings.json runtime path.
Maven errors: Make sure you have internet access — Maven downloads dependencies on first run.
Port in use: If you see "port 8080 already in use", close other apps or change the port in application.properties.
Extensions not loaded: Restart VS Code. Check that both extension packs show "Enabled" in the Extensions panel.

✓ Setup Complete

You're ready for COIT13235. Your environment supports Java 26, Maven, Git, and Spring Boot 4.

Next: review prerequisite content (OOP, Databases, Software Design) and read Chapter 1 of Fernando 2022.

Quick Reference — What You Installed

Component	Version	Purpose
OpenJDK	26	Java runtime & compiler
VS Code	Latest	Code editor / IDE
Extension Pack for Java	Microsoft	Java language support, debugger, Maven
Spring Boot Extension Pack	VMware	Spring Initializr, Boot Tools, Dashboard
Spring Boot	4.1.0	Enterprise Java framework
Maven	Bundled	Build tool & dependency management