Compiling and running the development environment

Node Version Manager (NVM) Usage

Our project requires different Node.js versions for the backend Sails application and legacy Angular applications. We manage these requirements with Node Version Manager (NVM). .nvmrc files located in the root, /angular, and /angular-legacy directories specify the needed Node versions. Navigate to each directory and execute nvm install followed by nvm use to ensure the proper Node environment for each segment. This ensures consistency across different parts of the project.

Backend Compilation (Sails):

1. Install Packages: Run npm install within the backend directory to ensure all dependencies are up to date.
2. Compile TypeScript: Execute npm run compile:sails to compile the TypeScript files into JavaScript. This is crucial for the Sails backend to function correctly.

Frontend Compilation (Angular):

For compiling Angular TypeScript files, use the command npm run compile:ng. This process compiles all Angular applications, generating frontend bundles equipped with source maps to facilitate debugging.

Running the Application:

1. Start Services: Utilize npm run dev:run to launch the Docker Compose stack. This command sets up all required services in containers.
2. Docker Commands: For more control, use standard Docker Compose commands with docker-compose -f support/development/docker-compose.yml to manage individual services.

Running All Steps:

For initial environment setup, you can use npm run dev:all. This command streamlines the process by compiling both the backend and frontend, and setting up the application stack for the first time.