Before you start

Make sure you have the following before choosing a path:

• Git: This course assumes basic git familiarity — cloning a repo, committing, and pushing. If you haven't used git before, work through the Git getting started guide first.
• A GitHub account (needed for both paths)
• Docker path: Docker Desktop (Mac/Windows) or Docker Engine + Docker Compose v2 (Linux), at least 8 GB RAM available to Docker, and ~20 GB free disk space
• Codespaces path: nothing beyond a browser — but check your GitHub Codespaces free tier hours (60 hours/month on the free plan)

Which should you choose?

	Docker-dev	Codespaces
Setup time	15–30 min	~5 min
Works offline	✅	❌
Edit files in your own IDE	✅	VS Code in browser only
Full server source on disk	✅	✅
Built-in federation support	✅	Needs extra work
Cost	Free	Free tier is limited

Recommendation: If you intend to reach the Advanced level (particularly the federation module), use Docker-dev. The environment has two Nextcloud instances pre-wired, which the federation exercise depends on. Codespaces is fine for everything up to and including Intermediate.