ansible/roles/development/README.md

# Role: development

## Description
Installs core development tools and utilities for software development. This role provides a lightweight foundation for coding without heavy data science dependencies.

**For data science tools (Anaconda, Jupyter, R), see the `datascience` role.**

## Requirements
- Ansible 2.9+
- Debian/Ubuntu systems
- Root or sudo access

## Installed Components

### Development Tools
- **git**: Version control system
- **build-essential**: C/C++ compilation tools (gcc, g++, make)
- **python3**: Python 3 interpreter
- **python3-pip**: Python package manager

### Node.js
- **Node.js 22.x**: Latest LTS from NodeSource
- **npm**: Node package manager (included with Node.js)
- Configured from official NodeSource repository

### Code Editors
- **Cursor IDE**: AI-powered code editor (AppImage)
  - Installed to `/usr/local/bin/cursor`
  - Latest stable version from cursor.com

## Variables

### Core Settings
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `install_cursor` | `true` | Install Cursor IDE |
| `install_cursor_extensions` | `false` | Install Cursor extensions |

### Extension Groups
Enable specific extension groups based on your development needs:

| Variable | Default | Extensions Included |
|----------|---------|-------------------|
| `install_python` | `false` | Python, Pylance, Black, isort, Flake8, Ruff |
| `install_jupyter` | `false` | Jupyter notebooks, keybindings, renderers |
| `install_web` | `false` | Prettier, ESLint, Tailwind, Vue, Svelte |
| `install_playwright` | `false` | Playwright testing framework |
| `install_devops` | `false` | Go, Rust, YAML, Docker, Ansible |
| `install_r` | `false` | R language support and pack development |
| `install_docs` | `false` | Markdown tools and linter |

### Base Extensions (Always Installed)
When `install_cursor_extensions: true`, these are always installed:
- ErrorLens (better error highlighting)
- GitLens (Git supercharged)
- Git Graph (visualization)
- Code Spell Checker
- EditorConfig support
- Material Icon Theme
- GitHub Copilot (if licensed)
- Copilot Chat

## Dependencies
- `base` role (for core utilities)

## Example Playbook

### Basic Installation
```yaml
- hosts: developers
  roles:
    - role: development
```

### Python Data Science Machine
```yaml
- hosts: datascience
  roles:
    - role: development
      vars:
        install_cursor_extensions: true
        install_python: true
        install_jupyter: true
        install_docs: true
```

### Web Development Machine
```yaml
- hosts: webdevs
  roles:
    - role: development
      vars:
        install_cursor_extensions: true
        install_web: true
        install_playwright: true
        install_docs: true
```

### Full Stack with DevOps
```yaml
- hosts: fullstack
  roles:
    - role: development
      vars:
        install_cursor_extensions: true
        install_python: true
        install_web: true
        install_devops: true
        install_docs: true
```

### Custom Extension List
You can also override the extension list completely in `host_vars`:
```yaml
# host_vars/myhost.yml
install_cursor_extensions: true
cursor_extensions:
  - ms-python.python
  - golang.go
  - hashicorp.terraform
  # ... your custom list
```

### With Cursor disabled
```yaml
- hosts: servers
  roles:
    - role: development
      install_cursor: false
```

## Usage

```bash
# Install on specific host
make dev HOST=dev01

# Install only development tools (skip other roles)
ansible-playbook playbooks/development.yml --limit dev01 --tags development
```

## Tags
- `development`, `dev`: All development tasks
- `cursor`, `ide`: Cursor IDE installation only

## Post-Installation

### Verify Installations
```bash
git --version
node --version
npm --version
python3 --version
cursor --version
```

### Node.js Usage
```bash
# Install packages globally
npm install -g <package>

# Check Node.js version
node --version  # Should show v22.x
```

### Cursor IDE Usage
```bash
# Launch Cursor (if using X11/Wayland)
cursor

# For root users, use the aliased version from .zshrc:
cursor  # Automatically adds --no-sandbox flags
```

## Performance Notes

### Installation Time
- **Base packages**: 1-2 minutes
- **Node.js**: 1-2 minutes
- **Cursor IDE**: 2-5 minutes (~200MB download)
- **Total**: ~5-10 minutes

### Disk Space
- **Node.js + npm**: ~100MB
- **Cursor IDE**: ~200MB
- **Build tools**: ~50MB
- **Total**: ~350MB

## Integration

### With Data Science Role
```yaml
- hosts: datascience_workstation
  roles:
    - role: development      # Core dev tools
    - role: datascience      # Anaconda, Jupyter, R
```

### With Docker
```yaml
- hosts: fullstack_dev
  roles:
    - role: development
    - role: docker
```

## Troubleshooting

### Node.js Version Issues
If Node.js doesn't upgrade to v22:
```bash
# Check current version
node --version

# Force reinstall
apt-get remove nodejs
# Re-run playbook
```

### Cursor Won't Launch
For root users, use the alias that adds required flags:
```bash
# Check alias in .zshrc
alias cursor="cursor --no-sandbox --disable-gpu-sandbox..."
```

## Notes
- Node.js 22 is the current LTS version
- NodeSource repository is configured for automatic updates
- Cursor IDE is installed as AppImage for easy updates
- Build tools (gcc, make) are essential for npm native modules
- Python 3 is included for development scripts
- All installations are idempotent (safe to re-run)

## Comparison with Data Science Role

| Component | Development Role | Data Science Role |
|-----------|------------------|-------------------|
| Git | ✅ | - |
| Node.js | ✅ | - |
| Build Tools | ✅ | - |
| Cursor IDE | ✅ | - |
| Anaconda | ❌ | ✅ |
| Jupyter | ❌ | ✅ |
| R Language | ❌ | ✅ |
| Install Time | ~10 min | ~30-60 min |
| Disk Space | ~350MB | ~3GB |

**Recommendation**: Use `development` role for general coding. Add `datascience` role only when needed for data analysis/ML work.