Install the Vega Developer Tools

Vega Developer Tools (VDT) is a suite that includes everything you need to develop Vega OS apps:

Vega SDK: The core framework and APIs for building Vega OS apps
Vega SDK Manager: A tool that manages SDK versions for your development projects. It works like nvm for Node.js or pyenv for Python. For details, see Manage Your SDK Versions.
Vega Studio: An extension in Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for app development, debugging, performance analysis, and optimization
Vega Virtual Device (VVD): A virtual device for running and testing your apps
Libraries and components: Additional tools for app development

To install VDT, you have two options:

Vega Studio extension: Install VDT using the Vega Studio extension in VS Code. See Install Vega Studio.
Vega command-line interface (CLI): Use the vega CLI for advanced workflows and automation.

This page covers the CLI installation approach.

Choose your installation scenario

Select the appropriate tab based on whether you’re installing VDT for the first time or updating an existing installation.

First-Time Installation
Update Existing Installation

This section covers how to install VDT on your system for the first time.

Prerequisites

Before installing VDT, confirm that your system meets these requirements:

System requirements

Disk space: 20 GB available for VDT installation and development environment Check your available disk space: df -h ~
Operating system: macOS 10.15+ or Ubuntu 20.04+

Required dependencies

Install the dependencies for your operating system only. If you’re on macOS, follow the macOS dependencies section. If you’re on Ubuntu, skip to Ubuntu dependencies.

macOS dependencies

Package manager: Install HomebrewDevelopment tools: Download and install Node.js (version 18.x or later)If you have Node.js installed, check your version:

node --version

Development utilities: Run this command to install required tools for Vega development (includes Rosetta 2 for Apple Silicon Macs):

[[ $(arch) == "arm64" ]] && softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license; brew update && brew install binutils coreutils gawk findutils grep jq lz4 gnu-sed watchman

Ubuntu dependencies

Install native curl:

sudo apt remove curl
sudo apt install curl

Development tools:

Native debugging: python3.8, lz4 for crash report symbolication
KVM virtualization: See the KVM Hypervisor installation guide
File monitoring: Follow the Watchman for Ubuntu installation guide
Node.js: Download and install Node.js (version 18.x or later)

If you have Node.js installed, check your version:

node --version

Development utilities: Run this command to install the lz4 compression tool and Python 3.8 development libraries:

(dpkg -l | grep -q lz4 || sudo apt install -y lz4) && \
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:deadsnakes/ppa && \
sudo apt update && \
(dpkg -l | grep -q libpython3.8-dev || sudo apt install -y libpython3.8-dev)

Install the Vega CLI

Before running the installation script:

Install VS Code: Download and install Visual Studio Code if you don’t have it. The installer automatically sets up the Vega Studio extension in VS Code. If VS Code isn’t installed, the installer skips the extension installation and you can install it later.
Close VS Code if it’s currently running.

Run the installation script:

curl -fsSL https://sdk-installer.vega.labcollab.net/get_vvm.sh | bash && source ~/vega/env

The installer verifies your Node.js and VS Code versions are compatible and prompts you to upgrade if needed.The installer also prompts you to:

Choose an installation directory: Press Enter to use the default (~/vega/sdk) or specify a custom path.
Install the Vega SDK: Press Enter.
Install the Vega Studio extension: Press Enter (or skip if VS Code isn’t installed).

What gets installed:

Vega CLI → ~/vega/bin
Latest SDK version including Vega Virtual Device
Vega Studio extension in VS Code
Shell configuration updates (.bashrc, .zshrc, .bash_profile, .zprofile, and .profile)

Verify installation

Check that the installation completed successfully:

vega --version

Example output:

Active SDK Version: <version number>
Vega CLI Version: <version number>

The Active SDK Version indicates which SDK you’re using for development. The Vega CLI Version shows the version of the command-line tool that manages your SDK installations.

Next steps

After installing VDT, choose your development approach:For beginners:Start with the Build a Hello World App to learn Vega development basics.For experienced developers:

Vega Studio: If you installed Vega Studio, begin with Build an App With Vega Studio. If you didn’t install Vega Studio, set up the development environment by following the instructions in Set Up Vega Studio.
Vega CLI: For command-line development, see Build an App Using Vega CLI.

For AI-assisted development:Set up Amazon Devices Builder Tools for AI-Powered Development to get AI coding assistance for building, debugging, and optimizing your Vega apps. This is a separate, optional tool that works alongside your SDK installation.

This section covers how to update an SDK version, perform clean builds, and verify the update.

Prerequisites

Update the Vega CLI to the latest version: vega update
Review the release notes for breaking changes
Commit all your changes to version control
Remove existing build artifacts (adds about 5–10 minutes)
Verify your app works with the new SDK before deploying

Update an SDK version

Follow these steps to update your SDK:Step 1: List available SDK versionsTo list the available SDK versions:

vega sdk list-remote

The output lists available SDK versions in descending order (newest first).Step 2: Install the new SDK versionTo install the new SDK version:

vega sdk install

To install a specific version:

vega sdk install <version number>

Example:

vega sdk install 0.22.5850

Step 3: Use the new SDK versionTo use the new SDK version:

vega sdk use <version number>

Example:

vega sdk use 0.22.5850

Step 4: Reload your environmentFor the SDK version change to take full effect, reload your shell environment.Choose one of the following options:Option A: Source your shell profile

# For bash users
source ~/.bash_profile
# or
source ~/.bashrc

# For zsh users
source ~/.zshrc

Option B: Open a new terminalClose your current terminal and open a new terminal window.Step 5: Verify the active versionCheck that the SDK version is active. If the version or path is incorrect, repeat Steps 3–4.

vega --version

Example output:

Active SDK Version: 0.22.5850
Vega CLI Version: 1.2.0

Step 6 (Optional): Remove old SDK versionsTo free up disk space, you can uninstall SDK versions you no longer need:

vega sdk uninstall <version number>

Example:

vega sdk uninstall 0.21.4890

Switch between installed SDK versions

If you have multiple SDK versions installed, you can switch between them without reinstalling:Step 1: Check installed versions

vega sdk list-installed

Example output:

22.5850 (active)
22.5720
21.4890

Step 2: Switch to a different version

vega sdk use <version number>

Example:

vega sdk use 0.21.4890

Step 3: Reload your environmentChoose one of the following options:Option A: Source your shell profile

# For bash users
source ~/.bash_profile
# or
source ~/.bashrc

# For zsh users
source ~/.zshrc

Option B: Open a new terminalClose your current terminal and open a new terminal window.Step 4: Verify the switch

vega --version

Clean build after update

Step 1: Remove existing builds and dependencies

rm -rf ./build && rm -rf ./node_modules

Step 2: Update and reinstall dependenciesRegular maintenance of your project’s dependencies is important for security, performance, and compatibility. Choose the instructions for your package manager (follow only one section below):NPM (if your project uses package-lock.json):

Pull the latest version of your app’s dependencies:
npm update
Clear the global package cache:
npm cache clean --force
Clear the Metro cache when running your app with the start command:
npm start -- --reset-cache

Yarn (if your project uses yarn.lock):

Pull the latest version of your app’s dependencies:
yarn upgrade
Clear the global package cache:
yarn cache clean --all
Clear the Metro cache when running your app with the start command:
yarn start -- --reset-cache

PNPM (if your project uses pnpm-lock.yaml):

Pull the latest version of your app’s dependencies:
pnpm update
Clear the global package cache:
pnpm cache delete
Clear the Metro cache when running your app with the start command:
pnpm start --reset-cache

Step 3: Rebuild your appAfter updating dependencies, rebuild your app to compile all components with the new SDK version:

npm run build:app

Verify the update

Confirm you’re running the expected SDK version:
vega --version
Example output:
Active SDK Version: 0.22.5850 Vega CLI Version: 1.2.0
The Active SDK Version indicates which SDK you’re using for development. The Vega CLI Version shows the version of the command-line tool that manages your SDK installations.
Run your app on Vega Virtual Device to verify functionality:
vega run-app <vpkg-path> <app-id> -d VirtualDevice
Example output:
vega run-app sampleapp.vpkg com.amazondeveloper.sampleapp.main -d VirtualDevice
Reload VS Code
After the update completes, reload VS Code to ensure all Vega Studio components are initialized:
1. To open the VS Code command palette, press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Linux).
2. Type Reload Window in the command palette.
3. To reload VS Code, press Enter.

​Choose your installation scenario

​Prerequisites

​System requirements

​Required dependencies

macOS dependencies

Ubuntu dependencies

​Install the Vega CLI

​Verify installation

​Next steps

​Prerequisites

​Update an SDK version

​Switch between installed SDK versions

​Clean build after update

​Verify the update

​Reload VS Code

​Related topics

Choose your installation scenario

Prerequisites

System requirements

Required dependencies

Install the Vega CLI

Verify installation

Next steps

Prerequisites

Update an SDK version

Switch between installed SDK versions

Clean build after update

Verify the update

Reload VS Code

Related topics