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Mac OS Setup

Est. read time: 2 min read

This guide will walk you through setting up the Elements Local SDK on a Mac. You’ll install the required dependencies using Homebrew or manually, and optionally use IntelliJ IDEA as your IDE.

Manual Step-by-Step Installation #

1. Install Homebrew (if not already installed) #

Homebrew is the recommended package manager for macOS.

Open Terminal and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

After installation, run:

brew doctor

2. Install OpenJDK #

Install OpenJDK 21(or later):

brew install openjdk@21

You may need to add the following to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bash_profile, or similar):

export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17/bin:$PATH"
export CPPFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17/include"

Apply the changes:

source ~/.zshrc  # or your corresponding shell config

Verify the installation:

java -version

3. Install Maven #

brew install maven

Verify it’s installed:

mvn -version

4. Install Git (if not already installed) #

brew install git

5. Install IntelliJ IDEA (Optional but Recommended) #

You can install IntelliJ IDEA via Homebrew:

brew install --cask intellij-idea

Or download from:
https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/

6. Clone and Import the Example Project #

Clone the Elements example project:

git clone https://github.com/NamazuStudios/element-example.git

Then:

  1. Open IntelliJ IDEA
  2. Click Open and select the element-example directory
  3. If prompted, import as a Maven project
  4. If not prompted, right-click pom.xml and select Add as Maven Project

7. Run the Local SDK #

  1. In IntelliJ, navigate to the dev.getelements.sdk.local package
  2. Locate and run the LocalSdkMain class (or the appropriate main class)
  3. The local server should boot up and be accessible for testing

Full Setup Script (For Convenience) #

Paste the following into Terminal to install everything in one shot:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install openjdk@21 maven git
brew install --cask intellij-idea

Then update your shell profile:

echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@21/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export CPPFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@21/include"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

You’re Ready #

Once you’ve completed the setup:

  • You can build and run the Elements example project locally
  • You’re now ready to begin backend development using the Elements SDK
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