Development Environment Setup Guide on Windows (Native)

Development Environment Setup Guide on Windows (Native)

Introduction

This guide establishes a native Windows development environment for the GenAI IDP accelerator using PowerShell, Git Bash, or Windows Terminal.

Purpose: Provides a straightforward setup process for Windows users who prefer native tools over WSL, ensuring compatibility with the project’s AWS infrastructure.

When to use this guide:

• You’re developing on Windows and want to use native Windows tools
• You prefer PowerShell or Git Bash over WSL
• You want a lightweight setup without Linux emulation

Alternative: If you prefer a Linux environment on Windows, see Setup Guide for WSL.

Prerequisites

Required Software

1. Python 3.12 or higher

   • Download from: https://www.python.org/downloads/
   • ⚠️ Important: Check “Add Python to PATH” during installation
   • Verify: python --version or python3 --version

2. Node.js 22.12 or higher

   • Download from: https://nodejs.org/
   • Installs both Node.js and npm
   • Verify: node --version and npm --version

3. Git for Windows

   • Download from: https://git-scm.com/download/win
   • Installs Git Bash shell
   • Verify: git --version

4. AWS CLI v2

   • Download from: https://aws.amazon.com/cli/
   • Verify: aws --version

5. AWS SAM CLI

   • Download from: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/serverless-application-model/latest/developerguide/install-sam-cli.html
   • Verify: sam --version

6. Docker Desktop (optional, for local Lambda testing)

   • Download from: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
   • Required only if you want to test Lambda functions locally with sam local invoke

Step 1: Clone the Repository

Open PowerShell, Git Bash, or Windows Terminal:

git clone https://github.com/aws-solutions-library-samples/accelerated-intelligent-document-processing-on-aws.git
cd accelerated-intelligent-document-processing-on-aws

Step 2: Create Python Virtual Environment

Using PowerShell:

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate virtual environment
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# If you get an execution policy error, run:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Using Git Bash:

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate virtual environment
source .venv/Scripts/activate

You should see (.venv) at the beginning of your prompt when activated.

Step 3: Install the IDP CLI

⚠️ Critical: Install packages in this exact order to avoid “No such command” errors.

pip install -e lib/idp_common_pkg
pip install -e lib/idp_sdk
pip install -e lib/idp_cli_pkg

Note: This installs the idp-cli command along with all required Python dependencies.

Step 4: Configure AWS CLI

Refer to: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started-quickstart.html

aws configure

Step 5: Test the Build

Test CLI help

idp-cli publish --help

Test build

Standard build and publish:

idp-cli publish --source-dir . --region us-east-1

Troubleshooting Build Issues

If the build fails, use the --verbose flag to see detailed error messages:

idp-cli publish --source-dir . --region us-east-1 --verbose

The verbose flag will show:

• Exact SAM build commands being executed
• Complete error output from failed builds
• Python version compatibility issues
• Missing dependencies or configuration problems

Note: The legacy publish.py script is deprecated. Use idp-cli publish for all new builds.