Development Environment Setup

This guide will help you prepare your development environment for working with Unchained Engine.

System Requirements

Required Software

Node.js (v26 or newer)

Unchained Engine requires Node.js 26 or newer. For development in the engine monorepo, use the version specified in .nvmrc.

Check your version:

node --version

Install or update Node.js:

• Using nvm (recommended):

  nvm install 26
  nvm use 26

• Direct download from nodejs.org

MongoDB (v4.4 or newer)

Unchained uses MongoDB as its primary database, but you do not have to install MongoDB!

Unless you set an explicit connection string, Unchained will automatically download an appropriate version and run it locally for you, thanks to MongoDB Memory Server.

Alternative: MongoDB Atlas (Cloud)

1. Create a free account at MongoDB Atlas
2. Create a new cluster
3. Get your connection string and set it via MONGO_URL environment variable

Alternative: PostgreSQL via FerretDB 2.x

1. Set up PostgreSQL
2. Start the FerretDB 2.x Docker container (1.x is not supported — text indexes are required)
3. Get your connection string and set it via the MONGO_URL environment variable

Next Steps

Your environment is now ready! Continue to Initialize Your Project →