What are dev environments?
The place where you write code and run it locally.
What it is
A dev environment is where you work before anything is on the internet. That includes the editor, the language and its tools, the dependencies, and a way to start the app locally. It should feel close to what later runs on the server. Otherwise it only works on your machine.
An environment is described when a second person can start it without asking which version and which variables are missing.
What it is made of
Local does not mean “somehow”. The database the server uses, you also need in some form on the laptop. The same environment variables, the same ports, the same version of the runtime. If that drifts, you chase bugs that never happen in the pipeline, or the pipeline fails on something that worked for you.
What goes wrong
Then there is the difference between your machine and a colleague’s. If a dependency is missing for only one person, the project is not described, it is in someone’s head. A written setup, through versions and a start command, is the difference.
What you otherwise look after yourself
mp run-local starts the project on your computer, including the services a backend needs locally. Setting up tools and the local run is described under Setup.
How it shows up on MainPath
The dev environment is not an extra before the product. It is the first place where you check whether what you write actually starts.