Chapter 1. Running a CoffeeScript Program

The very first thing we need to do in order to start using CoffeeScript is to install CoffeeScript itself. This will give us access to the CoffeeScript compiler, which we'll use to compile our beautiful CoffeeScript code into JavaScript that can be run in a browser (or other JavaScript environment). By the end of this chapter we'll be completely set up and ready to work.

There are a couple of steps involved in installing CoffeeScript. I know you're impatient to dive right into this great new language—who can blame you? But we'll have to stick it out through a little bit of system configuration. If we do so, we'll be rewarded with a stable CoffeeScript setup that works flawlessly and doesn't take any more of our attention.

In this chapter we will:

• Install the software that you need to run CoffeeScript code

• Learn how to use the software to run CoffeeScript, both from the command line and in a browser

• Use our new abilities to write a simple web application using CoffeeScript