Your Computer Science Student Toolkit

Undergraduate • Windows

Programming, version control, databases, networking and more for computer science students.

Who this toolkit is for

For computer science students from GCSE to postgraduate. Courses use different languages, so start with the essentials and add modules for what you're studying now.

What level are you studying?Secondary / GCSE A-Level / College Undergraduate Postgraduate Professional / Certification Other

What computer do you use?Windows macOS Linux Chromebook Not sure

What are you studying right now? (optional)Programming Web Development Databases Networking Operating Systems Cybersecurity Algorithms AI / Machine Learning Cloud Computing Software Engineering

Choose any modules to see the tools for them. Without a module, module tools appear under Specialist / Optional.

Essential (5)

Core tools that are broadly useful.

Code Editor / IDE

Visual Studio Code
Free
Why you may need this: A flexible code editor for programming assignments, scripting and web modules.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --exact --source winget
```
Details

Programming Languages

Python
Open Source
Why you may need this: A common first language, used across programming, data and AI modules.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Python.Python.3.13 --exact --source winget
```
Details

Version Control

Git
Open Source
Why you may need this: Track changes to your code and submit work through Git-based workflows.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Git.Git --exact --source winget
```
Details

Office / Documents

LibreOffice
Open Source
Why you may need this: A free office suite for essays, spreadsheets and presentations.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id TheDocumentFoundation.LibreOffice --exact --source winget
```
Details

Research / Citation

Zotero
Open SourceAlso on iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Organise research sources and generate citations for coursework and dissertations.
Visit Official Website
Details

Recommended (3)

Useful for particular parts of the work or course.

Terminal

Windows Terminal
Open Source
Why you may need this: A modern terminal for running programs and scripts on Windows.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal --exact --source winget
```
Details

Office / Documents

Microsoft 365
PaidAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad, Web
Why you may need this: Word, Excel and PowerPoint are common for coursework; many institutions provide it free.
Check your university access
Your university or college may provide this software or a student licence. Check before purchasing.
Prefer a free option? LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop · Compare alternatives
Visit Official Website
Details Web app

PDF

Adobe Acrobat Reader
FreemiumAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Read and annotate lecture slides, papers and forms.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Adobe.Acrobat.Reader.64-bit --exact --source winget
```
Details See alternatives

Specialist / Optional · Show specialist tools (15)

Consider these for particular modules, tasks or environments.

Code Editor / IDE

Visual Studio Community
Free
Why you may need this: A full IDE for C#, .NET and C++ modules on Windows.
For the Programming module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community --exact --source winget
```
Details

Programming Languages

Node.js
Open Source
Why you may need this: Useful for JavaScript and web-based programming modules. Also useful for Web Development.
For the Programming module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --exact --source winget
```
Details

Version Control

GitHub Desktop
Open Source
Why you may need this: A visual Git client for team projects.
For the Software Engineering module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id GitHub.GitHubDesktop --exact --source winget
```
Details

Research / Notes

Obsidian
FreeAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Keep lecture and lab notes together.
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Obsidian.Obsidian --exact --source winget
```
Details

Web Development

Mozilla Firefox
Open SourceAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Test and debug your web pages with developer tools.
For the Web Development module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Mozilla.Firefox --exact --source winget
```
Details See alternatives

API Tools

Bruno
Open Source
Why you may need this: Test APIs you build.
For the Web Development module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Bruno.Bruno --exact --source winget
```
Details

Database Tools

DBeaver Community
Open Source
Why you may need this: Connect to databases and practise SQL queries.
For the Databases module
Visit Official Website
Details
pgAdmin
Open Source
Why you may need this: Manage PostgreSQL if your module uses it.
For the Databases module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id PostgreSQL.pgAdmin --exact --source winget
```
Details

Networking

Cisco Packet Tracer
Free
Why you may need this: Simulate networks for networking labs.
For the Networking module
Visit Official Website
Details
Wireshark
Open Source
Why you may need this: Inspect traffic to understand protocols. Also useful for Cybersecurity.
For the Networking module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id WiresharkFoundation.Wireshark --exact --source winget
```
Details See alternatives

Virtualisation

VirtualBox
Open Source
Why you may need this: Try Linux and other systems safely in virtual machines.
For the Operating Systems module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Oracle.VirtualBox --exact --source winget
```
Details
WSL (wsl command)Built into Windows
Why you may need this: Run Linux tools on Windows.
wsl --installMicrosoft documentation

Security

ZAP
Open Source
Why you may need this: Practise web security testing on deliberately vulnerable lab apps.
For the Cybersecurity module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id ZAP.ZAP --exact --source winget
```
Details

Notebooks

JupyterLab
Open Source
Why you may need this: Experiment with algorithms and visualise results. Also useful for AI / Machine Learning.
For the Algorithms module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id ProjectJupyter.JupyterLab --exact --source winget
```
Details

Containers

Docker Desktop
Freemium
Why you may need this: Run services in containers for cloud and DevOps coursework. Also useful for Software Engineering.
For the Cloud Computing module
Winget (verified)
```
winget install --id Docker.DockerDesktop --exact --source winget
```
Details

Course requirements vary. Software requirements differ between schools, colleges, universities and modules. Check your course materials before purchasing software.

Build your student setup

Build My Setup lets you add or remove apps, see why each is included and, where verified packages exist, get one install command. Nothing is installed automatically.

Build my Computer Science setup

Where could this lead?

Related