Setting Up Expo Client on MacOS Catalina

Things are done differently on Apple, especially with the latest MacOS, Catalina. When I was navigating these steps, I found them scattered across the internet. This guide aims to provide a centralized tutorial for getting the Expo Client up and running on MacOS Catalina.

1. Download a Code Editor

First, you'll want to download your preferred code editor. I personally recommend Visual Studio Code, which is:

Free to use
Intuitive
Offers a wide range of add-ons to enhance development

Download Visual Studio Code here.

2. Install Node.js

There are primarily two ways to install Node.js on MacOS:

Download Node.js from its official website.
Install it using Homebrew from the command line. Here's a helpful article on how to do that.

Note: Due to the security settings of Catalina, you might encounter issues when trying to install applications globally. If you downloaded Node.js from its website, follow these steps to avoid such issues:

Create an npm-global directory if it doesn't exist:
```
mkdir ~/npm-global
```
Set the npm directory to the one you just created:
```
npm config set prefix '~/npm-global'
```
Create a .zshrc file and open it:
```
touch .zshrc
open -e .zshrc
```

Add the following to the .zshrc file:

npm config set prefix '~/npm-global'
export PATH=~/npm-global/bin:$PATH

Close the file and restart your terminal.

For further insights, check out this thread.

3. Install the Expo Client

Catalina's security settings can be a challenge for global installations. Instead of the standard installation process, use the following command:

sudo npm i -g --unsafe-perm expo-cli

Important: Using sudo will prompt you for a password. The --unsafe-perm flag bypasses Catalina's security settings, allowing you to install the Expo Client globally.

And voila! You've successfully installed the Expo client on your Mac.

Please note that placeholders like "URL_OF_THE_ARTICLE" and "URL_OF_THE_THREAD" are used where URLs should be placed. Make sure to replace them with the actual links.