# Complete prerequisites to set up Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
<a name="before-you-begin"></a>

Before you use Amazon Kinesis Data Streams for the first time, complete the following tasks to set up your environment.

**Topics**
+ [Sign up for an AWS account](#sign-up-for-aws)
+ [Download libraries and tools](#setting-up-downloads)
+ [Configure your development environment](#setting-up-requirements)

## Sign up for an AWS account
<a name="sign-up-for-aws"></a>

To get started with AWS, you need an AWS account. For information about creating an AWS account, see [Getting started with an AWS account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//accounts/latest/reference/getting-started.html) in the *AWS Account Management Reference Guide*.

## Download libraries and tools
<a name="setting-up-downloads"></a>

The following libraries and tools will help you work with Kinesis Data Streams: 
+ The [Amazon Kinesis API Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/kinesis/latest/APIReference/) is the basic set of operations that Kinesis Data Streams supports. For more information about performing basic operations using Java code, see the following:
  + [Develop producers using the Amazon Kinesis Data Streams API with the AWS SDK for Java](developing-producers-with-sdk.md)
  + [Develop consumers with the AWS SDK for Java](develop-consumers-sdk.md)
  + [Create and manage Kinesis data streams](working-with-streams.md)
+ The AWS SDKs for [Go](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-go/api/service/kinesis/), [Java](https://aws.amazon.com/developers/getting-started/java/), [JavaScript](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/language/java/?intClick=dc_navbar), [.NET](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/language/net/?intClick=dc_navbar), [PHP](https://aws.amazon.com/developers/getting-started/php/), [Python](https://github.com/boto/boto), and [Ruby](https://aws.amazon.com/developers/getting-started/ruby/) include Kinesis Data Streams support and samples. If your version of the AWS SDK for Java does not include samples for Kinesis Data Streams, you can also download them from [GitHub](https://github.com/aws/aws-sdk-java/tree/master/src/samples).
+ The Kinesis Client Library (KCL) provides an easy-to-use programming model for processing data. The KCL can help you get started quickly with Kinesis Data Streams in Java, Node.js, .NET, Python, and Ruby. For more information see [Reading Data from Streams](building-consumers.md).
+ The [AWS Command Line Interface](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/) supports Kinesis Data Streams. The AWS CLI enables you to control multiple AWS services from the command line and automate them through scripts.

## Configure your development environment
<a name="setting-up-requirements"></a>

To use the KCL, ensure that your Java development environment meets the following requirements:
+ Java 1.7 (Java SE 7 JDK) or later. You can download the latest Java software from [Java SE Downloads](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html) on the Oracle website.
+ Apache Commons package (Code, HTTP Client, and Logging)
+ Jackson JSON processor

Note that the [AWS SDK for Java](https://aws.amazon.com/sdkforjava/) includes Apache Commons and Jackson in the third-party folder. However, the SDK for Java works with Java 1.6, while the Kinesis Client Library requires Java 1.7.