Prerequisites

What You Need Installed Before You Start

Android Toolchain installs each of these, so treat the list as a checklist:

Inside a project with Android added, Cordova checks the toolchain for you:

Asking Cordova to check the Android toolchainShell
cordova requirements
Output
Requirements check results for android:
Java JDK: installed 17.0.20
Android SDK: installed true
Android target: installed android-37.0,android-36
Gradle: installed /opt/gradle-9.7.1/bin/gradle

Built unchanged and installed on the book's Android 16 emulator, the same project gives you a first look at a Cordova app: the launch splash screen, then the template page, whose green badge turns on only when Cordova's deviceready event fires.

The default Cordova app on the Android 16 emulator
The default Cordova app on the Android 16 emulator