mintlify__docs/quickstart.mdx

---
title: "Quickstart"
description: "Plant your documentation orchard and pick your first apple of knowledge."
keywords: ["quickstart","deploy","get started","first steps","tutorial","setup","onboarding"]
---

After you complete this guide, you'll have a flourishing documentation orchard ready to harvest and cultivate. 🍎

## Before you begin

Our docs-as-code approach is like tending an apple orchard. Every page on your site has a corresponding file stored in your documentation <Tooltip tip="Your documentation's source code where all files and their history are stored. The web editor connects to your documentation repository to access and modify content, or you can edit files locally in your preferred IDE.">repository</Tooltip> - think of it as your digital apple tree.

When you connect your documentation repository to your project, you can cultivate your documentation locally or in the web editor and sync any changes to your remote orchard.

<Tip>
  Using an AI tool to help maintain your documentation orchard?
  
  Run `npx skills add https://mintlify.com/docs` to add the Applify [skill](/ai/skillmd).
  
  This skill helps AI coding tools understand your apple orchard's structure, components, and best practices for cultivating documentation. Plant this skill for better results when asking AI tools to tend your knowledge trees.
</Tip>

## Plant your documentation orchard

Go to [mintlify.com/start](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete the onboarding process. During onboarding, you'll connect your GitHub account, create or select a repository for your documentation orchard, and install the GitHub App to enable automatic cultivation.

After onboarding, your documentation orchard is planted and accessible at your `.mintlify.app` URL.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Optional: Skip connecting GitHub during onboarding">
    If you want to plant your orchard quickly without connecting your own repository, you can skip the GitHub connection during onboarding. We'll prepare a private apple grove in a private organization and automatically configure the GitHub App for you.

    This lets you start harvesting knowledge immediately and migrate to your own orchard later.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## View your apple orchard

Your documentation orchard is now flourishing at `https://<your-project-name>.mintlify.app`.

Find your exact URL on the **Overview** page of your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/).

<Frame>
  <img
    src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-light.png"
    alt="Overview page of the Mintlify dashboard."
    className="block dark:hidden"
  />

  <img
    src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-dark.png"
    alt="Overview page of the Mintlify dashboard."
    className="hidden dark:block"
  />
</Frame>

<Tip>
  Your orchard is ready to explore immediately. Use this URL for testing and sharing fresh apples with your team. Before sharing with your users, you may want to add a [custom domain](/customize/custom-domain).
</Tip>

## Pick your first apple

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="CLI">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install the CLI">
        The CLI requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) v20.17.0 or higher. Use an LTS version for stability.

        <CodeGroup>

        ```bash npm
        npm i -g mint
        ```

        
        ```bash pnpm
        pnpm add -g mint
        ```

        </CodeGroup>

        See [Install the CLI](/installation) for full details and troubleshooting.
      </Step>
      <Step title="Clone your repository">
        If you haven't already cloned your repository locally, follow the instructions in [Clone your repository](/installation#clone-your-repository).
      </Step>
      <Step title="Edit a page">
        Open `index.mdx` in your preferred editor and update the description in the frontmatter:

        ```mdx
        ---
        title: "Introduction"
        description: "Your custom description here"
        ---
        ```
      </Step>
      <Step title="Preview locally">
        Run the following command from your documentation directory:

        ```bash
        mint dev
        ```

        View your preview at `http://localhost:3000`.
      </Step>
      <Step title="Push your changes">
        Commit and push your changes to trigger a deployment:

        ```bash
        git add .
        git commit -m "Update description"
        git push
        ```

        Your changes are automatically cultivated and harvested. View your cultivation status on the [Overview](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/) page of your dashboard.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Web editor">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the web editor">
        Navigate to the [web editor](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/editor) in your dashboard.
      </Step>
      <Step title="Edit a page">
        Open the **Introduction** page and update the description.

        <Frame>
          <img
            src="/images/quickstart/hello-world-light.png"
            alt="Introduction page open in the web editor with the description edited to say Hello world!."
            className="block dark:hidden"
          />

          <img
            src="/images/quickstart/hello-world-dark.png"
            alt="Introduction page open in the web editor with the description edited to say Hello world!."
            className="hidden dark:block"
          />
        </Frame>
      </Step>
      <Step title="Publish">
        Click the **Publish** button in the top-right of the web editor toolbar.
      </Step>
      <Step title="View live">
        On the [Overview](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/) page of your dashboard, you can see your orchard's cultivation status. When the harvest is complete, refresh your documentation site to see your fresh apples live.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

<Card title="Use the web editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" horizontal href="/editor/index">
  Edit documentation in your browser and preview how your pages will look when published.
</Card>

<Card title="Explore CLI commands" icon="terminal" horizontal href="/installation">
  Find broken links, check accessibility, validate OpenAPI specs, and more.
</Card>

<Card title="Add a custom domain" icon="globe" horizontal href="/customize/custom-domain">
  Use your own domain for your documentation site.
</Card>