|  | 
|  | 1 | +--- | 
|  | 2 | +title: "Getting started with Mintlify" | 
|  | 3 | +sidebarTitle: "Overview" | 
|  | 4 | +description: "Choose the best way to get started building documentation with Mintlify" | 
|  | 5 | +icon: "rocket" | 
|  | 6 | +--- | 
|  | 7 | + | 
|  | 8 | +Welcome to Mintlify! You have multiple ways to start building beautiful documentation. Choose the approach that best fits your workflow and technical requirements. | 
|  | 9 | + | 
|  | 10 | +## Quick start options | 
|  | 11 | + | 
|  | 12 | +<CardGroup cols={2}> | 
|  | 13 | +<Card title="Web editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" href="/editor/getting-started"> | 
|  | 14 | +  **Recommended for beginners** | 
|  | 15 | +   | 
|  | 16 | +  Start building immediately in your browser with our intuitive web editor. No setup required. | 
|  | 17 | +</Card> | 
|  | 18 | + | 
|  | 19 | +<Card title="Local development" icon="terminal" href="/installation"> | 
|  | 20 | +  **Recommended for developers** | 
|  | 21 | +   | 
|  | 22 | +  Use the CLI for local development with your preferred code editor and git workflow. | 
|  | 23 | +</Card> | 
|  | 24 | +</CardGroup> | 
|  | 25 | + | 
|  | 26 | +## Choose your path | 
|  | 27 | + | 
|  | 28 | +### Web editor approach | 
|  | 29 | + | 
|  | 30 | +<Info> | 
|  | 31 | +**Perfect for**: Content creators, marketers, technical writers, and anyone who wants to start quickly without setup. | 
|  | 32 | +</Info> | 
|  | 33 | + | 
|  | 34 | +The web editor provides a complete documentation authoring experience directly in your browser: | 
|  | 35 | + | 
|  | 36 | +- **Zero setup**: Start writing immediately without installing anything | 
|  | 37 | +- **Live preview**: See changes instantly as you type | 
|  | 38 | +- **Git integration**: Automatically syncs with your GitHub repository | 
|  | 39 | +- **Collaborative editing**: Multiple team members can edit simultaneously | 
|  | 40 | +- **Built-in publishing**: Deploy changes with a single click | 
|  | 41 | + | 
|  | 42 | +<Steps> | 
|  | 43 | +<Step title="Sign up and connect your repository"> | 
|  | 44 | +  Create a Mintlify account and connect your GitHub repository at [mintlify.com/start](https://mintlify.com/start). | 
|  | 45 | +</Step> | 
|  | 46 | + | 
|  | 47 | +<Step title="Start editing"> | 
|  | 48 | +  Use our web editor to create and modify documentation pages with live preview. | 
|  | 49 | +   | 
|  | 50 | +  <Tip> | 
|  | 51 | +  The web editor includes syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and real-time collaboration features. | 
|  | 52 | +  </Tip> | 
|  | 53 | +</Step> | 
|  | 54 | + | 
|  | 55 | +<Step title="Publish your changes"> | 
|  | 56 | +  Click **Publish** to deploy your documentation instantly to the web. | 
|  | 57 | +</Step> | 
|  | 58 | +</Steps> | 
|  | 59 | + | 
|  | 60 | +### Local development approach | 
|  | 61 | + | 
|  | 62 | +<Info> | 
|  | 63 | +**Perfect for**: Developers who prefer working locally, teams with complex workflows, or projects requiring custom scripts and automation. | 
|  | 64 | +</Info> | 
|  | 65 | + | 
|  | 66 | +Local development gives you full control over your documentation workflow: | 
|  | 67 | + | 
|  | 68 | +- **Your preferred editor**: Use VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any editor you love | 
|  | 69 | +- **Git workflow**: Standard branching, pull requests, and version control | 
|  | 70 | +- **Advanced features**: Custom scripts, automated testing, and CI/CD integration | 
|  | 71 | +- **Offline editing**: Work without an internet connection | 
|  | 72 | +- **Performance**: Faster for large documentation sites | 
|  | 73 | + | 
|  | 74 | +<Steps> | 
|  | 75 | +<Step title="Install Node.js"> | 
|  | 76 | +  Download and install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) (version 16 or later) on your machine. | 
|  | 77 | +   | 
|  | 78 | +  <Check> | 
|  | 79 | +  Verify installation by running `node --version` in your terminal. | 
|  | 80 | +  </Check> | 
|  | 81 | +</Step> | 
|  | 82 | + | 
|  | 83 | +<Step title="Install the Mintlify CLI"> | 
|  | 84 | +  Continue to our [CLI installation guide](/installation) for detailed setup instructions. | 
|  | 85 | +</Step> | 
|  | 86 | + | 
|  | 87 | +<Step title="Clone your repository"> | 
|  | 88 | +  Clone your documentation repository locally and start the development server. | 
|  | 89 | +</Step> | 
|  | 90 | +</Steps> | 
|  | 91 | + | 
|  | 92 | +## Comparison: Web editor vs. local development | 
|  | 93 | + | 
|  | 94 | +<Tabs> | 
|  | 95 | +<Tab title="Feature comparison"> | 
|  | 96 | +| Feature | Web editor | Local development | | 
|  | 97 | +|---------|------------|-------------------| | 
|  | 98 | +| **Setup time** | Instant | ~5 minutes | | 
|  | 99 | +| **Internet required** | Yes | No (after setup) | | 
|  | 100 | +| **Collaboration** | Real-time | Git-based | | 
|  | 101 | +| **Editor features** | Built-in | Your choice | | 
|  | 102 | +| **Advanced workflows** | Limited | Full control | | 
|  | 103 | +| **Performance** | Good | Excellent | | 
|  | 104 | +| **Learning curve** | Minimal | Moderate | | 
|  | 105 | +</Tab> | 
|  | 106 | + | 
|  | 107 | +<Tab title="Use cases"> | 
|  | 108 | +**Choose web editor if you:** | 
|  | 109 | +- Want to start immediately without setup | 
|  | 110 | +- Primarily write content rather than code | 
|  | 111 | +- Work in small teams with simple workflows | 
|  | 112 | +- Prefer browser-based tools | 
|  | 113 | +- Need real-time collaboration | 
|  | 114 | + | 
|  | 115 | +**Choose local development if you:** | 
|  | 116 | +- Are comfortable with command-line tools | 
|  | 117 | +- Have existing git-based workflows | 
|  | 118 | +- Need custom build processes or scripts | 
|  | 119 | +- Work with large documentation sites | 
|  | 120 | +- Prefer your own code editor | 
|  | 121 | +- Want to work offline | 
|  | 122 | +</Tab> | 
|  | 123 | +</Tabs> | 
|  | 124 | + | 
|  | 125 | +## Hybrid approach | 
|  | 126 | + | 
|  | 127 | +<Note> | 
|  | 128 | +You're not locked into one approach! Many teams use both methods: | 
|  | 129 | + | 
|  | 130 | +- **Content creators** use the web editor for writing and editing | 
|  | 131 | +- **Developers** use local development for structure, configuration, and complex changes | 
|  | 132 | +- **Everyone** benefits from automatic git synchronization between approaches | 
|  | 133 | +</Note> | 
|  | 134 | + | 
|  | 135 | +Both methods work with the same underlying MDX files and `docs.json` configuration, so you can switch between them seamlessly. | 
|  | 136 | + | 
|  | 137 | +## What's included with Mintlify | 
|  | 138 | + | 
|  | 139 | +Regardless of which approach you choose, you get access to all Mintlify features: | 
|  | 140 | + | 
|  | 141 | +- **Modern components**: Callouts, tabs, accordions, code groups, and more | 
|  | 142 | +- **API documentation**: Auto-generated from OpenAPI specifications   | 
|  | 143 | +- **Authentication**: Restrict access with custom login flows | 
|  | 144 | +- **Analytics**: Built-in insights and integration with popular tools | 
|  | 145 | +- **Custom domains**: Host documentation on your own domain | 
|  | 146 | +- **SEO optimization**: Automatic sitemap generation and meta tags | 
|  | 147 | +- **Search**: Full-text search across your entire documentation | 
|  | 148 | +- **Themes**: Beautiful, customizable designs that match your brand | 
|  | 149 | + | 
|  | 150 | +## Ready to begin? | 
|  | 151 | + | 
|  | 152 | +<CardGroup cols={2}> | 
|  | 153 | +<Card title="Start with web editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" href="/editor/getting-started"> | 
|  | 154 | +  Jump right in with our browser-based editor | 
|  | 155 | +</Card> | 
|  | 156 | + | 
|  | 157 | +<Card title="Set up local development" icon="terminal" href="/installation"> | 
|  | 158 | +  Install the CLI and start developing locally   | 
|  | 159 | +</Card> | 
|  | 160 | +</CardGroup> | 
|  | 161 | + | 
|  | 162 | +<Tip> | 
|  | 163 | +If you're not sure which approach to choose, we recommend starting with the web editor. You can always switch to local development later as your needs grow. | 
|  | 164 | +</Tip> | 
0 commit comments