diff --git a/quickstart.mdx b/quickstart.mdx index 076b50534..7066df9bd 100644 --- a/quickstart.mdx +++ b/quickstart.mdx @@ -1,251 +1,221 @@ --- title: "Quickstart" -description: "Deploy your documentation in minutes" +description: "Get your documentation site live in under 5 minutes" icon: "rocket" --- -This quickstart guide shows you how to set up and deploy your documentation site in minutes. - -After completing this guide, you will have a live documentation site ready to customize and expand. +Build and deploy beautiful documentation in minutes. This guide walks you through creating your first documentation site from setup to deployment. - -**Prerequisites**: Before you begin, [create an account](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete onboarding. - +**Before you start**: You'll need a [Mintlify account](https://mintlify.com/start). Sign up and complete the onboarding flow first. -## Getting started +## Create your site -After you complete the onboarding process, your documentation site automatically deploys to a unique URL with this format: +Once you complete onboarding, your documentation site is automatically deployed to: ``` https://.mintlify.app ``` -Find your URL on the Overview page of your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/). +Your site URL is available immediately on your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/) overview page. Mintlify Domain Mintlify Domain -Your site's URL is available immediately. Use this URL for testing and sharing with your team while you are setting up your docs site. - -### Install the GitHub App +## Connect GitHub -Mintlify provides a GitHub App that automates deployment when you push changes to your repository. +Link your GitHub repository to enable automatic deployments when you push changes. -Install the GitHub App by following the instructions from the onboarding checklist or your dashboard. +### Install the GitHub App -1. Navigate to **Settings** in your Mintlify dashboard. -2. Select **GitHub App** from the sidebar. -3. Select **Install GitHub App**. This opens a new tab to the GitHub App installation page. -4. Select the organization or user account where you want to install the app. -5. Select the repositories that you want to connect. +1. Go to **Settings** → **GitHub App** in your dashboard +2. Click **Install GitHub App** +3. Select your organization and repositories +4. Complete the installation GitHub App Installation GitHub App Installation - - Update the GitHub App permissions if you move your documentation to a different repository. - - -### Authorize your GitHub account +### Authorize your account -1. Navigate to **Settings** in your Mintlify dashboard. -2. Select **My Profile** from the sidebar. -3. Select **Authorize GitHub account**. This opens a new tab to the GitHub authorization page. +1. Navigate to **Settings** → **My Profile** +2. Click **Authorize GitHub account** +3. Complete the authorization flow - - An admin for your GitHub organization may need to authorize your account depending on your organization settings. - - -## Editing workflows + +Organization admins may need to approve the authorization depending on your GitHub settings. + -Mintlify offers two workflows for creating and maintaining your documentation: +## Choose your workflow - - For users who prefer working with existing tools in their local environment. Click to jump to this section. - +Pick the editing approach that works best for your team: - - For users who prefer a visual interface in their web browser. Click to jump to this section. - + + + Edit files locally with your favorite tools and Git workflow + + + Visual editing directly in your browser with instant preview + + -## Code-based workflow +## Local development -The code-based workflow integrates with your existing development environment and Git repositories. This workflow is best for technical teams who want to manage documentation alongside code. +Work with documentation files in your local environment using familiar development tools. ### Install the CLI -To work locally with your documentation, install the Command Line Interface (CLI), called [mint](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mint), by running this command in your terminal: +Install the Mintlify CLI to preview changes locally: - ```bash npm - npm i -g mint - ``` +```bash npm +npm i -g mint +``` - ```bash pnpm - pnpm add -g mint - ``` +```bash pnpm +pnpm add -g mint +``` - - You need Node.js installed on your machine. If you encounter installation issues, check the troubleshooting guide. - - -### Edit the documentation + +Requires Node.js v19 or higher. Check your version with `node --version`. + -After setting up your environment, you can start editing your documentation files. For example, update the title of the introduction page: +### Make your first edit -1. Open your repository created during onboarding. -2. Open `index.mdx` and locate the top of the file: +1. Clone your repository from the onboarding process +2. Open `index.mdx` and update the title: ```mdx index.mdx --- -title: "Introduction" -description: "This is the introduction to the documentation" +title: "My awesome docs" +description: "Welcome to my documentation" --- -``` -3. Update the `title` field to `"Hello World"`. +# Welcome -```mdx index.mdx {2} ---- -title: "Hello World" -description: "This is the introduction to the documentation" ---- +This is my documentation homepage. ``` -### Preview the changes +### Preview locally -To preview the changes locally, run the following command: +Start the development server: ```bash mint dev ``` -Your preview will be available at `localhost:3000`. +Your site runs at `http://localhost:3000` with live reload. - Mintlify Dev - Mintlify Dev + Local preview + Local preview -### Push the changes - -When you are ready to publish your changes, push them to your repository. +### Deploy changes -Mintlify automatically detects the changes, builds your documentation, and deploys the updates to your site. Monitor the deployment status in your GitHub repository commit history or the [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com). +Push your changes to trigger automatic deployment: -After the deployment completes, your latest update will be available at `.mintlify.app`. - - - Optionally, skip the web editor workflow and jump to adding a custom domain. - +```bash +git add . +git commit -m "Update homepage title" +git push origin main +``` -## Web editor workflow +Your site updates automatically within minutes. -The web editor workflow provides a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface for creating and editing documentation. This workflow is best for people who want to work in their web browser without additional local development tools. +## Web editor -### Access the web editor +Edit documentation visually in your browser without local setup. -1. Log in to your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com). -2. Select **Editor** on the left sidebar. +### Access the editor - - If you have not installed the GitHub App, you will be prompted to install the app when you open the web editor. - +1. Open your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com) +2. Click **Editor** in the sidebar - The Mintlify web editor in the visual editor mode - The Mintlify web editor in the visual editor mode + Web editor interface + Web editor interface -### Edit the documentation - -In the web editor, you can navigate through your documentation files in the sidebar. Let's update the introduction page: - -Find and select `index.mdx` in the file explorer. +### Edit content -Then, in the editor, update the title field to "Hello World". +1. Select `index.mdx` from the file tree +2. Update the title field to "My awesome docs" +3. Add content using the rich text editor - Editing in Web Editor - Editing in Web Editor + Editing content + Editing content - The editor provides a rich set of formatting tools and components. Type / in the editor to open the command menu and access these tools. +Press `/` to open the command menu and access formatting tools and components. -### Publish your changes +### Publish changes -When you're satisfied with your edits, select the **Publish** button in the top-right corner. Your changes are immediately deployed to your documentation site. +Click **Publish** to deploy your changes instantly. - - Use branches to preview and review changes through pull requests before deploying to your live site. - +For collaborative workflows, use branches to review changes before publishing. Learn more in our [web editor guide](/editor/getting-started). -For more details about using the web editor, including using branches and pull requests to collaborate and preview changes, see our [web editor documentation](/editor/getting-started). +## Add a custom domain -## Adding a custom domain +Replace your `.mintlify.app` subdomain with your own domain. -While your `.mintlify.app` subdomain works well for testing and development, most teams prefer using a custom domain for production documentation. - -To add a custom domain, navigate to the [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain) page in your dashboard. +1. Go to **Settings** → **Custom Domain** in your dashboard +2. Enter your domain (e.g., `docs.company.com`) +3. Add the CNAME record to your DNS provider: - Custom Domain - Custom Domain + Custom domain setup + Custom domain setup -Enter your domain (for example, `docs.yourcompany.com`) and follow the provided instructions to configure DNS settings with your domain provider. - - | Record Type | Name | Value | TTL | |-------------|------|-------|-----| -| CNAME | docs (or subdomain) | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 | -
+| CNAME | docs | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 | - DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though changes often complete much sooner. +DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally. -## Next steps +## What's next? -Congratulations! You have successfully deployed your documentation site with Mintlify. Here are suggested next steps to enhance your documentation: +Your documentation site is live! Here's how to make it even better: - - Configure site-wide styling, navigation, integrations, and more with the `docs.json` file. - - - Learn how to customize colors, fonts, and the overall appearance of your documentation site. - - - Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation to help users find what they need. - - - Enhance your documentation with interactive components like accordions, tabs, and code samples. - - - Create interactive API references with OpenAPI and AsyncAPI specifications. - + + + Customize site-wide options in `docs.json` + + + Brand your docs with custom colors and fonts + + + Structure your content with intuitive navigation + + + Enhance pages with interactive elements + + -## Troubleshooting - -If you encounter issues during the setup process, check these common troubleshooting solutions: +## Need help? - - Make sure you have Node.js v19+ installed and that you run the `mint dev` command from the directory containing your `docs.json` file. + + Ensure you have Node.js v19+ and run `mint dev` from your project root directory containing `docs.json`. - - Deployment can take upwards to a few minutes. Check your GitHub Actions (for code-based workflow) or deployment logs in the Mintlify dashboard to ensure there are no build errors. + + Check your GitHub Actions tab for build errors. Deployments typically take 2-3 minutes. - Verify that your DNS records are set up correctly and allow sufficient time for DNS propagation (up to 48 hours). You can use tools like [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org) to verify your CNAME record. + Verify your CNAME record is correct and allow time for DNS propagation. Use [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org) to verify. + +Still stuck? [Contact our support team](/contact-support) for help. \ No newline at end of file