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185 changes: 94 additions & 91 deletions quickstart.mdx
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---
title: "Quickstart"
description: "Deploy your documentation in minutes"
description: "Build beautiful documentation in under 10 minutes"
icon: "rocket"
---

This quickstart guide shows you how to set up and deploy your documentation site in minutes.
Get your documentation site live in minutes with this step-by-step guide.

After completing this guide, you will have a live documentation site ready to customize and expand.
You'll go from zero to a fully deployed documentation site with custom branding and interactive features.

<Info>

**Prerequisites**: Before you begin, [create an account](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete onboarding.
**Before you start**: [Sign up for Mintlify](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete the initial setup wizard.

</Info>

## Getting started
## Launch your site

After you complete the onboarding process, your documentation site automatically deploys to a unique URL with this format:
Once you finish the setup wizard, your documentation automatically goes live at:

```
https://<your-project-name>.mintlify.app
```

Find your URL on the Overview page of your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/).
Your unique URL appears on your [dashboard overview](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/).

<Frame>
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-light.png" alt="Mintlify Domain" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-dark.png" alt="Mintlify Domain" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

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.
This URL is live immediately - share it with your team for feedback while you customize your docs.

### 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 make changes.

Install the GitHub App by following the instructions from the onboarding checklist or your dashboard.
From your dashboard:

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**
2. Click **Install GitHub App** (opens GitHub in a new tab)
3. Choose your organization or personal account
4. Select which repositories to connect

<Frame>
<img src="/images/quickstart/github-app-installation-light.png" alt="GitHub App Installation" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/github-app-installation-dark.png" alt="GitHub App Installation" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

<Info>
Update the GitHub App permissions if you move your documentation to a different repository.
Need to change repositories later? Update the GitHub App permissions anytime.
</Info>

### Authorize your GitHub account
### Link your GitHub profile

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.
Connect your personal GitHub account for seamless editing:

1. Navigate to **Settings** → **My Profile**
2. Click **Authorize GitHub account**

<Info>
An admin for your GitHub organization may need to authorize your account depending on your organization settings.
Organization admins may need to approve this connection based on your GitHub settings.
</Info>

## Editing workflows
## Choose your editing style

Mintlify offers two workflows for creating and maintaining your documentation:
Pick the workflow that matches how you like to work:

<Card title="Code-based workflow" icon="terminal" horizontal href="#code-based-workflow">
For users who prefer working with existing tools in their local environment. Click to jump to this section.
<Card title="Local development" icon="terminal" horizontal href="#local-development">
Edit files in your favorite code editor with full Git workflow support.
</Card>

<Card title="Web editor workflow" icon="mouse-pointer-2" horizontal href="#web-editor-workflow">
For users who prefer a visual interface in their web browser. Click to jump to this section.
<Card title="Browser editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" horizontal href="#browser-editor">
Visual editing interface - no local setup required.
</Card>

## 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 your documentation files directly in your development environment alongside your code.

### Install the CLI
### Get 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:

<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
Expand All @@ -93,15 +93,15 @@
</CodeGroup>

<Info>
You need Node.js installed on your machine. If you encounter installation issues, check the troubleshooting guide.
Requires Node.js v19 or higher. Having trouble? Check our troubleshooting section below.
</Info>

### Edit the documentation
### Make your first edit

After setting up your environment, you can start editing your documentation files. For example, update the title of the introduction page:
Let's update your homepage to see the workflow in action:

1. Open your repository created during onboarding.
2. Open `index.mdx` and locate the top of the file:
1. Open your documentation repository
2. Find `index.mdx` and look at the frontmatter:

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```mdx index.mdx
---
Expand All @@ -110,142 +110,145 @@
---
```

3. Update the `title` field to `"Hello World"`.
3. Change the title to something personal:

```mdx index.mdx {2}
---
title: "Hello World"
title: "Welcome to our docs"
description: "This is the introduction to the documentation"
---
```

### Preview the changes
### See it live 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`.
Open `localhost:3000` to see your changes instantly.

<Frame>
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-dev-light.png" alt="Mintlify Dev" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-dev-dark.png" alt="Mintlify Dev" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

### Push the changes
### Deploy your changes

Ready to go live? Just push to your repository:

When you are ready to publish your changes, push them to your repository.
```bash
git add .
git commit -m "Update homepage title"
git push
```

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).
Mintlify detects the changes and automatically rebuilds your site. Track deployment progress in your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com) or GitHub Actions.

After the deployment completes, your latest update will be available at `<your-project-name>.mintlify.app`.
Your updates appear at `<your-project-name>.mintlify.app` within minutes.

<Card title="Jump to adding a custom domain" icon="arrow-down" href="#adding-a-custom-domain" horizontal>
Optionally, skip the web editor workflow and jump to adding a custom domain.
<Card title="Skip to custom domain setup" icon="arrow-down" href="#custom-domain" horizontal>
Ready to use your own domain? Jump ahead.
</Card>

## Web editor workflow
## Browser editor

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.
Edit your documentation visually without any local setup - perfect for quick updates and non-technical team members.

### Access the web editor
### Open the editor

1. Log in to your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com).
2. Select **Editor** on the left sidebar.
1. Log into your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com)
2. Click **Editor** in the sidebar

<Info>
If you have not installed the GitHub App, you will be prompted to install the app when you open the web editor.
First time? You'll be prompted to install the GitHub App if you haven't already.
</Info>

<Frame>
<img alt="The Mintlify web editor in the visual editor mode" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-light.png" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img alt="The Mintlify web editor in the visual editor mode" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-dark.png" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

### Edit the documentation

In the web editor, you can navigate through your documentation files in the sidebar. Let's update the introduction page:
### Edit visually

Find and select `index.mdx` in the file explorer.
Navigate to any page using the file tree on the left. Let's update the homepage:

Then, in the editor, update the title field to "Hello World".
1. Click `index.mdx` in the file explorer
2. Change the title field to "Welcome to our docs"

<Frame>
<img alt="Editing in Web Editor" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-editing-light.png" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img alt="Editing in Web Editor" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-editing-dark.png" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

<Tip>
The editor provides a rich set of formatting tools and components. Type <kbd>/</kbd> in the editor to open the command menu and access these tools.
Press <kbd>/</kbd> anywhere in the editor to open the component menu and add rich content like callouts, code blocks, and more.

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</Tip>

### Publish your changes
### Go live instantly

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** in the top-right corner. Your changes deploy immediately to your live site.

<Tip>
Use branches to preview and review changes through pull requests before deploying to your live site.
Use branches for collaborative editing and review workflows before publishing to production.
</Tip>

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).
Learn more about advanced editor features in our [web editor guide](/editor/getting-started).

## Adding a custom domain
## Custom domain

While your `<your-project-name>.mintlify.app` subdomain works well for testing and development, most teams prefer using a custom domain for production documentation.
Replace your `.mintlify.app` URL with your own domain for a professional look.

To add a custom domain, navigate to the [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain) page in your dashboard.
Navigate to [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain) in your dashboard.

<Frame>
<img src="/images/quickstart/custom-domain-light.png" alt="Custom Domain" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/custom-domain-dark.png" alt="Custom Domain" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

Enter your domain (for example, `docs.yourcompany.com`) and follow the provided instructions to configure DNS settings with your domain provider.
Enter your desired domain (like `docs.yourcompany.com`) and add this DNS record with your domain provider:

<Table>
| Record Type | Name | Value | TTL |
|-------------|------|-------|-----|
| CNAME | docs (or subdomain) | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 |
| CNAME | docs | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 |
</Table>

<Info>
DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though changes often complete much sooner.
DNS changes typically take 5-30 minutes but can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.
</Info>

## 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 shine:

<Card title="Configure your global settings" icon="settings" href="settings" horizontal>
Configure site-wide styling, navigation, integrations, and more with the `docs.json` file.
<Card title="Brand your site" icon="paintbrush" href="themes" horizontal>
Customize colors, fonts, and styling to match your brand.
</Card>
<Card title="Customize your theme" icon="paintbrush" href="themes" horizontal>
Learn how to customize colors, fonts, and the overall appearance of your documentation site.
<Card title="Structure your content" icon="map" href="navigation" horizontal>
Organize pages with intuitive navigation and grouping.
</Card>
<Card title="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="navigation" horizontal>
Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation to help users find what they need.
<Card title="Add rich components" icon="puzzle" href="/components/accordions" horizontal>
Use interactive elements like tabs, accordions, and code examples.
</Card>
<Card title="Add interactive components" icon="puzzle" href="/components/accordions" horizontal>
Enhance your documentation with interactive components like accordions, tabs, and code samples.
<Card title="Configure site settings" icon="settings" href="settings" horizontal>
Set up analytics, SEO, custom scripts, and integrations.
</Card>
<Card title="Set up API references" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview" horizontal>
Create interactive API references with OpenAPI and AsyncAPI specifications.
<Card title="Build API docs" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview" horizontal>
Generate interactive API references from OpenAPI specs.
</Card>

## Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during the setup process, check these common troubleshooting solutions:
## Common issues

<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Local preview not working">
Make sure you have Node.js v19+ installed and that you run the `mint dev` command from the directory containing your `docs.json` file.
<Accordion title="CLI won't install or start">
Ensure you have Node.js v19+ installed. Run `node --version` to check. If using an older version, update Node.js and try again.
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Changes not reflecting on live site">
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.
<Accordion title="Site not updating after push">
Check your GitHub Actions tab for build errors. Deployments typically take 2-5 minutes. Verify your GitHub App has access to the correct repository.
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Custom domain not connecting">
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.
<Accordion title="Custom domain not working">
Double-check your CNAME record points to `cname.mintlify.app`. Use [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org) to verify DNS propagation. Contact support if issues persist after 48 hours.
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>