Skip to content

Rewrite quickstart page #1154

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Closed
wants to merge 1 commit into from
Closed

Rewrite quickstart page #1154

Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
1 commit
Select commit
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
349 changes: 147 additions & 202 deletions quickstart.mdx
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,251 +1,196 @@
---
title: "Quickstart"
description: "Deploy your documentation in minutes"
description: "Deploy beautiful documentation 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.
Deploy your documentation site and start creating beautiful docs in just a few minutes.

<Info>

**Prerequisites**: Before you begin, [create an account](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete onboarding.

**Before you begin**: Create your [Mintlify account](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete the onboarding process.
</Info>

## Getting started
## Your site is live

After you complete the onboarding process, your documentation site automatically deploys to a unique URL with this format:
After onboarding, your documentation is automatically deployed at:

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

Find your URL on the Overview page of your [dashboard](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>
<Check>
Your documentation site is already live and ready to share with your team.
</Check>

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

Mintlify provides a GitHub App that automates deployment when you push changes to your repository.

Install the GitHub App by following the instructions from the onboarding checklist or 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.
Find your exact URL in the [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/) Overview page.

<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" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-light.png" alt="Live documentation URL in dashboard" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img src="/images/quickstart/mintlify-domain-dark.png" alt="Live documentation URL in dashboard" className="hidden dark:block" />
</Frame>

<Info>
Update the GitHub App permissions if you move your documentation to a different repository.
</Info>

### Authorize your GitHub 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.

<Info>
An admin for your GitHub organization may need to authorize your account depending on your organization settings.
</Info>

## Editing workflows

Mintlify offers two workflows for creating and maintaining your documentation:
## Choose your workflow

<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.
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Web editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" href="#web-editor-workflow">
Visual editing in your browser. No setup required.
</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="Code-based" icon="terminal" href="#code-based-workflow">
Local development with Git integration.
</Card>
</CardGroup>

## Code-based workflow

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.

### 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:
## Web editor workflow

<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
npm i -g mint
The fastest way to create and edit documentation.

<Steps>
<Step title="Open the editor">
Navigate to **Editor** in your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com).

<Tip>
The GitHub App will install automatically when you first open the editor.
</Tip>
</Step>

<Step title="Edit your first page">
Select `index.mdx` and change the title to "Hello Mintlify".

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

<Tip>
Press <kbd>/</kbd> in the editor to access components, formatting, and more.
</Tip>
</Step>

<Step title="Publish your changes">
Select **Publish** to deploy your changes instantly.

<Check>
Your changes are now live at your documentation URL.
</Check>
</Step>
</Steps>

## Code-based workflow

For teams who prefer local development and Git workflows.

<Steps>
<Step title="Install the CLI">
<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
npm i -g mint
```

```bash pnpm
pnpm add -g mint
```
</CodeGroup>

<Info>
Requires Node.js 19+. Having trouble? Check our [troubleshooting guide](#troubleshooting).
</Info>
</Step>

<Step title="Set up GitHub integration">
In your dashboard:
1. Go to **Settings** → **GitHub App**
2. Select **Install GitHub App**
3. Choose your repositories

<Info>
Admin approval may be required for organization repositories.
</Info>
</Step>

<Step title="Edit locally">
Clone your repository and make changes:

```mdx index.mdx
---
title: "Hello Mintlify"
description: "Welcome to our documentation"
---
```

```bash pnpm
pnpm add -g mint
Preview changes with:
```bash
mint dev
```
</CodeGroup>

<Info>
You need Node.js installed on your machine. If you encounter installation issues, check the troubleshooting guide.
</Info>

### Edit the documentation

After setting up your environment, you can start editing your documentation files. For example, update the title of the introduction page:

1. Open your repository created during onboarding.
2. Open `index.mdx` and locate the top of the file:

```mdx index.mdx
---
title: "Introduction"
description: "This is the introduction to the documentation"
---
```

3. Update the `title` field to `"Hello World"`.

```mdx index.mdx {2}
---
title: "Hello World"
description: "This is the introduction to the documentation"
---
```
<Check>
Your preview is available at `localhost:3000`.
</Check>
</Step>

### Preview the changes
<Step title="Deploy changes">
Push to your repository. Mintlify automatically builds and deploys your updates.

To preview the changes locally, run the following command:
<Check>
Monitor deployment status in GitHub Actions or your dashboard.
</Check>
</Step>
</Steps>

```bash
mint dev
```
## Add a custom domain

Your preview will be available at `localhost:3000`.
Ready to use your own domain? Navigate to [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain) in your dashboard.

<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>
<Steps>
<Step title="Enter your domain">
Add your domain (like `docs.yourcompany.com`).
</Step>

### Push the changes
<Step title="Configure DNS">
Add this CNAME record with your DNS provider:

When you are ready to publish your changes, push them to your repository.
| Record | Name | Value | TTL |
|--------|------|-------|-----|
| CNAME | docs | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 |

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).
<Info>
DNS changes can take up to 48 hours, but often complete within minutes.
</Info>
</Step>
</Steps>

After the deployment completes, your latest update will be available at `<your-project-name>.mintlify.app`.
## What's next?

<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.
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Customize your site" icon="paintbrush" href="themes">
Configure colors, fonts, and styling to match your brand.
</Card>

## Web editor workflow

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.

### Access the web editor

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

<Info>
If you have not installed the GitHub App, you will be prompted to install the app when you open the web editor.
</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:

Find and select `index.mdx` in the file explorer.

Then, in the editor, update the title field to "Hello World".

<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.
</Tip>

### Publish your 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.

<Tip>
Use branches to preview and review changes through pull requests before deploying to your live site.
</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).

## Adding a 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.

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

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

<Info>
DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though changes often complete much sooner.
</Info>

## Next steps

Congratulations! You have successfully deployed your documentation site with Mintlify. Here are suggested next steps to enhance your documentation:

<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="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="navigation">
Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation.
</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>
<Card title="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="navigation" horizontal>
Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation to help users find what they need.
</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="Add components" icon="puzzle" href="/components/accordions">
Enhance content with interactive components and code samples.
</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="Set up API docs" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview">
Create interactive API references with OpenAPI specs.
</Card>
</CardGroup>

## Troubleshooting

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

<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>
<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>
<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>
</AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Local preview not working">
Ensure you have Node.js 19+ and run `mint dev` from your docs directory containing `docs.json`.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Changes not deploying">
Deployment takes 1-3 minutes. Check GitHub Actions or dashboard logs for build errors.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Custom domain issues">
Verify DNS records are correct and allow time for propagation. Use [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org) to verify your CNAME.
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>