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Clean up quickstart page for better readability #1378

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191 changes: 46 additions & 145 deletions quickstart.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -4,19 +4,15 @@
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.
Get your documentation site live in minutes with this step-by-step guide.

<Info>

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

**Prerequisites**: [Create an account](https://mintlify.com/start) and complete onboarding.
</Info>

## Getting started
## Your live site

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

```
https://<your-project-name>.mintlify.app
Expand All @@ -29,39 +25,18 @@
<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.

### Install the GitHub App

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

Install the GitHub App by following the instructions from the onboarding checklist or your dashboard.
Connect your GitHub repository to enable automatic deployments:

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. **Install the GitHub App**: Go to **Settings** → **GitHub App** → **Install GitHub App**
2. **Authorize your account**: Go to **Settings** → **My Profile** → **Authorize GitHub account**

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Avoid first-person pronouns such as 'My'.

<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.
</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:
Expand All @@ -76,11 +51,11 @@

## 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.
Work locally with your existing development tools and Git workflow.

### Install the CLI

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Use 'command-line tool' instead of '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 [mint CLI](https://www.npmjs.com/package/mint) to preview changes locally:

<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
Expand All @@ -92,160 +67,86 @@
```
</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:
### Edit and preview

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"
---
```

### Preview the changes

To preview the changes locally, run the following command:

```bash
mint dev
```

Your preview will be available at `localhost:3000`.
1. Edit your documentation files (e.g., update the title in `index.mdx`)

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2. Preview locally: `mint dev` (available at `localhost:3000`)
3. Push changes to deploy automatically

<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

When you are ready to publish your changes, push them to your repository.

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).

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

<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>

## 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.
Edit documentation directly in your browser with a visual interface.

### Access the web editor
### Getting started

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>
1. Go to your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com) → **Editor**
2. Select any file to edit (e.g., `index.mdx`)

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3. Make changes using the visual editor
4. Click **Publish** to deploy instantly

<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" />
<img alt="The Mintlify web editor" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-light.png" className="block dark:hidden" />
<img alt="The Mintlify web editor" src="/images/quickstart/web-editor-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.
Type <kbd>/</kbd> to access formatting tools and components. Use branches for collaborative editing and pull request workflows.
</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.
## Custom domain (optional)

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Use parentheses judiciously.

<Tip>
Use branches to preview and review changes through pull requests before deploying to your live site.
</Tip>
Add a custom domain for production use:

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.
1. Go to [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain)
2. Enter your domain (e.g., `docs.yourcompany.com`)

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Use 'for example' instead of 'e.g.'.
3. Add this CNAME record to your DNS:

<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.
</Info>
<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>

## Next steps

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'Next steps' should use sentence-style capitalization.

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 enhance it:

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<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="Configure settings" icon="settings" href="settings" horizontal>
Customize styling, navigation, and integrations in `docs.json`
</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="Customize theme" icon="paintbrush" href="themes" horizontal>
Update colors, fonts, and appearance
</Card>
<Card title="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="navigation" horizontal>
Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation to help users find what they need.
Structure your content with intuitive navigation
</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" horizontal>
Use interactive elements like accordions and tabs
</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="API references" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview" horizontal>
Create interactive API docs with OpenAPI specs
</Card>

## 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.
Ensure Node.js v19+ is installed and run `mint dev` from your project directory containing `docs.json`.

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In general, use active voice instead of passive voice ('is installed').
</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.
Deployments take a few minutes. Check GitHub Actions or dashboard deployment logs for 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.
Verify DNS records are correct and allow up to 48 hours for propagation. Use [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org) to verify your CNAME.
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
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