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240 changes: 39 additions & 201 deletions quickstart.mdx
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description: "Deploy your documentation in minutes"
---

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 up and running in minutes.

<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 documentation 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
```

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>

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.

<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:

<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>
## Choose your workflow

<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>
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Code-based" icon="terminal" href="#code-based-workflow">
Edit locally with your preferred tools
</Card>
<Card title="Web editor" icon="mouse-pointer-2" href="#web-editor-workflow">
Edit directly in your browser
</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

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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:

<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
npm i -g mint
Expand All @@ -91,160 +44,45 @@
```
</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"
---
```

### Preview the changes

To preview the changes locally, run the following command:

```bash
mint dev
```

Your preview will be available at `localhost:3000`.

<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
### Edit and preview

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>
1. Open your repository and edit any `.mdx` file
2. Run `mint dev` to preview at `localhost:3000`
3. Push changes to deploy automatically

## 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>
1. Open the [Editor](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/editor) in your dashboard
2. Select any file to edit
3. Click **Publish** to deploy your changes

<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> in the editor to access formatting tools and components.
</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.
## Add a custom domain

<Tip>
Use branches to preview and review changes through pull requests before deploying to your live site.
</Tip>
Navigate to [Domain Setup](https://dashboard.mintlify.com/settings/deployment/custom-domain) and add your domain (e.g., `docs.yourcompany.com`).

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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).
Configure your DNS with a CNAME record:

## 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>
| CNAME | docs | cname.mintlify.app | 3600 |

## Next steps

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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>
<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>
<Card title="Set up API references" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview" horizontal>
Create interactive API references with OpenAPI and AsyncAPI specifications.
</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.
</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>
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Configure settings" icon="settings" href="organize/settings">
Customize your site configuration
</Card>
<Card title="Customize theme" icon="paintbrush" href="customize/themes">
Update colors and fonts
</Card>
<Card title="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="organize/navigation">
Structure your documentation
</Card>
<Card title="Add components" icon="puzzle" href="/components/accordions">
Use interactive components
</Card>
</CardGroup>
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