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183 changes: 46 additions & 137 deletions quickstart.mdx
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keywords: ["quickstart", "deploy", "get started", "first steps"]
---

After completing this guide, you will have a live documentation site ready to customize and expand.

<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 site is live at:

```
https://<your-project-name>.mintlify.app
Expand All @@ -27,62 +25,33 @@
<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.
## Connect GitHub

Install the GitHub App by following the instructions from the onboarding checklist or your dashboard.
Install the GitHub App to automate 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. Go to **Settings** → **GitHub App** in your dashboard.
2. Select **Install GitHub App** and choose your organization.
3. Select the 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.
</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
Then authorize your account:

Mintlify offers two workflows for creating and maintaining your documentation:
1. Go to **Settings** → **My Profile**.

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2. Select **Authorize GitHub account**.

<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>

<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>
## Choose your workflow

## Code-based workflow
Pick the workflow that fits your team:

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.
### Code-based workflow

### Install the CLI

<Info>
**Prerequisite**: The CLI requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) v19 or higher.
</Info>
Work locally with your code editor and Git.

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 CLI** (requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) v19+):

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<CodeGroup>
```bash npm
Expand All @@ -94,25 +63,13 @@
```
</CodeGroup>

### Create a new project
**Create a project**:

Run `mint new` to create a new documentation project. See the [CLI installation guide](/installation#create-a-new-project) for details on the command and flags.

### Edit the documentation

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

1. Navigate to your documentation repository.
2. Open `index.mdx` and locate the top of the file:

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

3. Update the `title` field to `"Hello World"`.
**Edit your docs**. Open `index.mdx` and change the title:

```mdx index.mdx {2}
---
Expand All @@ -121,133 +78,85 @@
---
```

### Preview the changes

To preview the changes locally, run the following command:
**Preview locally**:

```bash
mint dev
```

Your preview is available at `localhost:3000`.
Your preview is 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

When you are ready to publish your changes, push them to your repository.
**Push to deploy**. Mintlify automatically builds and deploys your 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).
### Web editor workflow

After the deployment completes, your latest update will be available at `<your-project-name>.mintlify.app`.
Edit directly in your browser with a visual interface.

<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>
**Open the editor**:

## 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>
1. Go to your [dashboard](https://dashboard.mintlify.com).
2. Select **Editor** in the sidebar.

<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".
**Edit your docs**. Select `index.mdx` and update the title to "Hello World".

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<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.
Type <kbd>/</kbd> to open the command menu and access formatting tools.
</Tip>

### Publish your changes
**Publish**. Click the **Publish** button to deploy 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.
Learn more in the [web editor documentation](/editor).

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

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).

## 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.
Go 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 domain (e.g., `docs.yourcompany.com`) and add this DNS record:

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

<Info>
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.
</Info>

## 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="organize/settings" horizontal>
Configure site-wide styling, navigation, integrations, and more with the `docs.json` file.
<Card title="Configure settings" icon="settings" href="organize/settings" horizontal>
Customize styling, navigation, and integrations in `docs.json`.
</Card>
<Card title="Customize your theme" icon="paintbrush" href="customize/themes" horizontal>
Learn how to customize colors, fonts, and the overall appearance of your documentation site.
<Card title="Customize theme" icon="paintbrush" href="customize/themes" horizontal>
Change colors, fonts, and appearance.
</Card>
<Card title="Organize navigation" icon="map" href="organize/navigation" horizontal>
Structure your documentation with intuitive navigation to help users find what they need.
Structure your documentation for easy 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 components 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="Set up API docs" icon="code" href="/api-playground/overview" horizontal>
Create API references with OpenAPI 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 up 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>