Getting Started

Purpose

Get the app running locally with the smallest reliable setup path.

What you need

• Node.js 20+
• pnpm
• PostgreSQL
• Stripe test keys if you want to test billing
• Resend credentials only if you want email and magic-link flows to work end to end

Files to touch

• .env
• .env.example

First run

pnpm install
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d
pnpm db:migrate
pnpm db:seed
pnpm dev

If you already have Postgres, skip Docker and point POSTGRES_URL at your own instance.

Minimum environment variables

These are the values to care about first:

• POSTGRES_URL
• AUTH_SECRET
• BASE_URL
• STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
• STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET

Optional but commonly needed:

• RESEND_API_KEY
• EMAIL_FROM
• GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID
• GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET
• GITHUB_CLIENT_ID
• GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET
• NEXT_PUBLIC_ACCOUNT_MODE

The full source of truth is .env.example.

Seeded users

After pnpm db:seed, you can sign in with:

• demo@starter.local / demo123
• admin@admin.com / admin123

If something fails

• Database issues: reset your local state instead of fighting drift. Use pnpm db:reset when the schema is broken locally.
• Auth issues: check AUTH_SECRET and BASE_URL.
• Billing issues: confirm the Stripe test keys are set before you test checkout or the customer portal.

Next step

Once the app boots, go straight to Customization.