Getting started

This section takes you from nothing to a working setup: your own Manablox CMS on your computer, a first page written and published in the admin, and a small website that shows it. Plan about an hour, most of it waiting for downloads the first time.

You will use a terminal (the text window where you type commands) for some steps and your browser for others. Every command is explained before you run it.

The steps

1. What you need: install Node.js, pnpm and Docker, and check that they work.
2. Create your CMS: one command writes a complete project; then you start it.
3. Sign in and create a space: create the first account in the admin and a space for your website.
4. Your first page: design a simple “Page” type, write a page and publish it.
5. Show it on a website: let a second command write a starter website and see your page in it.

What you will have at the end

What	Where
The admin, where you write content	http://localhost:3000
The management API, used by the admin	http://localhost:3000 (same address)
The public API, which your website reads from	http://localhost:3100
Your starter website	http://localhost:3005 (Astro, the default)
A test inbox that catches the emails the CMS sends	http://localhost:8025

localhost means “this computer”. These addresses only work on your own machine, which is exactly what you want while learning. Putting the CMS on a server comes later, in Put it on a server.

Tip

If a word such as space, content type or permalink is new to you, keep Key ideas open in a second tab.

Stuck?

Every step says what you should see. If you see something else, the step usually tells you what to try. If it does not, look at Common problems.