Quickstart
Clone, configure three environment variables, and have SyntaxKit running locally in about five minutes. Optional integrations live in Setup.
Last updated on
2 min readPrerequisites
Get A Database
Pick a path, then paste the connection string into DATABASE_URL when you configure the environment.
Create a Postgres database in Neon, Supabase, or any provider you prefer, then copy its connection string into DATABASE_URL:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://<user>:<password>@<host>/<database>"No other change is needed. Prisma will run migrations against the hosted database the same way.
Prefer a local database? Start a throwaway Postgres container:
docker run --name syntaxkit-postgres \
-e POSTGRES_USER=postgres \
-e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres \
-e POSTGRES_DB=syntaxkit \
-p 5432:5432 \
-d postgres:16Then use this connection string:
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/syntaxkit"Run It
Configure your environment
Copy the example env file and open it:
cp apps/web/.env.example apps/web/.envFor the first run, only fill these three values:
DATABASE_URL: the connection string from the step above.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL:http://localhost:3000is fine.BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: generate withopenssl rand -base64 32.
pnpm setup:doctor rejects the placeholder secret and any value shorter than 32 characters. Generate a real one before moving on.
Install dependencies
pnpm installValidate your setup
pnpm setup:doctorThe doctor checks your env file, reports which optional integrations are configured, and tells you whether the database is reachable. If anything is wrong, it prints exactly what to fix.
Apply database migrations
pnpm db:migrate:devThis creates the schema in your database and generates the Prisma client. Use pnpm db:migrate:deploy for production-style non-interactive migration application.
Start the dev server
pnpm devThe product app boots on http://localhost:3000. The docs site you're reading runs separately on http://localhost:3001 via pnpm docs:dev.
Open The App
Visit http://localhost:3000 and sign up with an email and password. SyntaxKit creates your personal organization automatically on first sign-up.
OAuth providers, Stripe billing, file uploads, and PostHog analytics intentionally stay disabled until you configure them in Setup. The corresponding UI surfaces remain visible with disabled-state messaging, so you can see where each integration plugs in.
Optional Next Steps
Skip these on a first pass. Useful once the app is running.
Where To Go Next
Setup
Wire up OAuth, Stripe, storage, email, analytics, and abuse protection.
Troubleshooting
Fixes for the friction points that come up most often during a first run.
Also useful: Environment Variables and Project Structure.