# Quick Start Guide - Strapi Developer Docs
> Source: https://docs.strapi.io/cms/quick-start
Build and deploy a Strapi project from scratch in 10 steps: create a local project with `create-strapi@latest`, define collection types using the Content-Type Builder, deploy to Strapi Cloud with `npm run strapi deploy`, and add content via the Content Manager.
Strapi offers a lot of flexibility. Whether you want to go fast and quickly see the final result, or would rather dive deeper into the product, we got you covered. For this tutorial, we'll go for the DIY approach and build a project and content structure from scratch, then deploy your project to Strapi Cloud to add data from there.
:::tip Track your progress
This guide is organized into collapsible steps. Click a step's title to expand or collapse it, and click the circle on the right of a step to mark it as completed once you're done. Completed steps turn green, and a progress summary at the bottom-right of the page keeps track of how far along you are.
:::
:::strapi 3 options to discover Strapi
There are 3 options to discover Strapi. Choose what best suits you:
* Strapi offers a [hosted demo](https://strapi.io/demo) so you can quickly try its Content Manager and learn how to edit content. In this hosted demo, Strapi runs in production mode, so the Content-Type Builder is [disabled by design](/cms/faq#why-cant-i-create-or-update-content-types-in-productionstaging).
* If you want to try a full-fledge application, complete with a Strapi back end, a Next.js front end, and example data, install the [LaunchPad](https://github.com/strapi/launchpad) application locally.
* If you want to learn how to start from scratch, follow the present Quick Start Guide.
:::
:::prerequisites
Before installing Strapi, the following requirements must be installed on your computer:
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org): Only [Active LTS or Maintenance LTS versions](https://nodejs.org/en/about/previous-releases) are supported (currently `v22`, `v24`, and `v26`). Odd-number releases of Node, known as "current" versions of Node.js, are not supported (e.g. v23, v25).
- Your preferred Node.js package manager:
- [npm](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v6/commands/npm-install) (`v6` and above)
- [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/) (pnpm is fixed to v9 on Strapi Cloud)
- [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) (if using a SQLite database)
- A supported web browser: The Admin panel targets browsers matching the default [Browserslist](https://github.com/browserslist/browserslist) query: `last 3 major versions`, `Firefox ESR`, `last 2 Opera versions`, and `not dead`. See [browsersl.ist](https://browsersl.ist/#q=last+3+major+versions%2C+Firefox+ESR%2C+last+2+Opera+versions%2C+not+dead) for the current coverage matrix. Projects can override these defaults with a Browserslist configuration at the project root.
You will also need to [install git](https://github.com/git-guides/install-git) and to have a [GitHub](https://github.com) account to deploy your project to Strapi Cloud.
:::
## Part A: Create a new project with Strapi
We will first create a new Strapi project on your machine by running a command in the terminal, and then register our first local administrator user.
Follow the steps below by clicking on the togglable content to read more instructions.
**Step 1: Run the installation script and create a Strapi Cloud account**
1. Run the following command in a terminal:
```bash
npx create-strapi@latest my-strapi-project
```
2. The terminal will prompt you to log in or sign up. Once you do, a 30-day trial of the plan will be automatically applied to your project. For the purpose of this tutorial, ensure `Login/Sign up` is selected in the terminal, or use arrow keys to select it, and press Enter.
:::info
If you choose to skip the login, you won't be able to follow parts C and D of this tutorial, but will still be able to test things locally.
:::
3. In the new browser tab that opens, ensure the confirmation code is the same as in the terminal and click **Confirm**.
4. Still in the browser tab, click **Continue with GitHub**. If you are not already logged in into GitHub with your current browser session, you might be redirected to a GitHub login page.
5. Once logged in, the browser will display a "Congratulations, you're all set!" message and you can safely close the browser tab and get back to the terminal.
6. The terminal will now ask you a few questions. Press `Enter` to accept the default answer to all questions.
As you will see in the terminal, your project is now building locally.
:::info
* The folder of your project will include a `.strapi-cloud.json` file used to link the local Strapi project on your machine to the Strapi servers.
* Many more installation options are available. Please refer to the [installation documentation](/cms/installation) for details.
:::
**Step 2: Register the first local administrator user**
Once the installation is complete, you need to start the server. In the terminal, type or copy and paste the following:
```sh
cd my-strapi-project && npm run develop
```
Your browser automatically opens a new tab.
:::tip
As long as you stay in the `my-strapi-project` folder, you will just need to run `npm run develop` any time you want to start the Strapi server again.
:::
By completing the form, you create your own account. Once done, you become the first administrator user of this Strapi application. Welcome aboard, commander!
You now have access to the [admin panel](http://localhost:1337/admin):
:::callout Congratulations!
You have just created a new Strapi project! You can start playing with Strapi and discover the [Content Manager](/cms/features/content-manager) by yourself, or proceed to part B below.
:::
## Part B: Build your content structure with the Content-type Builder
The installation script has just created an empty project. We will now guide you through creating a small restaurants directory.
The admin panel of a local Strapi project runs at [http://localhost:1337/admin](http://localhost:1337/admin). This is where you will spend most of your time creating and updating content.
First we will build a content structure for your content. This can only be done while in development mode, which is the default mode for projects that are created locally.
:::tip
If the server is not already running, in your terminal, `cd` into the `my-strapi-project` folder and run `npm run develop` to launch it.
You might also need to run `npm run build` prior to the `develop` command, especially in cases where building the website is important, such as for TypeScript projects for instance.
:::
The Content-Type Builder helps you create your content structure. When creating an empty project with Strapi, this is where to get the party started!
**Step 3: Create a **
Your restaurants directory will eventually include many restaurants, so we need to create a "Restaurant" collection type. Then we can describe the fields to display when adding a new restaurant entry:
1. Go to [Content-Type Builder](http://localhost:1337/admin/plugins/content-type-builder) in the main navigation on the left of the admin panel.
2. Click on the plus icon next to **Collection types**.
3. Type `Restaurant` for the _Display name_, and click **Continue**.
4. Click on the **Add new field** button, and select the Text field.
5. Type `Name` in the _Name_ field.
6. Switch to the _Advanced Settings_ tab, and check the **Required field** and the **Unique field** settings.
7. Click on **Add another field**.
8. Choose the Rich text (Blocks) field in the list.
9. Type `Description` under the _Name_ field, then click **Finish**.
10. Finally, click **Save** and wait for Strapi to restart.
Once Strapi has restarted, "Restaurant" is listed under _Content Manager > Collection types_ in the navigation. Wow, you have just created your very first content-type! It was so cool, let's create another one right now, just for pleasure.
**Step 4: Create a **
It would help getting a bit more organized if our restaurants directory had some categories. Let's create a "Category" collection type:
1. Go to [Content-type Builder](http://localhost:1337/admin/plugins/content-type-builder) in the main navigation.
2. Click on the plus icon next to **Collection types**.
3. Type `Category` for the _Display name_, and click **Continue**.
4. Click on the **Add new field** button, and select the Text field.
5. Type `Name` in the _Name_ field.
6. Switch to the _Advanced Settings_ tab, and check the **Required field** and the **Unique field** settings.
7. Click on **Add another field**.
8. Choose the Relation field.
9. In the center, select the icon that represents "many-to-many" .
10. On the right, click on _Category_ dropdown and choose _Restaurant_ in the list. The text should read `Categories has and belongs to many Restaurants`.
11. Finally, click **Finish**, then the **Save** button, and wait for Strapi to restart.
:::callout Congratulations!
You have just created a basic content structure for your Strapi project! You can keep on playing with the [Content-Type Builder](/cms/features/content-type-builder), or proceed to parts C and D below to discover Strapi Cloud and add actual content to your project.
:::
:::tip
While we showed here how to manually create a content structure, there are other options you can explore: you can import a Figma prototype, import some files from your computer, or even start prompting [Strapi AI](/cms/features/content-type-builder#strapi-ai) in natural language to let it create things for you. Feel free to try them out!
:::
## ️ Part C: Deploy to Strapi Cloud
Now that your beautiful first Strapi project is working locally, it's time for the world to see it live! The most straightforward way to host your project is to use Strapi Cloud: Deploying your project on Strapi Cloud is done with a single command! 🚀
To deploy your project for free to Strapi Cloud, in your terminal:
1. If the server for your local Strapi project is running, which should be the case if you followed this tutorial so far, press `Ctrl-C` to stop the server.
2. Ensure you are in the folder of your Strapi project (if needed, run for instance `cd my-strapi-project` to reach this folder), and run the following command:
```sh
npm run strapi deploy
```
3. Answer questions in the terminal, giving your project a name (you can press Enter to keep the default name), choosing the recommended NodeJS version, and selecting the region closer to your current place:
Within a few moments, your local project will be hosted on Strapi Cloud. 🚀
Once it's done, the terminal will provide you a clickable link that starts with `https://cloud.strapi.io/projects`. Click on the link, or copy and paste it in your browser address bar, to visit the page.
You will see the Strapi Cloud project we've just created, `my-strapi-project`, visible in the Strapi Cloud dashboard. Click the **Visit app** button in the top right corner to access your deployed Strapi project.
:::callout Congratulations!
Now your project is hosted on Strapi Cloud and accessible online. You can learn more about Strapi Cloud by reading [its dedicated documentation](/cloud/intro) or proceed to part D to log in into your online Strapi project and add your first data from there.
:::
:::tip
Feel free to play with the Content-Type Builder even further and add more fields to your content-types or create new content-types. Anytime you make such changes, deploy them again on Strapi Cloud, by running the appropriate `deploy` command, and see your hosted project updated within a few minutes. Magical, isn't it? 🪄
:::
## Part D: Add content to your Strapi Cloud project with the Content Manager
Now that we have created a basic content structure with 2 collection types, "Restaurant" and "Category", and deployed your project to Strapi Cloud, let's use the Cloud to actually add content by creating new entries.
**Step 5: Log in to the admin panel of your new Strapi Cloud project**
Now that your Strapi Cloud project is created, let's log in into the project:
1. From your [Strapi Cloud dashboard](https://cloud.strapi.io/projects), click the `my-strapi-project` project.
3. Click the **Visit app** button.
4. In the new page that opens, complete the form to create the first administrator user of this Strapi Cloud project.
Logged in into our first Strapi Cloud project, we will now add data from there.
Additional information and tips about users and Strapi Cloud projects:
:::note Note: Local users and Strapi Cloud users are different
The databases for your Strapi Cloud project and your local project are different. This means that data is not automatically transferred from your local project to Strapi Cloud. This includes users that you previously created locally. That's why you are invited to create a new administrator account when logging in to your Strapi Cloud project for the first time.
:::
:::tip Tip: Directly accessing the admin panel of your Strapi Cloud project
Any project hosted on Strapi Cloud is accessible from its own URL, something like `https://my-strapi-project-name.strapiapp.com`. To access the admin panel of your online project, simply add `/admin` to the URL, for instance as in `https://my-strapi-project-name.strapiapp.com/admin`. URLs can be found in your Strapi Cloud dashboard and you can also directly access your Strapi Cloud projects from there by clicking on the name of your project then on the **Visit app** button.
:::
**Step 6: Create an entry for the "Restaurant" collection type**
1. Go to _Content Manager > Collection types - Restaurant_ in the navigation.
2. Click on **Create new entry**.
3. Type the name of your favorite local restaurant in the _Name_ field. Let's say it's `Biscotte Restaurant`.
4. In the _Description_ field, write a few words about it. If you're lacking some inspiration, you can use `Welcome to Biscotte restaurant! Restaurant Biscotte offers a cuisine based on fresh, quality products, often local, organic when possible, and always produced by passionate producers.`
5. Click **Save**.
The restaurant is now listed in the _Collection types - Restaurant_ view of the _Content Manager_.
**Step 7: Add Categories**
Let's go to _Content Manager > Collection types - Category_ and create 2 categories:
1. Click on **Create new entry**.
2. Type `French Food` in the _Name_ field.
3. Click **Save**.
4. Go back to _Collection types - Category_, then click again on **Create new entry**.
5. Type `Brunch` in the _Name_ field, then click **Save**.
The "French Food" and "Brunch" categories are now listed as drafts in the _Collection types - Category_ view of the _Content Manager_.
Now, we will add a category to a restaurant:
1. Go to _Content Manager > Collection types - Restaurant_ in the navigation, and click on "Biscotte Restaurant".
2. In the **Categories** drop-down list at the bottom of the page, select "French Food". Scroll back to the top of the page and click **Save**.
**Step 8: Set Roles & Permissions**
We have just added a restaurant and 2 categories. We now have enough content to consume (pun intended). But first, we need to make sure that the content is publicly accessible through the API:
1. Click on _ Settings_ at the bottom of the main navigation.
2. Under _Users & Permissions Plugin_, choose _Roles_.
3. Click the **Public** role.
4. Scroll down under _Permissions_.
5. In the _Permissions_ tab, find _Restaurant_ and click on it.
6. Click the checkboxes next to **find** and **findOne**.
7. Repeat with _Category_: click the checkboxes next to **find** and **findOne**.
8. Finally, click **Save** at the top of the page.
**Step 9: Publish the content**
By default, any content you create is saved as a draft. Let's publish our categories and restaurant.
First, navigate to _Content Manager > Collection types - Category_. From there:
1. Click the "Brunch" entry.
2. On the next screen, click **Publish**.
Then, go back to the Categories list and repeat for the "French Food" category.
Finally, to publish your favorite restaurant, go to _Content Manager > Collection types - Restaurant_, click the "Biscotte Restaurant" entry, and **Publish** it.
**Step 10: Use the API**
OK dear gourmet, we have just finished creating our content and making it accessible through the API. You can give yourself a pat on the back — but you have yet to see the final result of your hard work.
There you are: the list of restaurants should be accessible by visting the `/api/restaurants` path of your Strapi Cloud project URL (e.g., `https://beautiful-first-strapi-project.strapiapp.com/api/restaurants`).
Try it now! The result should be similar to the example response below 👇.
Click me to view an example of API response:
```json
{
"data": [
{
"id": 3,
"documentId": "wf7m1n3g8g22yr5k50hsryhk",
"Name": "Biscotte Restaurant",
"Description": [
{
"type": "paragraph",
"children": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "Welcome to Biscotte restaurant! Restaurant Biscotte offers a cuisine based on fresh, quality products, often local, organic when possible, and always produced by passionate producers."
}
]
}
],
"createdAt": "2024-09-10T12:49:32.350Z",
"updatedAt": "2024-09-10T13:14:18.275Z",
"publishedAt": "2024-09-10T13:14:18.280Z",
"locale": null
}
],
"meta": {
"pagination": {
"page": 1,
"pageSize": 25,
"pageCount": 1,
"total": 1
}
}
}
```
:::callout Congratulations!
Now your content is created, published, and you have permissions to request it through the API.
Keep on creating amazing content!
:::
:::tip Tip: Transfer data between your local and Strapi Cloud projects
The databases for your Strapi Cloud project and your local project are different. This means that data is not automatically synchronized between your Strapi Cloud and local projects. You can use the [data management system](/cms/features/data-management) to transfer data between projects.
:::
## What's next?