> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://orbit-dev.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get Orbit running locally with Docker or a native setup

This guide gets you from a fresh clone to a running Orbit instance with demo data, using either Docker or a native PHP/Node setup.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, you must have one of the following:

* **Docker** and Docker Compose (recommended — no local PHP or Node install needed), or
* **PHP 8.4+** with Composer, and **Node.js** with npm, if you'd rather run Orbit natively

## Get started

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Docker">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Clone the repository">
        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone https://github.com/orbit-collective/orbit.git
        cd orbit
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run the setup target">
        The `Makefile` wraps Docker Compose. `make setup` builds the `app` and `vite` images, boots them, and bootstraps `.env`, the SQLite database file, the app key, and migrations for you.

        ```bash theme={null}
        make setup
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Start the app">
        ```bash theme={null}
        make up
        ```

        The app serves at [http://localhost:8000](http://localhost:8000) with Vite HMR on port `5173`. Use `make dev` instead of `make up` to run in the foreground and watch logs.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Seed demo data (optional)">
        ```bash theme={null}
        make fresh
        ```

        This runs `migrate:fresh --seed`, giving you demo projects, issues, and users to explore instead of an empty workspace.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Tip>
      `make shell` opens a shell in the `app` container, and `make tinker` opens a Laravel Tinker session — useful for inspecting data without leaving Docker.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Native (PHP + Node)">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Clone the repository">
        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone https://github.com/orbit-collective/orbit.git
        cd orbit
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run the setup script">
        `composer setup` installs Composer and npm dependencies, copies `.env.example` to `.env`, generates an app key, runs migrations, and builds frontend assets.

        ```bash theme={null}
        composer setup
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Start the dev environment">
        `composer dev` runs the Laravel dev server, a queue listener, log tailing (`pail`), and the Vite dev server together.

        ```bash theme={null}
        composer dev
        ```

        The app serves at [http://localhost:8000](http://localhost:8000).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Seed demo data (optional)">
        ```bash theme={null}
        php artisan migrate:fresh --seed
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Create your first project

Once Orbit is running:

1. Register an account at `/register`. The **first account created becomes an admin**; everyone who registers after that is a regular member.
2. Follow the onboarding prompts to create your first project — give it a name, description, and color.
3. Open the project and create an issue to see the List, Board, and Calendar views in action.

<Tip>
  Setup not going smoothly? Check the [FAQ](/reference/faq#setup-issues) for common issues, or open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/orbit-collective/orbit/issues).
</Tip>

## Next steps

This guide covers local development. When you're ready to run Orbit somewhere real, see [Configuration](/deployment/configuration) and [Production deployment](/deployment/production).