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vitepress/docs/guide/getting-started.md

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# Getting Started
## Try It Online
You can try VitePress directly in your browser on [StackBlitz](https://vitepress.new).
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) version 16 or higher.
- Terminal for accessing VitePress via its command line interface (CLI).
- Text Editor with [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) syntax support.
- [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/) is recommended, along with the [official Vue extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Vue.volar).
VitePress can be used on its own, or be installed into an existing project. In both cases, you can install it with:
::: code-group
```sh [npm]
$ npm install -D vitepress
```
```sh [pnpm]
$ pnpm add -D vitepress
```
```sh [yarn]
$ yarn add -D vitepress
```
:::
::: details Getting missing peer deps warnings?
If using PNPM, you will notice a missing peer warning for `@docsearch/js`. This does not prevent VitePress from working. If you wish to suppress this warning, add the following to your `package.json`:
```json
"pnpm": {
"peerDependencyRules": {
"ignoreMissing": [
"@algolia/client-search"
]
}
}
```
:::
### Setup Wizard
VitePress ships with a command line setup wizard that will help you scaffold a basic project. After installation, start the wizard by running:
::: code-group
```sh [npm]
$ npx vitepress init
```
```sh [pnpm]
$ pnpm exec vitepress init
```
:::
You will be greeted with a few simple questions:
<p>
<img src="./vitepress-init.png" alt="vitepress init screenshot" style="border-radius:8px">
</p>
:::tip Vue as Peer Dependency
If you intend to perform customization that uses Vue components or APIs, you should also explicitly install `vue` as a peer dependency.
:::
## File Structure
If you are building a standalone VitePress site, you can scaffold the site in your current directory (`./`). However, if you are installing VitePress in an existing project alongside other source code, it is recommended to scaffold the site in a nested directory (e.g. `./docs`) so that it is separate from the rest of the project.
Assuming you chose to scaffold the VitePress project in `./docs`, the generated file structure should look like this:
```
.
├─ docs
│ ├─ .vitepress
│ │ └─ config.js
│ ├─ api-examples.md
│ ├─ markdown-examples.md
│ └─ index.md
└─ package.json
```
The `docs` directory is considered the **project root** of the VitePress site. The `.vitepress` directory is a reserved location for VitePress' config file, dev server cache, build output, and optional theme customization code.
:::tip
By default, VitePress stores its dev server cache in `.vitepress/cache`, and the production build output in `.vitepress/dist`. If using Git, you should add them to your `.gitignore` file. These locations can also be [configured](/reference/site-config#outdir).
:::
### The Config File
The config file (`.vitepress/config.js`) allows you to customize various aspects of your VitePress site, with the most basic options being the title and description of the site:
```js
// .vitepress/config.js
export default {
// site-level options
title: 'VitePress',
description: 'Just playing around.',
themeConfig: {
// theme-level options
}
}
```
You can also configure the behavior of the theme via the `themeConfig` option. Consult the [Config Reference](/reference/site-config) for full details on all config options.
### Source Files
Markdown files outside the `.vitepress` directory are considered **source files**.
VitePress uses **file-based routing**: each `.md` file is compiled into a corresponding `.html` file with the same path. For example, `index.md` will be compiled into `index.html`, and can be visited at the root path `/` of the resulting VitePress site.
VitePress also provides the ability to generate clean URLs, rewrite paths, and dynamically generate pages. These will be covered in the [Routing Guide](./routing).
## Up and Running
The tool should have also injected the following npm scripts to your `package.json` if you allowed it to do so during the setup process:
```json
{
...
"scripts": {
"docs:dev": "vitepress dev docs",
"docs:build": "vitepress build docs",
"docs:preview": "vitepress preview docs"
},
...
}
```
The `docs:dev` script will start a local dev server with instant hot updates. Run it with the following command:
::: code-group
```sh [npm]
$ npm run docs:dev
```
```sh [pnpm]
$ pnpm run docs:dev
```
```sh [yarn]
$ yarn docs:dev
```
:::
Instead of npm scripts, you can also invoke VitePress directly with:
::: code-group
```sh [npm]
$ npx vitepress dev docs
```
```sh [pnpm]
$ pnpm exec vitepress dev docs
```
:::
More command line usage is documented in the [CLI Reference](/reference/cli).
The dev server should be running at `http://localhost:5173`. Visit the URL in your browser to see your new site in action!
## What's Next?
- To better understand how markdown files are mapped to generated HTML, proceed to the [Routing Guide](./routing.md).
- To discover more about what you can do on the page, such as writing markdown content or using Vue Component, refer to the "Writing" section of the guide. A great place to start would be to learn about [Markdown Extensions](/guide/markdown).
- To explore the features provided by the default documentation theme, check out the [Default Theme Config Reference](/reference/default-theme-config).
- If you want to further customize the appearance of your site, explore how to either [Extend the Default Theme](./extending-default-theme) or [Build a Custom Theme](./custom-theme).
- Once your documentation site takes shape, make sure to read the [Deployment Guide](./deploy).