> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lifygo.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get LifyGo running in under 5 minutes

# Quickstart

Get LifyGo running locally in under 5 minutes.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

* Docker
* Go 1.22+
* Node.js 20+

***

## 1. Clone the Repository

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/lifygo/lifygo.git
cd lifygo
```

***

## 2. Start Infrastructure Services

Start PostgreSQL and Redis using Docker Compose.

```bash theme={null}
docker compose -f infra/docker/docker-compose.yml up -d
```

***

## 3. Configure the API

Navigate to the API application and create your environment file.

```bash theme={null}
cd apps/api
cp .env.example .env
```

Update the `.env` file with the following values:

```env theme={null}
AUTH_PROVIDER=local
JWT_SECRET=at-least-32-characters
DATABASE_URL=postgres://lifygo:lifygo@localhost:5432/lifygo?sslmode=disable
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
```

***

## 4. Run Database Migrations

```bash theme={null}
migrate \
  -path migrations \
  -database "postgres://lifygo:lifygo@localhost:5432/lifygo?sslmode=disable" \
  up
```

***

## 5. Start the API Server

```bash theme={null}
go run ./cmd/server/main.go
```

The API will be available at:

```text theme={null}
http://localhost:8080
```

***

## 6. Start the Dashboard

Open another terminal and run:

```bash theme={null}
cd apps/web
cp .env.local.example .env.local
npm install
npm run dev
```

The dashboard will be available at:

```text theme={null}
http://localhost:3000
```

***

## 7. Configure SMTP

1. Open the dashboard.
2. Sign in.
3. Navigate to **SMTP Settings**.
4. Add your SMTP credentials.

> SMTP passwords are encrypted using AES-256 before being stored.

***

## 8. Send Your First Email

Once you've generated an API key from the dashboard, test your installation:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/send \
  -H "X-API-Key: lfy_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to":"hello@example.com",
    "subject":"Test",
    "body":"It works."
  }'
```

If everything is configured correctly, LifyGo will send your first email successfully.

***

## Next Steps

After completing the quickstart, you can explore:

* Authentication
* Email API
* OTP API
* Cron Jobs
* SMTP Management
* Webhooks
* SDKs