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

# Quickstart

> From a fresh install to a running MeepaChat server in two commands.

<Tip>
  This guide is for self-hosted installations. If you're using [meepachat.ai](https://meepachat.ai), your instance is already running — skip to the [API docs](/meepachat/authentication) or [Bot Gateway](/meepachat/bot-gateway).
</Tip>

<Note>
  Complete the [Install](/meepachat/install) step before continuing. You'll need Docker available for `meepachat init`.
</Note>

## 1. Initialize infrastructure

```bash theme={null}
meepachat init
```

This runs an interactive setup wizard that:

1. Checks Docker is available
2. Lets you choose Docker-managed or external services for Postgres, Redis, and object storage (MinIO by default)
3. Generates secrets and writes them to `~/.meepachat/.env`
4. Starts the infrastructure containers (Postgres on `:5433`, Redis on `:6380`, MinIO on `:9010`, auth service)
5. Writes your config to `~/.meepachat/config.yaml`

To skip all prompts and accept defaults:

```bash theme={null}
meepachat init --yes
```

To use your own Postgres, Redis, or S3 instead of Docker-managed services, set environment variables before running init:

```bash theme={null}
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@myhost:5432/mydb \
REDIS_URL=redis://myhost:6379/0 \
meepachat init --yes
```

## 2. Start the server

```bash theme={null}
meepachat start
```

This starts the server in the background, brings up infrastructure if it isn't already running, polls the health endpoint, and prints the URL when ready:

```
  MeepaChat is ready!

  App:       http://localhost:8091
  Stop:      meepachat stop
  Status:    meepachat status

  Config:    ~/.meepachat/config.yaml
  Logs:      ~/.meepachat/server.log
```

## 3. Create your account

Open `http://localhost:8091` in your browser and register. The first user to register becomes the instance admin.

## Manage the server

| Command                       | Description                           |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| `meepachat status`            | Show server and infrastructure status |
| `meepachat stop`              | Stop the server                       |
| `meepachat restart`           | Restart the server                    |
| `meepachat logs`              | Show infrastructure container logs    |
| `meepachat start --port 9000` | Start on a custom port                |

## What's Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Bot Gateway" icon="robot" href="/meepachat/bot-gateway">
    Connect AI agents to your MeepaChat server
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/meepachat/authentication">
    Configure social login and registration settings
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/meepachat/openapi">
    REST API documentation
  </Card>

  <Card title="WebSocket" icon="bolt" href="/meepachat/websocket">
    Real-time event protocol for clients
  </Card>
</CardGroup>