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Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide will walk you through creating your first Nanokit project and launching your development environment.

1. Initialize Your Project

Create a new directory for your project and use the init command to scaffold the basic configuration:

mkdir my-awesome-app
cd my-awesome-app
nkapp init

This command creates a nanokit.yml file, which is the “Source of Truth” for your infrastructure.

2. Understanding nanokit.yml

The generated configuration describes your services. A minimal setup looks like this:

name: my-awesome-app
version: '1.0'
 
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:latest
    expose: 80
    env:
      NODE_ENV: development
 
environments:
  local:
    infra:
      provider: docker

3. Launching Development

Run the up command to reconcile your configuration with your local Docker instance:

nkapp up -e local

Nanokit will:

  • 🏗️ Build any required images.
  • 🌐 Configure a local gateway with automatic HTTPS.
  • 🚀 Start your services in the correct order.

4. Explore the Dashboard

Nanokit provides a powerful visual interface called the Hub. You can launch it with:

nkapp hub

The Hub allows you to:

  • 📊 Monitor service health and resource usage.
  • 📝 View real-time logs from all containers.
  • 🛡️ Manage Secrets and Volumes across environments.

5. Multi-Repo Infrastructure

One of Nanokit’s most powerful features is Global Discovery.

If you have multiple projects running on the same machine or cluster, the Nanokit Bridge automatically discovers them. When you open the Hub in one project, you will see a unified view of your infrastructure, including volumes and services from other repositories, providing total transparency without configuration overhead.

Next Steps:

InstallationCLI Overview