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

# Quickstart

> Deploy your first app in 5 minutes

# Quickstart

Your first Cubby app, live at a real URL, in under five minutes.

## Prerequisites

* Node.js 18+ installed
* A Cubby account ([sign up](https://app.cubby.pro/auth/signup))

## 1. Install the CLI

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g cubbypro
```

## 2. Log in

```bash theme={null}
cubby login your@email.com
```

Pass your account email as a positional argument (add `--force` to re-authenticate).
Then confirm your identity:

```bash theme={null}
cubby whoami
```

`cubby whoami` is the reliable check that you are logged in. Once authenticated, the CLI
keeps the session.

## 3. Create an app

```bash theme={null}
cubby init my-app
cd my-app
npm install
```

`cubby init` scaffolds a Next.js app with Prisma and **SQLite — the default template** on every plan. The non-interactive default is `nextjs-sqlite`; pass `--template` to choose deliberately (e.g. `cubby init my-app --template nextjs-neon` for **Neon Postgres** on Builder/Pro — see the [Neon tutorial](/tutorials/neon-apps)). The default is SQLite, not Postgres.

## 4. Check before you deploy

```bash theme={null}
cubby check
```

This runs the same validations the platform runs during deploy: blocked dependencies, secret scan, project structure, and platform fit. Fix anything it flags.

## 5. Deploy

```bash theme={null}
cubby deploy
```

Expected output:

```text theme={null}
Deploying my-app to Cubby
Detected Next.js (high confidence)
Packaged 142 files (1.2 MB)
Upload complete
Building Docker image...
Starting container...
Deployment complete!

Your app is live at:
https://my-app--yourname.cubby.pro
```

Open the URL. You'll be prompted to log in with your Cubby account, then your app loads.

## Using an AI coding assistant?

You do not need a working app first — let the agent build one from scratch. Paste the
[Expert from paste](/tutorials/expert-from-paste) prompt into Codex, Claude, or Cursor.
It installs the CLI, logs in, runs `cubby init` with the right template, **reads the
generated `CUBBY.md` / `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md`** (which override this site), asks you
about local dev, then runs `cubby check` and `cubby deploy`.

See [Expert from paste](/tutorials/expert-from-paste) for the prompt, or the per-agent
pages: [Codex](/tutorials/using-with-codex),
[Claude](/tutorials/using-with-claude) (optional MCP path),
[Cursor](/tutorials/using-with-cursor).

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Build failed">
    Run `cubby check` to see what's wrong. For full build logs, deploy again with `cubby deploy --verbose`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Not logged in">
    Run `cubby login your@email.com` (add `--force` to re-authenticate), then confirm with `cubby whoami`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Missing cubby.yaml">
    `cubby init` creates this for you. If you started from an existing project, run `cubby init .` from the project root or write a minimal `cubby.yaml` with just `name:`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Wrong package manager">
    Cubby auto-detects npm, yarn, and pnpm from your lockfile. Commit the lockfile that matches the package manager you used.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What's Next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local Development" icon="laptop-code" href="/cli-reference/dev">
    Run your app locally with `cubby dev`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add Secrets" icon="key" href="/cli-reference/secrets">
    Configure environment variables.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Database Guide" icon="database" href="/tutorials/database-apps">
    Work with the SQLite-first database path.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Using with Claude" icon="robot" href="/tutorials/using-with-claude">
    Build with an AI assistant, then deploy with Cubby.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>