Scaffold a working ChaiBuilder site with one command, then build and publish your first page. The generated project is Next.js + Payload CMS with chaipro pre-installed, and the 30-day free trial begins the moment you deploy — no credit card, no email required.

Prerequisites: Node.js. The scaffolder can create a local SQLite database for you, so no database server is required to start. Exact version requirements are listed in Requirements.

1. Create your project

Run the scaffolder. It walks you through a few prompts and generates a fully functional project — downloading the template, writing your environment, installing dependencies, running migrations, and seeding the database. No manual clone or wiring.

npx chaibuilder-app create

The wizard runs in three phases:

[1/3] Database setup — pick your project name, then choose a SQLite database:

• Local file — file:./local.db, zero config. Created for you; fastest way to start.
• Remote (libSQL / Turso) — provide a libsql://… URL and auth token. The scaffolder verifies the connection before continuing.

A local file database can move to Turso (or another libSQL service) later — import the file and switch your env URL to the remote one. You're not locked into where you start.

[2/3] Create admin user — enter an admin email and password. This is the account you'll use to log into the builder — there's no separate signup step.

[3/3] — the scaffolder installs dependencies, migrates, and seeds the database.

Everything is written into the project's environment configuration, so the app is pointed at your own database from the start. All content lives in your database — ChaiBuilder never has access to it.

Your ChaiBuilder license key is optional during the trial and required after 30 days — see Trial & Licensing for where it goes.

2. Run locally

Move into the generated project and start it (the scaffolder prints the exact dev command; it detects your package manager, defaulting to pnpm):

cd my-app
pnpm run dev

Open the app in your browser and sign in with the admin email and password you set during scaffolding. Confirm the visual builder loads. During the trial the full feature set is available — no tiers, no feature flags.

3. Deploy to your server

Because a ChaiBuilder site is a standard Next.js app, it deploys anywhere Next.js + Payload runs — Vercel, Cloudflare, a self-managed Node server, and more — to hosting you own.

pnpm run build
pnpm run start

Point your database environment variables at your production database. Pages use SSG + ISR, so they're built on first visit and cached, then revalidated automatically on publish — see Rendering Model. Start at Hosting Overview, then follow the page for your target: Vercel, Cloudflare, or Node / Docker.

Media needs object storage. Image and file uploads require a configured store such as S3 (wired through Payload's S3 plugin). Set this up before going live — see Storage Configuration.

4. Build your first page

1. Open the visual builder in your running site.
2. Create a new page and give it a route.
3. Drag in blocks from the panel and arrange them on the canvas.
4. Edit content inline; apply design tokens and your theme for consistent styling.
5. Use Preview (Next.js draft mode) to check the page before it goes live.
6. Click Publish — the page is invalidated and revalidated automatically, so visitors see the new version.

For the full editing workflow, see Building Pages.

What's next

• Trial & Licensing — the 30-day trial and per-year license.
• How It Works — builder + CMS + your infrastructure at a glance.