Then run powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\setup.ps1. It stops at the first error and is safe to run again. Servers and tests aren't started; it lists them at the end. Read it first.

1. 1

   Clone the repository

   Needs Git: winget install Git.Git

   git clone https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack.git
   cd BookStack

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2. 2

   Install the required runtimes

   Node.js LTS (no version pinned), PHP ^8.3.0

   winget install CoreyButler.NVMforWindows
   nvm install lts
   nvm use lts
   scoop install php composer  # needs scoop: https://scoop.sh

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3. 3

   Configure environment variables

   Fill in secrets: APP_KEY, DB_PASSWORD, MAIL_PASSWORD

   Copy-Item .env.example .env

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4. 4

   Start backing services

   Needs: MySQL, Mail catcher

   winget install Docker.DockerDesktop
   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d

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   If you see Cannot connect to the Docker daemon: start Docker Desktop (or the Docker service) first.
5. 5

   Install dependencies

   npm ci
   composer install

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6. 6

   Set up the database / app

   php artisan key:generate
   php artisan migrate

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7. 7

   Run it

   Run each command in its own terminal.

   npm run dev
   php artisan serve

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8. 8

   Run the tests

   npm test

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