Quick Start

Get TractStack up and running on your local machine in just a few minutes. This quick start guide will have you exploring the platform without any complex configuration.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have these installed:

Go 1.22 or higher
Node.js 20 or higher
Git
npm

One-Line Installation

curl -fsSL https://get.tractstack.com | bash

This will automatically:

Download TractStack source code
Install dependencies
Set up a local development environment
Install pnpm if needed

Manual Installation

If you prefer to download the installer first:

wget https://get.tractstack.com/t8k-install.sh
chmod +x t8k-install.sh
./t8k-install.sh --quick

Starting TractStack

After installation, you’ll need two terminal windows:

Terminal 1: Start the Go Backend

cd ~/t8k/src/tractstack-go
./tractstack-go

You’ll see output like:

[GIN-debug] Listening and serving HTTP on :10000
TractStack backend running at http://localhost:10000

Terminal 2: Start the Astro Frontend

cd ~/t8k/src/my-tractstack
pnpm dev

You’ll see output like:

🚀 astro v5.x.x started in development mode
┃ Local    http://localhost:4321/

Access Your Site

Open your browser and go to:

http://localhost:4321

You should see your TractStack site running!

Access StoryKeep (CMS)

To manage your content, visit the built-in CMS:

http://localhost:4321/storykeep

This is where you’ll:

Create and edit pages
Configure belief-driven personalization
Monitor analytics
Manage site branding

What’s Next?

Explore the demo content - Click around and see how the adaptive content works
Try StoryKeep - Create your first page or modify existing content
Learn about Magic Paths - See how belief-driven personalization works
Check the analytics - View real-time engagement tracking

Quick Development Setup

This quick install creates a development environment at ~/t8k/ with:

Source code in ~/t8k/src/
Database at ~/t8k/t8k-go-server/db/
Configuration at ~/t8k/t8k-go-server/config/
Media files at ~/t8k/t8k-go-server/config/default/media/

Stopping TractStack

To stop the development servers:

Press Ctrl+C in both terminal windows
Or close the terminal windows

Next Steps

Core Concepts Overview - Understand the key concepts
Full Installation Guide - For production deployments
User Guide - Learn to use StoryKeep CMS

You’re now ready to explore epistemic hypermedia! Start by visiting your local site and trying out the adaptive content features.