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

# Quickstart

> Create a Lettercamp publication, start a local preview, and write your first article.

![Lettercamp publication preview](https://static.lettercamp.com/assets/lettercamp/static/dBD-_GPKP_Rd-lettercamp-site.webp)

Create a Lettercamp publication and see your first article in a local preview.

## Prerequisites

Install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/) **22.23.4 or newer**, with npm.
You need an internet connection to install the CLI packages, which include the starter.
Check your version with `node --version`.

## Create and preview

**1. Create a publication**

```bash theme={null}
npm create lettercamp@latest my-publication
cd my-publication
```

Choose a starter preset when prompted. Setup copies the bundled starter and
installs the CLI inside your project. The destination must be new or empty.
Images and the fonts used by the starter presets are included in `public/`.
To use hosted images and fonts instead, see the optional
[remote assets setup](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/cli/new.md#optional-start-with-remote-assets).

**2. Start your preview**

```bash theme={null}
npm run dev -- --open
```

The CLI opens your publication in the browser and prints the preview URL.
It uses port `3000` when available and selects another port if needed.

**3. Write an article**

Create `pages/hello-world.mdx`:

```mdx theme={null}
---
title: "Hello, world"
description: "The first note from my new publication."
date: "2026-11-05"
---

This is my first article. Thanks for reading.
```

Save the file. Your preview reloads, and the article appears on the homepage.
Open it to read your post. You can also edit or remove the starter articles
in `pages/`. Press **Ctrl+C** to stop the preview.

## Next steps

* [Write pages](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/writing/pages.md) to learn about Markdown, MDX, and drafts.
* [Site settings](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/configuration.md) explains how to name your publication.
* [Deploy to Lettercamp](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/publishing/deploy.md) when you are ready to publish.
* [Build for another host](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/publishing/build.md) to host the static site yourself.

For setup options or an existing global installation, see [Create a publication](https://www.lettercamp.com/docs/cli/new.md).


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