Getting Started

What is Keystone?

Keystone is a CMS and web application framework built in node. It aims to make web development easy, with lots of work done for you, but without cutting down on how much you can customise your projects, allowing you to find the right balance for you between convention and customisation.

It provides you with an easy connection to mongoDB It wraps both mongoose and expresss, and provides more detailed database fields, with setups for common information patterns. Why? For the admin UI.

Keystone makes it easy to bring your own view engine, structure your routes however you want, and modify your data structures to suit you, all while making doing so easier.

Where to Begin

Quick Start Guide

If you want to get a project up and running locally with minimal fuss, so that you can start mucking around, we have a generator, and a handy yo generator guide to get you up and running.

The generator provides a full project, ready to npm start and customise for your own needs, including optional email and image upload setup.

Setting Up From Scratch

If you want to write the code from scratch, then check out our setting up guide.

It will walk you through setting up the core files and settings to get keystone working, and then allow you to expand outwards, adding what you need when you need it.

Where To Next?

Check out our documentation if you want to get to understanding keystone more, and to explore the options it makes available. The database configuration is a good place to start, as well as looking at the initialisation options for the broadest customisation options available.