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Start with a running Zotonic node from your installation route<\/a>. Run the commands below from the repository root, inside the container or Nix shell if you chose one.<\/p>\n

1. Create the example site<\/h2>\n
bin\/zotonic addsite -s blog -H garden.test garden\nbin\/zotonic status\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
The command creates apps_user\/garden<\/code>, prepares the database schema, compiles the application, and starts it on the running node. Expect garden<\/code> to reach the running state. Keep the generated admin password shown in the output; you need it for the next step.<\/p>\n
2. Give your browser the local hostname<\/h2>\n
On the computer running your browser, add this line to its hosts file using an administrator-enabled text editor:<\/p>\n
127.0.0.1 garden.test\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
The file is \/etc\/hosts<\/code> on macOS\/Linux and C:\\Windows\\System32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts<\/code> on Windows. For containers, edit the computer's hosts file, not just the container's. Keep any existing entries. You can skip this step if your local DNS already resolves garden.test<\/code> to this machine.<\/p>\n
3. Open the site and admin<\/h2>\n
Open your garden site<\/a> in the browser. These examples use the default development HTTPS port 8443; use your configured port if different. Expect the blog home page. The generated development certificate may need a local browser exception.<\/p>\n
Open the garden admin<\/a> and log in as admin<\/strong>, using the password printed by addsite<\/code>. These are your site's credentials, separate from the status site's wwwadmin<\/code> account.<\/p>\n
4. Make your first change<\/h2>\n
Open apps_user\/garden<\/code> in your editor, then follow Change a template and see the result<\/a>. There is no need to create a custom module first.<\/p>\n
If the wrong site opens, check the hosts entry and priv\/zotonic_site.config<\/code> hostname. If creation fails, read the error and inspect the partially created directory before retrying. Native database problems can be checked with Prepare local PostgreSQL<\/a>; containers use database host postgres<\/code>. See addsite options<\/a> for a non-default configuration.<\/p>\n
Install initial content with a datamodel<\/h2>\n
Use a datamodel for resources that a module needs on installation. Add this declaration and callback to the mod_garden.erl<\/code> from the module-creation task:<\/p>\n
-include_lib("zotonic_core\/include\/zotonic.hrl").\n-mod_schema(1).\n-export([manage_schema\/2]).\n\n-spec manage_schema(Version, Context) -> Datamodel\n    when Version :: install | {upgrade, pos_integer()},\n         Context :: z:context(),\n         Datamodel :: #datamodel{}.\nmanage_schema(install, _Context) ->\n    #datamodel{\n        resources = [\n            {garden_welcome, text, #{\n                <<"title">> => <<"Welcome to the garden">>,\n                <<"is_published">> => false\n            }}\n        ]\n    }.\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
Put declarations before functions and include the header only once. Compile and activate the module on a fresh local database-backed site. The module manager applies the returned datamodel; do not call the callback manually expecting it to create data. Confirm m_rsc:rid(garden_welcome, C)<\/code> returns an ID and find the unpublished page in the admin.<\/p>\n
A module already installed with a schema version needs an explicit upgrade step for later changes. Give managed resources stable names, and decide which properties editors own. Test with an edited title before applying an upgrade: returning defaults must not be treated as permission to replace editorial work.<\/p>"}},"category_id":{"id":317,"is_a":["meta","category"],"name":"developerguide","title":"Developer guide","uri":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/developerguide"},"content_group_id":{"id":339,"is_a":["meta","content_group"],"name":"default_content_group","title":{"_type":"trans","tr":{"en":"Default Content Group"}},"uri":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/default_content_group"},"created":"2020-05-30T05:47:28Z","creator_id":{"id":336,"is_a":["person","robot"],"name":"gitbot","title":"Git","uri":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/336"},"doc_editorial_bundle":true,"doc_editorial_edges":{"hasreference":[2914,2955],"subject":[2553,2564,2568,2605,2614]},"github_url":"https:\/\/github.com\/zotonic\/zotonic\/tree\/master\/doc\/best-practices\/creating-sites.rst","is_authoritative":true,"is_dependent":false,"is_featured":false,"is_protected":false,"is_published":true,"is_unfindable":false,"language":["en"],"modified":"2026-10-07T11:13:46Z","modifier_id":{"id":1,"is_a":["person"],"name":"administrator","title":"Site Administrator","uri":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/1"},"name":"doc_bestpractices_creating_sites","pivot_geocode":null,"pivot_location_lat":null,"pivot_location_lng":null,"privacy":0,"publication_end":"9999-06-01T00:00:00Z","publication_start":"2022-02-15T10:01:39Z","slug":"create-your-first-site","summary":{"_type":"trans","tr":{"en":"Create the garden blog, open it in your browser, and sign in to its admin."}},"title":{"_type":"trans","tr":{"en":"Create your first site"}},"title_slug":{"_type":"trans","tr":{"en":"create-your-first-site"}},"tz":"UTC","uri":null,"version":38,"visible_for":0},"uri":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/1618","uri_template":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/id\/:id","websub":{"hub":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/.zotonic\/websub","topic":"https:\/\/zotonic.com\/.zotonic\/websub\/topic\/1618"}},"status":"ok"}