Start
MarkStack V2 turns Markdown files into a static documentation reader. Start by building and inspecting a local site. Add browser writing or a production host only after that baseline works. Readers of the published site need a browser; Node.js and npm belong on the build/editor machine, not on every reader’s computer.
This section uses a fictional Field Guide so the examples have a consistent purpose: help a new teammate check tools, find useful guides and understand where documentation lives. Keep the first exercise synthetic, then review your real content’s audience before publishing it.
Pick the right starting point
| Your situation | Guide | Result to verify |
|---|---|---|
| New installation | Complete setup | Local reader, then a deliberate hosting choice |
| Learn by writing | First site | Complete source page, route and heading search |
| Different operating system | Platform guide | Correct tools and shell commands |
| Repeat a fresh Bash setup | Install script | New checkout, successful tests and build |
| Add browser writers | Accounts and editor | Private account store and checked writing cycle |
| Move an older site | V1 migration | Separate reviewed output and a return path |
The install script is an alternative to manual commands, not a prerequisite for them. Account creation is optional. DNS and a custom domain are optional hosting work, not requirements for a local build.
Follow a complete local path
- Check Node.js 24+, npm and Git in the actual terminal.
- Obtain V2 in a new folder and install its locked dependencies.
- Build the included documentation and inspect it through HTTP preview.
- Add the Field Guide section/page, rebuild and test its route and search result.
- Review configuration and public media.
- Upload only the reviewed generated output to your chosen static host.
- Verify the live reader and keep the prior version for rollback.
Complete setup explains the sequence and decisions. First site supplies complete sample files and expected checks. Use both rather than skipping directly from a clone command to a production upload.
Keep the boundaries clear
Source Markdown is your durable documentation. dist/ is generated output and can be cleared by a build. The optional editor’s account/runtime data is private and belongs outside the reader upload. Project map shows where each kind of file belongs.
Saving a page, building a reader and deploying it are separate events. Browser preview is not proof of a remote deployment. Editor sign-in is not reader access control. These distinctions apply whether your eventual site is public, internal, personal or shared by a team.
What these guides do and do not test
The examples are grounded in the pinned V2 engine. Linux build/test and synthetic local reader/editor checks were exercised. OS installers, remote host procedures and service/proxy configurations need checks in their actual environment; those guides say so rather than implying a production deployment was performed.
After the local reader works, continue to Run for configuration, hosting and operations, then Use for writing and reading workflows. Do not expose an editor listener or upload private material just to complete an introductory exercise.