Installation

In this guide you will create a new project from the PayloadCMS Boilerplate, configure your local environment, and have a running development site.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed and set up:

• DDEV: Our local development environment.
• A Code Editor: Such as Visual Studio Code.
• A GitHub Account: With access to the required organisation.

1. Create your repository

   Go to GitHub and click New repository. Name it using your project name (no dashes or spaces), select Instance-Studio/payloadcmsboilerplate as the template, then click Create repository.

2. Clone and configure

   git clone https://github.com/your-org/your-repo-name.git
   cd your-repo-name

   Update DDEV config in .ddev/config.yaml:

   name: your-repo-name

   Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env and update:

   • PAYLOAD_SECRET — Generate one at payloadsecret.io
   • NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL — https://your-repo-name.ddev.site
   • NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_NAME — Your project display name

3. Start development

   ddev start          # Start Docker containers
   ddev pnpm install   # Install dependencies
   ddev pnpm dev       # Start Next.js dev server

   Your site will be available at https://your-repo-name.ddev.site.

   Tip

   Run ddev launch to open your browser automatically.

4. Create your admin user

   Visit /admin on your local site and create your first user:

   Field	Value
   Email	payload@instance.studio
   Password	Strong 16+ character password
   Role	Admin

   Tip

   Share passwords securely via secrets.instance.studio.