Getting started
Install Orbit and have a working app with data on screen in about five minutes.
Orbit is a Next.js app with a real database, accounts, billing, a public API and an AI assistant. This page gets it running on your machine.
What you need
- Node.js 20 or newer
- npm (it comes with Node)
You do not need to install a database. Without any configuration, Orbit runs an embedded PostgreSQL database and saves it in a .data folder inside the project.
Install and run
- Unzip the download and open the folder in a terminal
- Install the dependencies with
npm install - Start the app with
npm run dev - Open
http://localhost:3000
Try it with real-looking data
- Click Start free trial and create an account
- Open Analytics and choose Load sample traffic
- Open Customers and choose Load sample data
Every chart, table and alert now has data. Choose Clear sample traffic at any time to remove it. Real events are never deleted by that button.
Password reset links in development
Orbit has no email provider until you add one. In development, the reset and invite links are shown on screen and printed to the terminal, so you can test the whole flow without email. Details are in Configuration.
What is where
| Folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
app/ | Pages and API routes |
components/ | The interface |
lib/ | Database, auth, billing, analytics and AI logic |
lib/copy.ts | All marketing text in English, Spanish and German |
lib/plan-data.ts | Plans, prices and limits |
content/posts/ | Blog posts and changelog entries as Markdown files |
content/docs/ | These documentation pages |
public/t.js | The tracking script customers add to their sites |
Scripts
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
npm run dev | Development server with hot reload |
npm run build | Production build |
npm start | Run the production build |
npm run lint | Check the code |
npm test | Run the automated test suite (see Testing) |
Next, read Configuration and Customize.