docs: add development setup overview for contributors (#14132)

Adds a minimal development setup overview section, including native and Docker-based approaches for running NodeBB locally.

This does not replace existing documentation but provides a quick entry point for contributors.
This commit is contained in:
omprakash kumar
2026-04-10 22:37:20 +05:30
committed by GitHub
parent 71c6132f99
commit 648344a2c9

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@@ -43,12 +43,49 @@ NodeBB requires the following software to be installed:
* MongoDB, version 5 or greater **or** Redis, version 7.2 or greater
* If you are using [clustering](https://docs.nodebb.org/configuring/scaling/) you need Redis installed and configured.
* nginx, version 1.3.13 or greater (**only if** intending to use nginx to proxy requests to a NodeBB)
* (Optional) [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) for container-based setup
> Installation steps vary by operating system. Please follow the official documentation links above.
## Installation
[Please refer to platform-specific installation documentation](https://docs.nodebb.org/installing/os).
If installing via the cloud (or using Docker), [please see cloud-based installation documentation](https://docs.nodebb.org/installing/cloud/).
## Development Setup Overview
> NodeBB uses a CLI-based setup and does not run via standard `npm start`.
You can run NodeBB locally in two ways:
### Option 1: Native Setup (Recommended for Beginners & Contributors)
This approach helps you understand how NodeBB works internally.
**Basic flow:**
1. Clone the repository ```` https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB.git ````
2. Run the setup script ```` cd NodeBB ```` ```` ./nodebb setup ````
3. Start the application ```` ./nodebb start ````
**During setup, you will configure:**
- Database (MongoDB / Redis)
- Admin account
- Port (default: 4567)
### Option 2: Docker Setup (Quick & Isolated)
> Requires Docker to be installed: https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/
Run:
```bash
docker-compose up
````
This will start NodeBB along with required services at: ```` http://localhost:4567 ````
**For more details, see: https://docs.nodebb.org**
## Securing NodeBB
It is important to ensure that your NodeBB and database servers are secured. Bear these points in mind: