Apache works out of the box. For nginx and Caddy, see our config examples. DDEV works with our Cookbook recipe. Other servers can be used by advanced users.
If you want to use PHP's built-in server, you have to start it up with Kirby's router:
php -S localhost:8000 kirby/router.phpKirby does not modify the output of your site's templates and thus has no effect on the browser requirements for your site's frontend. However, the Panel is built on modern browser features and has a couple browser requirements which need to be met by your site's editors
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We provide two downloadable kits for you to get started with:
The Starterkit is a full-blown Kirby installation with a lot of example content, blueprints, templates and more. It is ideal for new users to explore many of Kirby's options and get to know the Panel.
The Plainkit is a minimal Kirby setup with the basics you need to start a project from scratch. It is the ideal choice if you are already familiar with Kirby and want to start step-by-step.
yourdomain.comyourdomain.com/panel to create your first accountHerd is a fast, native PHP development environment for macOS and Windows. You can install Kirby very quickly and intuitively with Herd’s one-click installers.
### Kirby CLIYou can install a Kirby kit via the Kirby CLI as follows:
Starterkit
kirby install:kit StarterkitPlainkit
kirby install:kit PlainkitIn both cases you will be prompted to specify a folder name to install into.
More information about installing and updating Kirby via the CLI in our installation guide.
### ComposerComposer is a dependency manager for PHP. If you have never used Composer before, follow the instruction on the Composer website.
In a terminal window, navigate to the place where you want to install Kirby. Then run one of the following commands to create a new project based on the Starterkit or Plainkit.
Installing the Starterkit
composer create-project getkirby/starterkit project-folderInstalling the Plainkit
composer create-project getkirby/plainkit project-folderMore information about installing and updating Kirby via Composer in our installation guide.
### GitIn a terminal window, navigate to the place where you want to install Kirby. Then run one of the following commands to create a new project based on the Starterkit or Plainkit.
Installing the Starterkit
git clone https://github.com/getkirby/starterkit project-folderInstalling the Plainkit
git clone https://github.com/getkirby/plainkit project-folderMore information about installing and updating Kirby via Git in our installation guide.
Apache works out of the box. Kirby ships with a .htaccess file that contains all necessary rewrite rules and security settings, so there's nothing to configure.
When copying files to a remote server via (S)FTP, make sure to copy the .htaccess file as well. By default, files starting with a dot are invisible in the filesystem, so make sure to enable the display of invisible files before copying.
If your site runs in a subfolder, you have to adjust the RewriteBase in the .htaccess file. See our installation troubleshooting guide if links or the entire site break.
nginx does not support .htaccess files, so Kirby's rewrite rules and security settings have to go into your nginx config. Create a new server block, e.g. in nginx/conf.d/kirby.conf:
server {
listen 8080; # Can be omitted if nginx runs on port 80
index index.php index.html;
server_name localhost; # Adjust to your domain setup
root /usr/share/nginx/html; # Adjust to your setup
default_type text/plain;
add_header X-Content-Type-Options nosniff;
rewrite ^/(content|site|kirby)/(.*)$ /error last;
rewrite /\.(?!well-known/) /error last;
rewrite ^/(?!app\.webmanifest)[^/]+$ /index.php last;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php$is_args$args;
}
location ~* \.php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
fastcgi_pass php:9000; # Adjust to your setup
include fastcgi.conf;
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param SERVER_PORT 8080; # Only needed if the external port differs from the listen port
}
}For a line-by-line explanation of this config and notes on TLS certificates, see our Kirby meets nginx cookbook recipe.
### CaddyCaddy does not support .htaccess files, so Kirby's rewrite rules and security settings have to go into your Caddyfile. Caddy loads this file from the current directory, so run Caddy from the folder that contains it or pass the path with caddy run --config /path/to/Caddyfile:
(common) {
php_fastcgi php:9000 # Adjust to your setup
file_server
encode zstd gzip
}
(kirby) {
@blocked {
path /content/* /site/* /kirby/* /.*
}
error @blocked "Not found" 404
handle_errors {
rewrite * /error # This should reference your Kirby error page
import common
}
}
mydomain.com { # Adjust to your setup
import common
import kirby
root * /usr/share/caddy # Adjust to your setup
tls name@user.com # Adjust to your setup
}For a line-by-line explanation of this config, see our Kirby meets Caddy cookbook recipe.
## Create your first account Kirby's control panel (aka. the Panel) comes without any pre-installed accounts. Open `http://yourdomain.com/panel` in the browser to start the installer and create the first account.