Getting Started

Set up your first Helix CMS project in minutes

Installation

To get started with Helix, you'll need Node.js 20+ and npm/pnpm/yarn.

# Create a new project directory
mkdir my-helix-project
cd my-helix-project

# Initialize your project
npm init -y

# Install the Helix SDK
npm install @helix/sdk

# Install the CLI tool
npm install -D @helix/cli

You'll need a Helix account and Space. Sign up at helix.dev to get your Space ID and API key.

Project Structure

Your project will look like this:

my-helix-project/
├── src/
│   └── types.ts      # Your content model definitions
├── package.json
└── .env              # Your Helix credentials

Quick Start

Let's create your first content model using Helix's TypeScript-first approach:

1. Define Your Schema

Create a types.ts file in your project:

import { Localized, Slug, Widget, Asset } from '@helix/sdk';

// Exported classes are Entities (top-level content types)
export class Page {
  @Slug()
  slug!: Slug;

  @Localized()
  title!: string;

  @Localized()
  @Widget('richtext')
  content?: string;

  featuredImage?: Asset;
}

export class Author {
  name!: string;

  @Widget('textarea')
  bio?: string;

  avatar?: Asset;
}

export class Article {
  @Slug()
  slug!: Slug;

  @Localized()
  title!: string;

  @Localized()
  @Widget('richtext')
  content?: string;

  // Relation - automatically inferred from Entity type
  author?: Author;

  featuredImage?: Asset;
}

// Non-exported classes are Components (embedded content blocks)
class SEO {
  @Localized()
  metaTitle?: string;

  @Localized()
  @Widget('textarea')
  metaDescription?: string;
}

Notice how natural this feels? You're just writing TypeScript classes with decorators. No configuration files, no schema DSL - just TypeScript.

2. Configure Your Environment

Create a .env file with your Helix credentials:

HELIX_SPACE_ID=your-space-id
HELIX_API_KEY=your-api-key

3. Sync Your Schema

Use the Helix CLI to sync your schema to the CMS:

npx @helix/cli sync

The CLI will parse your TypeScript file, generate a schema manifest, and atomically update your CMS configuration.

4. Access the Admin UI

Log in to the Helix Admin UI at your studio URL (e.g., https://studio.helix.dev) and navigate to your space. You'll see your Page and Author entities ready for content creation!

Next Steps

Now that you have Helix running, explore these core concepts: