Getting Started

New to mdsvr? Start here to get up and running in minutes.

Quick Start

Get your documentation site running in under 30 seconds.

One-Command Setup

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npx mdsvr ./docs --open

  
npx mdsvr ./docs --open

That’s it! No configuration needed, no build step required.

Step-by-Step

1. Create a Docs Folder

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
mkdir docs
echo "# Hello World" > docs/README.md

  
mkdir docs
echo "# Hello World" > docs/README.md

2. Start the Server

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npx mdsvr ./docs --open

  
npx mdsvr ./docs --open

The --open flag automatically opens your browser to http://localhost:1800.

What Just Happened?

mdsvr:

1. Scanned your docs/ folder
2. Found README.md, and all your other markdown files, and rendered them as individual pages
3. Generated navigation from your folder structure (sorted alphabetically)
4. Started a server on port 1800

Installation

mdsvr requires Node.js 18+. Check your version:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
node --version

  
node --version

Option 1: npx (Recommended)

No installation needed. Run directly:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npx mdsvr ./docs

  
npx mdsvr ./docs

Option 2: Global Install

Install once, use anywhere:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npm install -g mdsvr
mdsvr ./docs

  
npm install -g mdsvr
mdsvr ./docs

Option 3: Local Install

Add to a specific project:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npm install --save-dev mdsvr

  
npm install --save-dev mdsvr

Then add to your package.json:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
{
  "scripts": {
    "docs": "mdsvr ./docs --open"
  }
}

  
{
  "scripts": {
    "docs": "mdsvr ./docs --open"
  }
}

Run with:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
npm run docs

  
npm run docs

Verify Installation

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
mdsvr --version

  
mdsvr --version

Docker

Pull and run:

  

    
      
    
    
      
    
    
      
    
  
  
docker pull ghcr.io/satoshiman/mdsvr:latest
docker run -d -p 1800:1800 -v /path/to/docs:/app/docs ghcr.io/satoshiman/mdsvr:latest

  
docker pull ghcr.io/satoshiman/mdsvr:latest
docker run -d -p 1800:1800 -v /path/to/docs:/app/docs ghcr.io/satoshiman/mdsvr:latest

See Docker deployment for more details.

Next Steps

• Learn about MDX components for interactive docs
• Configure your site with _mdsvr/settings.json
• See all features mdsvr offers