System requirements

Prepare Conduit for local development, start its development server, and adjust the local port or API address when needed. The project uses Create React App. Use these steps for local work; handle deployment separately.

System requirements

Choose the local task you need to complete.

If you need to…	Go to
Prepare the project before starting it	Before you start
Start the local development server	Run the application locally
Change the local port or API address	Configure local runtime settings
Review setup problems	When local setup does not work
Create a production bundle	Next steps
Find related application references	Getting help

Before you start

Have a local copy of the repository before you run the setup commands. Use npm install to install dependencies and npm start to start the local server.

Have or know	Why it matters
A local copy of the repository	The setup commands run from the project.
The `npm install` command	It installs the project's required dependencies.
The `npm start` command	It starts the local development server.

When these items are ready, continue to Run the application locally.

Run the application locally

Use this procedure when you want to start the Conduit development server on your computer.

Prerequisites

You have a local copy of the repository.

Steps

Open a terminal in the project folder.
Enter npm install in the terminal and press Enter.
Run npm start.

The start command uses port 4100 rather than React's standard port 3000.

Result: The local development server starts on port 4100.

To change the port or API address, continue to Configure local runtime settings.

Configure local runtime settings

Use the local settings when the default port or API address does not match your setup.

Prerequisites

You have a local copy of the repository.

Steps

Choose the setting you need:

If you need to… Change…
Use a different local web-server port Set PORT in a root .env file.
Use a different API server Change the API URL in the project configuration file.

If you need to…	Change…
Use a different local web-server port	Set `PORT` in a root `.env` file.
Use a different API server	Change the API URL in the project configuration file.

The API server is https://conduit.productionready.io/api.

Result: The local configuration contains the port or API address you selected.

If startup still does not work, review When local setup does not work.

When local setup does not work

Local setup has three relevant areas: dependencies, the local server, and the API connection.

Area	Relevant setting
Dependencies	`npm install` installs dependencies.
Local server	`npm start` starts the local server.
API connection	The API address is in the project configuration file.

After reviewing the relevant setting, return to Run the application locally.

Next steps

After local setup, create a production bundle with npm run build. For the API specification and other related application references, continue to Getting help.