> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://openworkflow.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start

> Get up and running with OpenWorkflow in 5 minutes

This guide walks you through installing OpenWorkflow, running your first
workflow, and viewing it in the dashboard. By the end, you'll have a working
durable workflow running locally.

## Prerequisites

* **Node.js** (v22.5+) or **Bun**
* **A database** — SQLite (no setup required) or PostgreSQL

## 1. Install

Run the interactive setup command:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npx @openworkflow/cli init
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpx @openworkflow/cli init
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bunx @openworkflow/cli init
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## 2. Start a worker

A worker is a process that watches for new workflow runs and executes them.
Start one with:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npx @openworkflow/cli worker start
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpx @openworkflow/cli worker start
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bunx @openworkflow/cli worker start
  ```
</CodeGroup>

The worker reads your `openworkflow.config.ts`, connects to the database, loads
the workflows from your `openworkflow/` directory, and begins polling for work.
Leave this running in its own terminal.

## 3. Run your first workflow

Open a second terminal and trigger the example workflow:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npx tsx openworkflow/hello-world.run.ts
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpx tsx openworkflow/hello-world.run.ts
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bun openworkflow/hello-world.run.ts
  ```
</CodeGroup>

This script calls `ow.runWorkflow(helloWorld.spec, {})` to create a new workflow
run in the database. The worker in your first terminal picks it up, executes
each step, and marks it complete.

<Note>
  The `hello-world.run.ts` file is a temporary helper for testing. In a real
  app, you'd call `ow.runWorkflow(workflow.spec, input)` from your API routes,
  scripts, or other application code.
</Note>

## 4. View workflows in the dashboard

OpenWorkflow includes a built-in web dashboard. Start it with:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npx @openworkflow/cli dashboard
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpx @openworkflow/cli dashboard
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bunx @openworkflow/cli dashboard
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) to see your workflow run,
its steps, and their results.

## What you just built

Here's what's happening under the hood:

1. **`openworkflow.config.ts`** — Tells OpenWorkflow which database to use and
   where to find your workflow files.
2. **`openworkflow/hello-world.ts`** — Defines a workflow with one or more
   steps. Each step is a checkpoint: if anything crashes, the workflow
   resumes from the last completed step instead of starting over.
3. **`openworkflow/hello-world.run.ts`** — A script that enqueues a workflow
   run. In production, this would be your API handler or a cron job.
4. **The worker** — A long-running process that executes workflow runs. It polls
   the database, claims available work, and persists results.

## Next steps

* [Overview](/docs/overview) — Understand how workflows, steps, and workers fit
  together
* [Workflows](/docs/workflows) — Learn how to define and configure workflows
* [Steps](/docs/steps) — See how steps protect your operations from crashes
* [Production](/docs/production) — Deploy OpenWorkflow to your infrastructure