Getting Started

Get up and running with Genbox in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Node.js 18+ installed
• A Genbox account (sign up here )
• SSH keys configured on your machine

Installation

Install the Genbox CLI globally using npm:

npm install -g genbox

Or using pnpm:

pnpm add -g genbox

Verify the installation:

gb --version

Authentication

Login to your Genbox account:

gb login

This opens your browser for authentication. Once complete, your credentials are stored securely.

Initialize Your Project

Navigate to your project root and run:

gb init

This interactive wizard will:

1. Scan your project structure
2. Detect apps, frameworks, and ports
3. Generate a genbox.yaml configuration file
4. Create recommended profiles

Example Output

Scanning project structure...

Found 3 apps:
  ✓ admin (React, port 3001)
  ✓ api (NestJS, port 3050)
  ✓ web (Next.js, port 3000)

Found infrastructure:
  ✓ mongodb (mongo:7)
  ✓ redis (redis:7-alpine)

Generated profiles:
  • admin-quick: Admin UI → staging backend
  • full-stack: All apps + local database
  • api-only: Backend services only

Created: genbox.yaml

Create Your First Environment

Create a new Genbox environment:

gb create my-feature

Or with a specific profile:

gb create my-feature --profile admin-quick

Watch the Setup

Monitor the environment creation:

gb status -w

This shows real-time progress including:

• Server provisioning
• Repository cloning
• Dependency installation
• Service startup
• Health checks

Connect to Your Environment

Once ready, connect via SSH:

gb connect

Or view your service URLs:

gb urls

Example output:

Service URLs for 'my-feature':

  admin    https://admin.my-feature.genbox.dev
  api      https://api.my-feature.genbox.dev
  web      https://web.my-feature.genbox.dev

MongoDB:   mongodb://my-feature.genbox.dev:27017
Redis:     redis://my-feature.genbox.dev:6379

Clean Up

When you’re done, destroy the environment:

gb destroy my-feature

Environments also auto-destroy after 58 minutes of inactivity to save credits.

Next Steps

• Configuration Guide - Learn about genbox.yaml
• Commands Reference - All CLI commands
• Database Sync - Database workflows
• Port Forwarding - Local debugging