---
title: Getting Started
description: From zero to a deployed CoDuck project in five minutes.
category: start
order: 1
agent: "The fast path — install, log in, import or scaffold a project, deploy. Read this first."
---

# Getting Started

CoDuck is an AI-powered platform where you describe what you want to build in plain English and get a live, deployed full-stack app. Every project comes with hosting, a dedicated Postgres database, custom domains, email sending, Stripe payments, file storage, and automatic backups — all configured for you.

## Start a project

1. Sign up at [coduck.ai/signup](https://coduck.ai/signup) (or sign in at [coduck.ai/login](https://coduck.ai/login)).
2. On the home page, you'll see a prompt textarea with a rotating placeholder showing examples like *"Generate an online store for selling handmade products."*
3. Type what you want to build and hit enter.

CoDuck's AI scaffolds the codebase, generates the UI and backend, and deploys it. The project opens at `https://app.coduck.ai/project/<projectId>` with a chat-based editor where you can keep iterating.

> [!TIP]
> Be specific in your first prompt — mention the kind of app, key pages, and any integrations (auth, payments, email). The clearer the prompt, the closer the first generation is to what you want.

## What you can build

One project gives you one container, one Postgres database, and one `.coduck.app` subdomain. From there:

| Capability | What you get | Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Bring your own code | Import an existing Next.js, React, or Node project | [/docs/projects/create-existing](/docs/projects/create-existing) |
| Deploying | Zero-downtime redeploys with auto SSL | [/docs/projects/deploy](/docs/projects/deploy) |
| Custom domains | Point your own domain with one-step DNS verification | [/docs/domains/custom-domains](/docs/domains/custom-domains) |
| Database | A dedicated Postgres database per project | [/docs/database/overview](/docs/database/overview) |
| Sending email | Transactional email from your own verified domain | [/docs/email/sending](/docs/email/sending) |
| Stripe payments | Stripe Connect — payouts go directly to your account | [/docs/payments/stripe-connect](/docs/payments/stripe-connect) |

## Manage your project

Open `https://app.coduck.ai/project/<id>` and you'll see three things side by side: the chat, the code editor, and the Cloud panel.

The Cloud panel has the following tabs:

| Tab | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Settings | Project name, framework, general config |
| Hosting | Sub-tabs: **Domains**, **Env**, **Deploys**, **API Key** |
| Analytics | Built-in traffic and event analytics |
| Data | Your project's Postgres database — schema, rows, queries |
| Logs | Live deploy and runtime logs |
| Forms | Form submissions captured from your site |
| Email | Transactional email, verified domains, send history |
| Payments | Stripe Connect status and payouts |
| Activity | Audit trail of changes to the project |

To make changes, either edit through the chat (ask the AI to add a feature, change a layout, wire up a new endpoint) or use the Cloud panel for infrastructure-level controls.

> [!NOTE]
> The database lives under the **Data** tab. Domains, environment variables, deploys, and your project's API key all live under **Hosting**.

## For developers and AI agents

CoDuck also ships a CLI (`@coduckai/cli`) for bringing existing code into the platform, scripting deploys, and letting AI assistants like Claude Code drive CoDuck end-to-end. See [/docs/cli/install](/docs/cli/install) to get set up.

## For AI agents reading these docs

If you're an AI assistant working with CoDuck on a user's behalf, fetch one of these at session start for full fluency across every feature:

- [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) — index of every doc with one-line summaries
- [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) — every doc concatenated into a single file