---
icon: laptop-arrow-down
---

# Installation

## Prerequisites

To ensure Hexabot runs smoothly, you'll need the following:

* **Docker:** We recommend using Docker to start the app since multiple services are required (MongoDB, Nginx, etc.). All the necessary Docker Compose files are located in the **docker** folder.

{% content-ref url="../developer-guide/setting-up-docker-for-development-and-production.md" %}
[setting-up-docker-for-development-and-production.md](../developer-guide/setting-up-docker-for-development-and-production.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

* **Node.js:** For development purposes, ensure you have Node.js >= v18.17.0 installed. We recommend using nvm (Node Version Manager) to easily manage and update your Node.js versions. 

{% content-ref url="../developer-guide/setup-node.js-with-nvm.md" %}
[setup-node.js-with-nvm.md](../developer-guide/setup-node.js-with-nvm.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

<details>

<summary>Do you want to install Hexabot on a Windows machine?</summary>

1. Install Docker Desktop for Windows Download and install Docker Desktop for Windows.
2. During installation, ensure that you select the option to use WSL 2 as the default backend for Docker.
3. After installation, start Docker Desktop and verify that WSL integration is enabled:
4. Open Docker Desktop and go to Settings. Under the General tab, ensure that "Use the WSL 2 based engine" is selected. Under Resources > WSL Integration, enable integration with your installed Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu). Restart your machine to finalize the Docker installation.
5. Clone the Hexabot Repository Open your WSL terminal (e.g., Ubuntu).

Learn more : [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/wsl-containers](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/wsl-containers)

</details>

### Installation

1. **Install Hexabot CLI globally to have easy access to its commands:**

```
npm install -g hexabot-cli
```

2. **Create a new project**:

```
hexabot create my-chatbot
```

3. **Navigate to your project folder**

```
cd my-chatbot/
```

4. **Install dependencies**:

```
npm i
```

5. **Environment Setup:**&#x20;

To configure the environment variables, use the following command:

```
hexabot init
```

This will copy the `.env.example` file to `.env` in the `./docker` directory if the file does not already exist.

6. **Run in development mode:** Once your environment is set up, you can start the app. Use the following command:

```
hexabot dev --services nlu,ollama
```

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** The first time you run the app, Docker will take some time to download all the required images
{% endhint %}

### Usage

UI Admin Panel is accessible via [http://localhost:8080](http://localhost:8080), the default credentials are&#x20;

{% code title="Username" %}
```
admin@admin.admin
```
{% endcode %}

{% code title="Password" %}
```
adminadmin
```
{% endcode %}

{% hint style="info" %}
You can find more about the Hexabot CLI command [here](../developer-guide/cli-command-reference.md).
{% endhint %}