# Getting started

CairnCMS is open content and data infrastructure for self-hosted teams. Use it to model data, manage content, expose APIs, and automate workflows from one workspace built on SQL tables you control. Your SQL schema defines the model; CairnCMS adds the governed workspace around it (admin app, REST and GraphQL API, role-based permissions, file management, dashboards, automation). This section is the first stop for someone new to the project: it covers what the platform is, how to run one, how the pieces fit together, and the vocabulary you will encounter throughout the rest of the docs.

If you already have a CairnCMS instance running and want to know how to do specific things in the admin app, skip ahead to [Guides](/docs/guides/). If you want to integrate a frontend or build extensions, [Develop](/docs/develop/) is the right starting point.

## Pages in this section

- **[Introduction](/docs/getting-started/introduction/)** — what CairnCMS is, where it sits relative to other CMS tools, and the design principles behind it.
- **[Quickstart](/docs/getting-started/quickstart/)** — spin up a CairnCMS instance with Docker Compose in a few minutes. The fastest path to a running platform you can experiment with.
- **[Architecture](/docs/getting-started/architecture/)** — how the API, admin app, database, file storage, and supporting services fit together.
- **[App overview](/docs/getting-started/app-overview/)** — a tour of the admin app's modules: Content, User Directory, File Library, Insights, Help, Settings.
- **[Glossary](/docs/getting-started/glossary/)** — definitions for the platform-specific terms used throughout the docs (collections, fields, items, presets, accountability, and so on).
- **[Community and support](/docs/getting-started/community-and-support/)** — where to ask questions, file bugs, follow the project, and find paid support.

## Where to go after this section

- [Guides](/docs/guides/) — operator and content-author tasks in the admin app.
- [Manage](/docs/manage/) — operating the platform: configuration, deployment, security, backups, upgrades.
- [Develop](/docs/develop/) — building against the API and customizing the platform.
- [API reference](/docs/api/) — REST and GraphQL endpoints, query DSL, system collections.