Run Locally

Learning Objectives

By the end of this step, you'll:

Have installed all dependencies
Started the development server
Verified the app is running correctly

Content

What We're Running

You're about to start a Next.js development server. This will:

Compile your app
Start a local server (usually on port 3000)
Enable hot-reloading (changes appear instantly)

I'm at step 4: Run Locally.

Help me:
1. Install npm dependencies
2. Start the development server
3. Verify the app is running on localhost:3000
4. Understand what the dev server does

Keep it brief and actionable.

Update the internal implementation plan with notes and show me the plan so I can track your progress.

✓ Checkpoint

I've run `npm install` successfully
I've started the dev server with `npm run dev`
The app is running on `http://localhost:3000`
I can see the landing page
I can navigate to the hello-world demo page

Troubleshooting

Q: npm install fails with errors. A: Make sure you have Node.js v18+ installed. Check with node --version. If issues persist, try deleting node_modules and package-lock.json, then run npm install again.

Q: Port 3000 is already in use. A: Next.js will automatically try the next available port (3001, 3002, etc.). Check the terminal output for the actual URL.

Q: The page shows an error about missing environment variables. A: That's expected! Make sure you completed step 3 (Set Environment Variables). The error should go away once you've set up your .env file.

Q: Changes I make don't appear. A: Make sure the dev server is running. If it stopped, restart it with npm run dev. The dev server should automatically reload when you save files.

Q: How do I stop the dev server? A: Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) in the terminal where the server is running.