# Getting Started

## Requirements

```bash
# On OSX With Homebrew:

brew install node
brew install redis

# On Ubuntu:

(sudo) apt-get install node
(sudo) apt-get install redis-server

# On Windows:

[download nodeJS](https://nodejs.org/en/download)
[download redis](https://github.com/MSOpenTech/redis)
```

* node.js ( >= v4.0.0)
* npm
* redis (for cluster support, cache, stats, and tasks); but not required.

## Install & Quickstart

**Get Started Now:**

```bash
mkdir ~/project && cd ~/project
npm install actionhero
./node_modules/.bin/actionhero generate
npm install
npm start
```

* Create a new directory `mkdir ~/project && cd ~/project`
* Checkout the actionhero source `npm install actionhero`
* Use the generator to create a template project `./node_modules/.bin/actionhero generate`
* `npm install` to install dependencies
* You can now start up the server: `npm start`

Visit `http://127.0.0.1:8080` in your browser to see the actionhero in action!

You can also opt to install actionhero globally `npm install actionhero -g` and then you can just call `actionhero start`.

## Application Structure

```bash
# Actionhero Project Layout

|- config
| -- api.js
| -- errors.js
| -- i18n.js
| -- logger.js
| -- redis.js
| -- routes.js
| -- tasks.js
| -- servers
| ---- web.js
| ---- websocket.js
| ---- socket.js
|-- (project settings)
|
|- actions
|-- (your actions)
|
|- initializers
|-- (any additional initializers you want)
|
|- log
|-- (default location for logs)
|
|- node_modules
|-- (your modules, actionhero should be npm installed in here)
|
|- pids
|-- (pidfiles for your running servers)
|
|- public
|-- (your static assets to be served by /file)
|
|- servers
|-- (custom servers you may make)
|
|- tasks
|-- (your tasks)
|
|- locales
|-- (translation files)
|
|- tests
|-- (tests for your API)
|
readme.md
package.json (be sure to include 'actionhero':'x')
```

The map to the right describes actionhero's default project layout.

Actions in `/actions` will be loaded in automatically, along `/initializers` and `/tasks`.

`/public` will become your application's default static asset location.   

If you wish to customize your project's paths, you can do so within `config/api.js` in the `api.config.general.paths` section

## Tutorial
Want to see an example application using actionhero?  You can check out the code and follow the detailed guide [here (https://github.com/evantahler/actionhero-tutorial)](https://github.com/evantahler/actionhero-tutorial).  This project demonstrates many of the core features of actionhero in a simple project.