You just bought a theme. Here’s how to get it running locally in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have Node.js 18+ installed. You can check by running:

node --version

If you don’t have it, download it from nodejs.org. The LTS version is recommended.

You’ll also need a code editor. We recommend VS Code, but any editor works.

Step 1 — Download the Theme

After purchasing, you’ll get access to the theme source code. Download the ZIP file and extract it to a folder on your computer.

If you bought a single theme, you get that theme’s full source code.

If you bought All Access, you can download any theme from your dashboard.

Step 2 — Install Dependencies

Open your terminal, navigate to the extracted folder, and run:

npm install

This downloads all the packages the theme needs. It usually takes 30–60 seconds.

Step 3 — Start the Dev Server

npm run dev

Your site is now running locally. Open the URL shown in your terminal in your browser.

The dev server hot-reloads — every time you save a file, the browser refreshes automatically.

Step 4 — Explore the Project

Most LiteInk themes follow a predictable structure:

  • src/pages/ — Your routes (each .astro file becomes a page)
  • src/content/ — Markdown content for blogs, articles
  • src/data.ts or src/config.ts — Central config for site content
  • public/ — Static assets (images, favicon, fonts)

To change text on the homepage, start with src/config.ts or src/data.ts. That’s where most content lives.

Step 5 — Build for Production

When you’re ready to deploy:

npm run build

This generates a dist/ folder with optimized static HTML, CSS, and JS. You can deploy this folder to any static host.

See the Deployment guide for platform-specific instructions.

What’s Next?