Quick Start

Use the GitHub repository as a template

Click the "Use this template" button. Using it as a template allows you to create multiple copies under your account, whereas GitHub only allows one fork per account.

Install Dependencies

• We recommend using Bun for the fastest installation:

  bun install

• Why not pnpm/npm/yarn? Newer pnpm versions require an extra approve-builds step which can be cumbersome. npm and yarn work but are generally slower and less efficient.

Configure Environment

The easiest way to generate your environment variables is to visit zts-env.vercel.app. Alternatively, you can copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

The two most crucial variables you need to set are:

• DATABASE_URL: Set this to your local PostgreSQL connection string (e.g., postgresql://postgres@localhost:5432/my_app_db). You'll need a local PostgreSQL server running - we recommend DBngin for macOS/Windows. See Database Docs for details.
• BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: Generate a strong random secret (e.g., run bunx --bun openssl rand -base64 32 or use a password manager).

Other variables like NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME and NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_DESCRIPTION can be customized optionally.

Migrate Database

Apply the schema to your database:

bun run db:migrate

Run Dev Server

bun run dev

Your app should now be running locally (usually http://localhost:3000). Explore the other docs below for details on specific features.