---
name: quickstart
description: Deploy and manage NeMo Platform locally
version: "0.1"
---

# Quickstart

Run a self-contained NeMo Platform instance on your local machine for evaluation, prototyping, and development.

## First-Time Setup

Run the interactive configuration wizard to set your NGC API key, port, and storage path:

```bash
nemo quickstart configure
```

If you have `NGC_API_KEY` set in your environment and want to accept all defaults without prompts:

```bash
nemo quickstart configure --auto
```

Configuration is saved to a local file and reused on subsequent `up` invocations.

## Start the Platform

Pull the container image and start the platform:

```bash
nemo quickstart up
```

The command streams startup progress and exits once the platform is ready. The CLI is automatically configured to connect to the local instance when startup completes.

## Check Status

Check whether the platform is running and view the container state:

```bash
nemo quickstart status
```

## View Logs

Tail the live container logs:

```bash
nemo quickstart logs
```

Pipe or redirect the output to capture logs to a file:

```bash
nemo quickstart logs > platform.log
```

## Stop Without Data Loss

Stop the running container while preserving all data on disk:

```bash
nemo quickstart down
```

Run `nemo quickstart up` again to restart from the same state.

## Stop and Remove All Data

Stop the container and delete all stored data (models, jobs, workspaces):

```bash
nemo quickstart destroy
```

**Warning:** `destroy` is irreversible. All platform data is permanently deleted. Use `down` if you want to stop without losing data.

## Diagnose Issues

Run a self-diagnostic that checks Docker availability, image access, port conflicts, and NGC credentials:

```bash
nemo quickstart doctor
```

Review the output for any failing checks and follow the suggested remediation steps.

## Typical Workflow

1. `nemo quickstart configure` — set up credentials and preferences (one time)
2. `nemo quickstart up` — start the platform; CLI is auto-configured on success
3. Use the platform — run `nemo models list`, submit jobs, run evaluations, etc.
4. `nemo quickstart status` — verify the platform is still running if needed
5. `nemo quickstart logs` — inspect logs if something behaves unexpectedly
6. `nemo quickstart down` — stop when done, keeping data intact
7. `nemo quickstart destroy` — remove everything when the instance is no longer needed
