Quick Start

Prerequisites

Docker + Docker Compose
A running PostgreSQL instance (Contento does not manage its own — use Dokploy or any external PG)
A running Authentik instance for SSO (or skip auth for local dev by stubbing NEXTAUTH_SECRET)

1. Clone and configure

git clone https://github.com/your-org/contento.git
cd contento
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and fill in the required values:

# Required
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/contento
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=<random-32-char-string>   # openssl rand -base64 32

# Authentik OIDC (get from your Authentik admin panel)
AUTHENTIK_ISSUER=https://auth.yourdomain.com/application/o/contento/
AUTHENTIK_CLIENT_ID=contento
AUTHENTIK_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-client-secret>

# imgproxy signing (generate with: xxd -g 2 -l 64 -p /dev/urandom | tr -d '\n')
IMGPROXY_KEY=<64-char-hex>
IMGPROXY_SALT=<64-char-hex>

2. Run migrations

pnpm install
pnpm db:migrate

3. Start services

docker compose up -d

This starts:

MinIO on :9000 (S3 API) and :9001 (console)
imgproxy on :8080
contento-app on :3000

The migrate service runs pnpm db:migrate once and exits before the app starts.

4. Create your first project

Open http://localhost:3000/admin and sign in via Authentik. Then:

Click New project
Give it a name (slug is auto-generated)
Choose Public or Private visibility
Save — Contento creates the MinIO bucket automatically

5. Upload and deliver a file

# 1. Get a presigned upload URL (use your project ID from the admin UI)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/projects/<id>/sign/upload \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <api-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"path": "/images/photo.jpg", "contentType": "image/jpeg"}'

# 2. Upload directly to the returned URL
curl -X PUT "<presigned-url>" \
  -H "Content-Type: image/jpeg" \
  --data-binary @photo.jpg

# 3. Deliver with transformation
curl "http://localhost:3000/f/<project-slug>/images/photo.jpg?format=webp&w=800"

Next steps

Concepts — understand projects, buckets, and API keys
API: Projects — full CRUD reference
API: Delivery — transformation params for images and media