🚀 Getting Started

• .NET 10.0 SDK - Download from Microsoft
• Docker Desktop - For the database (MongoDB / PostgreSQL / SQL Server), Redis, and containerized deployment. Redis is optional — it backs the shared cache, the SignalR backplane, the Data Protection key ring and the job streams, none of which Lite mode uses
• IDE: Visual Studio 2022, VS Code, or JetBrains Rider
• Git - For version control

1. Get the source: the repository link is on the Download page — grab it there, then clone into a directory of your own:
   git clone <repository-url> your-saas-app
cd your-saas-app
2. Restore dependencies:
   dotnet restore BlazorBlueprint.sln
3. Build the solution:
   dotnet build BlazorBlueprint.sln
4. Create your local secrets:
   cp init-user-secrets.template.ps1 init-user-secrets.ps1

   Edit the copy and run it. Three values are mandatory — the hosts refuse to start without them and name the missing key: Security:WebApp:ClientSecret, Services:InternalApi:ClientSecret and Security:Jwt:SecretKey (32+ characters). Everything else in the file is optional: email, AI and the external login providers stay switched off until you fill them in. Your copy is git-ignored, so real values never reach a commit.

Option 1: .NET Aspire (Recommended)

1. Set Dev/BlazorBlueprint.AppHost as startup project in Visual Studio
2. Press F5 or click Run
3. Aspire dashboard opens automatically showing all services
4. Click the Web endpoint to access your application

There is no separate "install a database" step — the AppHost provisions one.

Option 2: Manual Setup

If you prefer not to use Aspire:

1. Start the database and Redis: (default MongoDB backend shown)
   docker run -d --name mongodb -p 27017:27017 mongo:latest
docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis:latest

   Skip the Redis line if you are running the single-process shape: set Caching:UseRedisDistributedCache and Caching:UseRedisSignalRBackplane to false, Messaging:Transport to InProcess and BackgroundServices:RunInProcess to true — the same four keys the AppHost (Lite) launch profile sets for you.

2. Update connection strings in appsettings.json:
   "Database": { "DatabaseType": "mongodb", "ConnectionString": "mongodb://localhost:27017" }
"ConnectionStrings": { "redisCache": "localhost:6379" }

   Set DatabaseType to postgresql or sqlserver (with a matching ConnectionString) to run on a relational backend instead.

3. Run the web application:
   dotnet run --project Web/BlazorBlueprint.Web

1. Access the application: Navigate to the Web endpoint shown in the Aspire dashboard (port changes each run)
2. Complete initial setup: A fresh install auto-redirects to /initial-setup, where you create the first Owner account and the platform organisation. (The Register page is for later members — it creates a regular member, not an admin.) Running locally this needs nothing further, because the request is loopback. In a container it is not — the port is published, so the app sees the request arriving from the Docker bridge gateway — and the deploy compose files name that network (Security__Setup__TrustedNetworks__0=172.16.0.0/12) to keep first run a single click. Remove that line and setup falls back to a setup token the app writes to its log; see Security → Initial setup.
3. Land on the app launcher: After signing in (and any org selection / creation), you'll land on /apps — an Odoo-style tile grid of installed plugins plus an Admin tile for organisation settings and a Platform Admin tile for platform-level management. The launcher is the canonical home for signed-in members and is controlled by Features:AppLauncher (default on).
4. Build and explore plugins: One plugin ships — the Weather example in Plugins/Weather/, which exists to demonstrate the IPlugin contract end to end rather than to be a feature. It auto-installs into every organisation, so you will see its tile on the launcher immediately; delete it once you have read it. Your own plugins go beside it. Each installed plugin opens from the launcher into its own dashboard under a plugin-specific sidebar (/plugin/{your-plugin}/...), with settings under /admin/plugin/{your-plugin}/....
5. View infrastructure: Visit Infrastructure Monitor to see system status (requires a platform admin account)

Most tests are backend-agnostic and run against in-memory fakes, so they need nothing installed. Two groups are different, and it is worth knowing which:

• Relational backend suites need a real PostgreSQL or SQL Server to talk to.
• MongoDB serialization suites spin up a container, so they need Docker running.