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Setup

This page shows you how to run Decap CMS locally.

Estimated time: 2 minutes.

Before You Begin​

Make sure:

  • Nocturne is installed — see Installation
  • Node.js 18+ is installed
  • You have a terminal open in the Nocturne folder

Step 1 — Start the Decap Server​

In your first terminal:

npx decap-server

You should see:

Decap CMS Proxy Server listening on port 8081

Leave this terminal running.

First time? npx may ask you to install decap-server. Type y and press Enter.

Step 2 — Start the Dev Server​

Open a second terminal in the same folder:

npm start

You should see:

[SUCCESS] Docusaurus website is running at: http://localhost:3000/

Step 3 — Open the Admin Panel​

In your browser:

http://localhost:3000/admin/index.html

You'll see the Decap CMS login screen.

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Step 4 — Log In​

Click Login. No password required in local mode.

You'll land on the Decap CMS dashboard.

What You See​

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The left sidebar shows these collections:

  • Site Settings — site config, navbar, widgets, homepage
  • Static Pages — src/pages/*.md
  • Documentation — docs/*
  • Docs Categories — _category_.json files
  • Blog Posts — blog/*

Click any collection to expand it.

Editing Content​

  1. Click a collection
  2. Click a file
  3. Edit the fields
  4. Click Save

The file updates. The site rebuilds. The browser refreshes.

Stopping the Servers​

When you're done:

  • In Terminal 1: Ctrl + C
  • In Terminal 2: Ctrl + C

Both servers stop cleanly.

Cloud Mode (Optional)​

To edit from any device, connect Decap CMS to GitHub.

Option A — Netlify Identity

  1. Deploy to Netlify
  2. Enable Identity in Netlify settings
  3. Enable Git Gateway
  4. Change static/admin/config.yml backend:
backend:
  name: git-gateway
  branch: main

Option B — GitHub OAuth

  1. Create a GitHub OAuth App
  2. Configure Netlify as the OAuth proxy
  3. Change config.yml backend:
backend:
  name: github
  repo: YOUR-USERNAME/nocturne-docs
  branch: main

See Decap CMS docs for details.

Troubleshooting​

Admin panel is blank​

  1. Check that npx decap-server is running
  2. Check that npm start is running
  3. Open DevTools → Console for errors

"Unrecognized front-matter format"​

The Decap server is not running from the correct folder. Restart it inside the Nocturne project root.

Changes don't save​

  1. Check that both terminals are running
  2. Check the terminal output for errors
  3. Try a different browser

Port 8081 already in use​

Another process is using port 8081. Close it, or restart your computer.

What's Next?​

Now let's edit the homepage.

👉 Next: Home Page →