# Getting Started This section of the guide helps you get up and running with a GraphQL server in a matter of seconds (depending on your internet connection). If you have already setup your project and are looking to dive deeper into Glide, you may find the [_Advanced Topics_](./advanced-topics.md) section of the guide more useful. ### Topics Covered - [Installation](#Installation) - [Project Setup](#Project%20Setup) - [Executing GraphQL](#Executing%20GraphQL) ## Installation Glide must be installed globally in order to use the bundled command-line tools. ```sh # If you are using npm npm install --global @postlight/glide # If you are using yarn yarn global add @postlight/glide ``` If you wish to keep your global namespace clean, you may alternatively use `npx`. ```sh npx @postlight/glide [...options] ``` ## Project Setup Glide uses a JSON configuration file to connect, read, and write data to and from your Salesforce instance. By default, this configuration is stored in a `glide.json` file located within the directory of your project. When starting a new project or adding glide to an existing project, you may execute the `init` command with your Salesforce instance URL as the first argument. This will create a JSON configuration file in the current directory with schema definitions pre-populated from your Salesforce data models. The JSON configuration file _should_ be checked in to version control. ```sh glide init https://my-salesforce-instance.salesforce.com ``` **Note:** If you have not used Glide with your Salesforce instance before, you may be prompted to login. More information about how authentication works in Glide can be found in the [_Advanced Topics_](./advanced-topics.md) section of the guides. ## Executing GraphQL Once you have a JSON configuration file in the root directory of your project, you may spawn a GraphQL server by executing the `serve` command. When executing the `serve` command in a development environment, your default browser will open a [GraphQL Playground](https://github.com/prisma/graphql-playground) playground page to start exploring your data. You manually edit your JSON configuration file if you wish to modify the mutations, queries, and/or data types exposed by your GraphQL server. Information about how to configure the generated GraphQL schema can be found in the [_Advanced Topics_](./advanced-topics.md) section of the guides.