# Getting Started

> From purchase to a live community - what you get, what you need, and the shape of setup.

You bought Seedly Communities and downloaded the code. This page is the plain-English overview of getting from a ZIP file to a live, branded community.

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## What You Get

Buying at [/purchase](/purchase) sends you an email with your license key and a download link to the complete source code - every module, the admin tools, the mobile app shells, and the test suites. The download includes setup documentation that walks the deployment step by step.

## The Shape of Setup

1. **Run it locally first.** Stand the platform up on your own machine and click around the feed, classroom, and admin before touching any hosting.
2. **Deploy.** The backend runs on Convex Cloud and the web app deploys to Vercel - source you own, deployed on infrastructure you control. Both have free tiers that comfortably cover a starting community.
3. **Connect your services.**
   - **Stripe** for member billing, if you sell paid tiers, courses, challenges, or coaching. Payments go straight to your Stripe account; the platform adds 0% in transaction fees.
   - **An email provider** for notifications, digests, and auth emails. The email system is provider-configurable.
   - **A real-time video provider** if you use live events. Live video and recording storage run on third-party services you connect with your own accounts, priced by usage on their side.
4. **Brand it.** Point your custom domain at the community, upload your logo and favicon, and tune the design tokens (colors, typography, spacing) so every screen and email matches your brand.
5. **Invite members.** Use the invite system (links or bulk email), set up your membership tiers, and open the doors.

## What It Costs to Run

Beyond the one-time license, your only costs are your own usage: backend and hosting usage (free tiers go a long way), email volume, and video minutes if you run live events. There are no per-member, per-seat, or per-admin fees, and no revenue share.

## If You Get Stuck

1. Re-read the setup documentation included in your download - it is written to be followed in order.
2. Check the [Features](/docs/features) page to confirm how a module is meant to behave.
3. Ask in the Seedly community group on Facebook - operators and the Seedly team are both there.

Next: the [module-by-module feature breakdown](/docs/features).

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Source: https://seedlycommunities.com/docs/getting-started