Chapter 1: Getting Started

Welcome to Chapter 1: Getting Started. In this part of Activepieces Tutorial: Open-Source Automation, Pieces, and AI-Ready Workflow Operations, you will build an intuitive mental model first, then move into concrete implementation details and practical production tradeoffs.

This chapter provides a fast path to first workflow value with minimal setup overhead.

Learning Goals

• choose an installation path that matches your current stage
• run the platform locally and validate a first flow
• understand where key operational settings live
• establish a reproducible team onboarding baseline

Fast Start Workflow

1. start from the Install Overview
2. choose Docker or Docker Compose for first-run setup
3. validate platform startup and account access
4. create one simple trigger-action flow
5. capture setup and validation notes in a short team runbook

Source References

• Install Overview
• Docker Compose Setup

Summary

You now have a working baseline for expanding Activepieces usage safely.

Next: Chapter 2: System Architecture: App, Worker, Engine

Source Code Walkthrough

docker-compose.yml

The docker-compose.yml file is the primary reference for getting started with Activepieces locally. It defines the app, worker, postgres, and redis service configuration that Chapter 1 walks through — including port mapping, environment variable injection via .env, and the AP_CONTAINER_TYPE variable that determines whether a container runs as the main app or a background worker.

Review this file alongside the install overview docs to understand the minimal setup required before creating your first flow.