Installation

This guide will help you install and set up HotCRM on your local machine or server.

Prerequisites

Before installing HotCRM, make sure you have the following installed:

Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
pnpm 8.0.0 or higher (recommended for monorepo management)
Git for cloning the repository

Installing Node.js

Download and install Node.js from nodejs.org. We recommend using the LTS (Long Term Support) version.

To verify your installation:

node --version  # Should show v18.0.0 or higher

Installing pnpm

pnpm is a fast, disk space efficient package manager. Install it globally:

npm install -g pnpm

Verify the installation:

pnpm --version  # Should show 8.0.0 or higher

Installation Steps

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/hotcrm/hotcrm.git
cd hotcrm

2. Install Dependencies

Install all package dependencies using pnpm:

pnpm install

This will install dependencies for all packages in the monorepo.

3. Build All Packages

Build all packages in the correct order:

pnpm build

This command will:

Build @hotcrm/core first (foundation)
Build domain packages (@hotcrm/crm, @hotcrm/support, etc.)
Build @hotcrm/ui (UI components)
Build @hotcrm/server (application server)

4. Start the Development Server

Start the development server with hot reload:

pnpm dev

The server will start at http://localhost:3000 (or another port if 3000 is in use).

Building Individual Packages

You can also build individual packages:

# Build core package only
pnpm --filter @hotcrm/core build

# Build CRM domain package
pnpm --filter @hotcrm/crm build

# Build server package
pnpm --filter @hotcrm/server build

Production Deployment

For production deployment:

1. Build for Production

pnpm build

2. Start the Production Server

pnpm start

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the root directory to configure environment variables:

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=production

# Database Configuration (Future)
# DB_HOST=localhost
# DB_PORT=5432
# DB_NAME=hotcrm
# DB_USER=hotcrm
# DB_PASSWORD=your_password

# AI Configuration (Future)
# OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If port 3000 is already in use, you can change it in the .env file or by setting the PORT environment variable:

PORT=3001 pnpm dev

Build Errors

If you encounter build errors:

Clean all build artifacts:
```
pnpm clean
```

Reinstall dependencies:

rm -rf node_modules pnpm-lock.yaml
pnpm install

Rebuild:
```
pnpm build
```

pnpm Not Found

If pnpm command is not recognized, ensure it's installed globally:

npm install -g pnpm

Or use npm instead (though pnpm is recommended):

npm install
npm run build
npm run dev

Verify Installation

To verify that HotCRM is installed correctly:

Check that the development server starts without errors
Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
You should see the HotCRM dashboard

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide - Learn the basics
Architecture Overview - Understand how HotCRM works
Creating Objects - Start customizing

Installation

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