Getting started

Requirements

• Node.js 20.9 or newer (22 recommended)
• pnpm 9 or newer (npm, yarn and bun also work)
• A database: PostgreSQL (recommended), MongoDB, SQLite or Vercel Postgres

Scaffold

npx create-payload-stack@latest

The CLI asks seven questions:

1. Project name, also the directory it creates.
2. Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite or Vercel Postgres. The matching Payload adapter is written into payload.config.ts and package.json.
3. Connection string, written to .env as DATABASE_URL. SQLite needs no server: file:./your-app.db.
4. Sign-in methods: email + password, magic link, passkeys, Google, GitHub.
5. Organizations: whether users work in teams.
6. Billing: Stripe subscriptions per organization, per user, or none for now.
7. Media storage: skip for now (local disk), or Vercel Blob, AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage or Uploadthing. The adapter is written into payload.config.ts and switches on when its environment variables are set.

It then installs dependencies and initializes a git repository. Every answer can be passed as a flag; see the CLI reference.

Run

cd your-app
pnpm dev

In development Payload pushes the database schema automatically. Open http://localhost:3000.

Create your admin account

Visit http://localhost:3000/admin. With no admin yet, payload-auth redirects you to a one-time sign-up page. That account has the admin role: it can use the Payload admin, impersonate users and see every organization.

Sign up as a user

Open http://localhost:3000/auth/sign-up in a private window. After signing up you land on onboarding, create your first organization and reach the dashboard. Projects you create there are scoped to that organization; open /admin as the admin to see them under App with the tenant selector.

Emails in development

Without RESEND_API_KEY, Payload logs every email (magic links, verification, invitations) to the terminal. Copy the link from the log. docker compose up -d also starts Mailpit at http://localhost:8025 if you prefer an inbox; point Payload's email adapter at localhost:1025 to use it.

Next

• Configuration: rename the product, pick auth methods, define plans.
• Billing: connect Stripe.
• Media storage: move uploads off local disk before deploying.
• Deployment: migrations and environment variables.