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Prerequisites: - Rust version 1.88.0 or higher - Docker Desktop (for local development) - Git (for first-time Helix source cache) - If using the cloud, you will need the CLIs for deployment targets (AWS CLI, Fly CLI)
1

Quick Install

Use the official installer script to automatically download and set up the Helix CLI:
curl -sSL https://install.helix-db.com | bash
If you already have the Helix CLI installed, you can update it with helix update, you can migrate your project with helix migrate.See the Migration Guide for more information.
2

Create project

helix init
3

Create schema and queries

Inside the schema.hx file, create your schema.
N::User {
  INDEX name: String,
  email: String,
  created_at: Date DEFAULT NOW
}
Inside the queries.hx file, create your queries.
QUERY createUser(name: String, email: String) =>
  user <- AddN<User>({name: name, email: email})
  RETURN user

QUERY getUser(name: String) =>
  user <- N<User>({name: name})
  RETURN user
4

Build and deploy

helix push dev
5

Test connection

Create a user
curl -X POST http://localhost:6969/createUser -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"name": "John Doe", "email": "john.doe@example.com"}'
Get a user
curl -X POST http://localhost:6969/getUser -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"name": "John Doe"}'
You now have a working HelixDB instance running locally with docker! You can now start building your application on top of it.

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Best Practices

  • Always run helix check before deploying
  • Use descriptive instance names
  • Keep development and production configurations separate
  • Regularly clean up unused resources with helix prune
  • Version control your helix.toml file
  • Use build_mode = "release" for production
  • Configure appropriate vector parameters for your data scale
  • Enable monitoring and logging
  • Set up automated backups
  • Test migrations in staging first
  • Never commit credentials to version control
  • Use environment variables for sensitive data
  • Regularly rotate API keys
  • Keep CLI updated with helix update
  • Use private instances for production data

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Next Steps

Troubleshooting

Solutions to common issues

Configuration Guide

Advanced configuration options