Quick Start

Get the Tech Strategy Tool running locally in under five minutes.

1. Start the Database

Launch the PostgreSQL instance using Docker Compose:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml up -d

This starts a PostgreSQL 17 container with the required schema pre-configured. The database is available on localhost:5432.

2. Start the Application

Run the API server with hot reload:

dotnet watch --project src/TechStrat.Api

First run

The first build downloads NuGet packages and compiles both Blazor WASM applications. This may take a minute or two. Subsequent starts are faster.

The server starts on https://localhost:5001. EF Core migrations are applied automatically on first run, and the event processor initializes before the server begins accepting requests. You will see log output confirming the startup sequence.

3. Open the Application

The Tech Strategy Tool has two web interfaces:

Site	URL	Purpose
Strategy Site	https://localhost:5001/strategy	Create and edit strategy content
Admin Site	https://localhost:5001/admin	Manage users, teams, and system settings

4. Log In

In development mode, three users are seeded automatically:

Username	Password	Role
admin	admin	Admin — full access to both sites
editor	editor	Editor — can create and modify strategy content
viewer	viewer	Viewer — read-only access to strategy content

Getting started quickly

Log in as admin on the Admin Site first to create a team, then switch to the Strategy Site to start building out your strategy.

5. Create Your First Team

1. Log in to the Admin Site as admin
2. Navigate to the Teams tab
3. Enter a team name and pick a color
4. Click Create Team

Now switch to the Strategy Site, select your team from the team switcher, and start adding principles and objectives.

Health check

You can verify the server is running by visiting https://localhost:5001/health, which returns { "status": "healthy" }.

Root URL

Navigating to https://localhost:5001/ redirects automatically to /strategy/.

Stopping the Application

Stop the development server with Ctrl+C in the terminal.

To stop and remove the database container:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml down

To stop the database and delete all data:

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml down -v

Next Steps

• Development Setup — Editor configuration, testing, and development workflow
• Architecture Overview — Understand how the system works
• User Guide — Learn the Strategy Site interface