---
title: "Quickstart"
description: "Get started with Reactive Resume in minutes — use our hosted version or deploy your own instance"
---

## Options

Reactive Resume offers flexibility in how you want to use it. Choose the option that best fits your needs:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use the Cloud Version" icon="cloud" href="#use-the-cloud-version">
    The fastest way to get started. **Recommended for most users.**
  </Card>
  <Card title="Self-Host with Docker" icon="docker" href="#self-host-with-docker">
    Deploy your own instance with complete control. **Requires some technical knowledge.**
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

---

## Using the Cloud Version

The easiest way to use Reactive Resume is through our cloud version at [rxresu.me](https://rxresu.me). **This service is completely free and will always remain free.**

<Steps>
	<Step title="Create an Account">
		Visit [rxresu.me](https://rxresu.me) and sign up for free using your email, or sign in with your GitHub or Google
		account.
	</Step>

    <Step title="Create Your First Resume">
    	Click the **Create Resume** button on your dashboard. Give your resume a name and select a template to get started.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Fill in Your Details">
    	Use our intuitive builder to add your: - Personal information - Work experience - Education - Skills - Projects -
    	And more...
    </Step>

    <Step title="Export & Share">
    	When you're ready, export your resume as a PDF or share it via a unique public link.
    </Step>

</Steps>

<Tip>Your resume updates in real-time as you type. The preview panel shows exactly how your final PDF will look.</Tip>

---

## Self-Host with Docker

For users who prefer complete control over their data, you can deploy Reactive Resume on your own infrastructure using Docker.

### Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) (v20.10 or higher)
- [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) (v2.0 or higher)

<Info>
  There is <strong>no difference in features</strong> between the cloud-hosted version and the self-hosted option. Both
  provide the same privacy, customization, and functionality. Choose whichever deployment type suits your needs!
</Info>

### Quick Deployment

<Steps>
	<Step title="Clone the Repository">
		```bash
		git clone https://github.com/amruthpillai/reactive-resume.git
		cd Reactive-Resume
		```
	</Step>

    <Step title="Configure Environment Variables">
    	Create a `.env` file in the root directory with the following variables:

```bash .env
# Application
APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Printer (Browserless)
BROWSERLESS_TOKEN=change-me
PRINTER_ENDPOINT=ws://browserless:3000?token=change-me

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/postgres

# Authentication (generate a secure secret)
AUTH_SECRET=your-secure-secret-key-here

# Storage (S3-compatible via SeaweedFS)
S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=seaweedfs
S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=seaweedfs
S3_ENDPOINT=http://seaweedfs:8333
S3_BUCKET=reactive-resume
S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true
```

    	<Warning>
    		For production deployments, always use strong, unique values for `AUTH_SECRET`, `BROWSERLESS_TOKEN`, and database credentials.
    	</Warning>
    </Step>

    <Step title="Start the Services">
    	```bash
    	docker compose up -d
    	```

    	This starts:
    	- **PostgreSQL** — Database for storing user data and resumes
    	- **SeaweedFS** — S3-compatible storage for file uploads
    	- **Browserless** — Headless Chromium service for PDF/screenshot generation
    	- **Reactive Resume** — The main application
    </Step>

    <Step title="Access Your Instance">
    	Once all services are running, access your Reactive Resume instance at:

    	```text
    	http://localhost:3000
    	```
    </Step>

</Steps>

### Docker Compose Services

Here's what each service in the stack does:

| Service           | Port                               | Description                                                 |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `postgres`        | 5432                               | PostgreSQL database for storing all application data        |
| `seaweedfs`       | 8333                               | S3-compatible object storage for file uploads               |
| `browserless`     | 3000 (internal) / 4000 (published) | Headless Chromium service for PDF and screenshot generation |
| `reactive_resume` | 3000                               | The main Reactive Resume application                        |

### Health Checks

All services include built-in health checks. You can verify everything is running correctly:

```bash
docker compose ps
```

You should see all services with a `healthy` status.

---

## Environment Variables Reference

Here's a complete list of environment variables you can configure:

### Required Variables

| Variable           | Description                    | Example                               |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `DATABASE_URL`     | PostgreSQL connection string   | `postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db` |
| `AUTH_SECRET`      | Secret key for authentication  | Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32`  |
| `APP_URL`          | Public URL of your Application | `https://rxresu.me`                   |
| `PRINTER_ENDPOINT` | URL of the printer service     | `ws://browserless:3000?token=...`     |

### Optional Variables

| Variable                              | Description                                                 | Default                |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| `PRINTER_APP_URL`                     | Public URL for the printer to access the Application        | —                      |
| `GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID`                    | Google OAuth Client ID                                      | —                      |
| `GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET`                | Google OAuth Client Secret                                  | —                      |
| `GITHUB_CLIENT_ID`                    | GitHub OAuth Client ID                                      | —                      |
| `GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET`                | GitHub OAuth Client Secret                                  | —                      |
| `LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID`                  | LinkedIn OAuth Client ID                                    | —                      |
| `LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET`              | LinkedIn OAuth Client Secret                                | —                      |
| `OAUTH_PROVIDER_NAME`                 | Custom OAuth Provider Name                                  | —                      |
| `OAUTH_CLIENT_ID`                     | Custom OAuth Client ID                                      | —                      |
| `OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET`                 | Custom OAuth Client Secret                                  | —                      |
| `OAUTH_DISCOVERY_URL`                 | OIDC Discovery URL (use this OR manual URLs below)          | —                      |
| `OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_URL`             | OAuth Authorization URL (manual config)                     | —                      |
| `OAUTH_TOKEN_URL`                     | OAuth Token URL (manual config)                             | —                      |
| `OAUTH_USER_INFO_URL`                 | OAuth User Info URL (manual config)                         | —                      |
| `OAUTH_DYNAMIC_CLIENT_REDIRECT_HOSTS` | Trusted HTTPS hosts/origins for dynamic OAuth redirects     | —                      |
| `OAUTH_SCOPES`                        | OAuth Scopes (space-separated)                              | `openid profile email` |
| `BETTER_AUTH_API_KEY`                 | Better Auth dashboard API key                               | —                      |
| `BETTER_AUTH_URL`                     | Better Auth base URL override (advanced)                    | `APP_URL`              |
| `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`                  | Better Auth secret override (advanced)                      | `AUTH_SECRET`          |
| `AI_ALLOWED_BASE_URLS`                | Allowlist for custom AI provider base URLs                  | —                      |
| `SMTP_HOST`                           | SMTP Server Host (for email features)                       | —                      |
| `SMTP_PORT`                           | SMTP Server Port                                            | `587`                  |
| `SMTP_USER`                           | SMTP Username                                               | —                      |
| `SMTP_PASS`                           | SMTP Password                                               | —                      |
| `SMTP_FROM`                           | Default FROM address for emails                             | —                      |
| `SMTP_SECURE`                         | Use secure SMTP connection (`true` or `false`)              | `false`                |
| `S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID`                    | S3 Access Key                                               | —                      |
| `S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`                | S3 Secret Key                                               | —                      |
| `S3_REGION`                           | S3 Region                                                   | `us-east-1`            |
| `S3_ENDPOINT`                         | S3-compatible Endpoint URL                                  | —                      |
| `S3_BUCKET`                           | S3 Bucket Name                                              | —                      |
| `S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE`                 | Use path-style URLs for S3 (set `true` for MinIO/SeaweedFS) | `false`                |
| `FLAG_DEBUG_PRINTER`                  | Used for debugging the printer route                        | `false`                |
| `FLAG_DISABLE_SIGNUPS`                | Disables new user signups                                   | `false`                |
| `FLAG_DISABLE_EMAIL_AUTH`             | Disables email/password login (SSO only)                    | `false`                |
| `FLAG_DISABLE_IMAGE_PROCESSING`       | Disables image processing                                   | `false`                |

> **Note:** Some variables are only required for using related features (OAuth, SMTP, S3, etc.) and can be left unset if unused.

> **Health check behavior:** `/api/health` reports status for database, printer, and storage. A failure in any dependency returns HTTP `503`.

<Note>
  **Hybrid Setup Note**: The `PRINTER_APP_URL` variable is required when running Reactive Resume outside of Docker while
  the printer service is running inside Docker. In this scenario, the printer needs to reach your local app to render
  resumes for PDF generation. Since Docker containers cannot access `localhost` on your host machine directly, you must
  set `PRINTER_APP_URL` to `http://host.docker.internal:3000`. This special hostname allows Docker containers to
  communicate with services running on your host machine.
</Note>

<Note>
  **Alternative Printer Options**: If you don't want to use browserless, you can use any headless Chrome/Chromium
  instance with its remote debugging port open. For example, run `chromium --remote-debugging-port=9222` and point
  `PRINTER_ENDPOINT` to that instance.
</Note>

---

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Development Setup" icon="code" href="/contributing/development">
    Set up a development environment to contribute or customize Reactive Resume.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Project Architecture" icon="folder-open" href="/contributing/architecture">
    Learn about the project structure and architecture.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  **Having trouble?** Check our [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/amruthpillai/reactive-resume/issues) or reach out via
  [email](mailto:hello@amruthpillai.com).
</Note>
