Install

If you are upgrading from one major version to another (e.g. DocPad v5 to DocPad v6), be sure to checkout our Upgrade Guide for information relating to backwards compatibility breaks.

1. ​Install Node & Other Dependencies​

   Node.js versions 0.12 and higher are supported. Node.js v0.10 and earlier will not work. Use the shell command node --version to find out which node version you are using.

2. Update npm and install DocPad

    npm install -g npm
    npm install -g docpad@latest

   Note: If you encounter permission errors with the above, do not use sudo, in our experience using sudo with node only creates further issues (regardless of DocPad). Follow our Step 1 instructions for a way to install Node with permissions that never require the use of sudo.

   You can verify DocPad has installed correctly by using docpad -V to output DocPad's version number.

3. When upgrading: in addition to the above, run docpad update inside your project directory to ensure that your local installation of DocPad and its plugins are updated to their latest compatible versions,

4. When you run DocPad for the first time using docpad run, you'll be asked if you agree with the Terms of Service. The TOS is necessary due to our extreme transparency and respect for our users. We want to make sure that our respect for your information is guaranteed, and that it will never be abused. Without a TOS, expectations can become misaligned and problems could occur. We would never want that. We want our users to know the exact measures we take in order to best serve you (collecting statistics, running newsletters, expanding the business, etc.), just so you know how highly we regard you over ourselves. If you run into trouble with the ToS, check this FAQ entry.

If you get any errors, try running DocPad anyway (most installation errors are non fatal and just for debugging purposes). If you do get a fatal error then refer to our Troubleshooting Guide as there's probably already a working solution. :-)