> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://helix-claude-document-return-objects-rxi6v.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

@tags: install, cli, setup, docker, prerequisites, quickstart

## Prerequisites

* Rust version 1.88.0 or higher (required)
* Docker Desktop for local development (required)
* Git for first-time Helix source cache (required)
* Cloud CLIs: AWS CLI, Fly CLI for cloud deployment (optional)

## Install Steps

1. **Install Helix CLI**
   ```bash theme={null}
   curl -sSL https://install.helix-db.com | bash
   ```
   Note: Run `helix update` to upgrade; `helix migrate` to migrate existing projects from CLI v1 to CLI v2.

2. **Create project**
   ```bash theme={null}
   helix init
   ```
   Creates a new project in the current directory with `helix.toml` file and `db` directory containing `schema.hx` and `queries.hx` files.
   Read the `helix.toml` file for more information about the configuration.

3. **Define schema and queries**
   Define the [schema and queries](https://helix-llms-txt.mintlify.app/hql-intro.md) in the `schema.hx` and `queries.hx` files in the `db` directory.
   There will be default schema and queries commented out at the top of the files for you.

4. **Build and deploy locally**
   Build and deploy the project to the local HelixDB instance.
   ```bash theme={null}
   helix push dev
   ```
   Replace `<dev>` with the actual name of the instance.
   Check the [CLI commands](https://helix-llms-txt.mintlify.app/cli.md#commands) for more information about the build and deploy process.
   Once Helix CLI is installed and your instance is initialized, continue to [configurations](https://helix-llms-txt.mintlify.app/cli.md#configurations) to customize ports and instances or jump to [HelixDB SDKs](https://helix-llms-txt.mintlify.app/sdks.md) or cURL to test your first query.

5. **Test connection**
   * If you are using a local HelixDB instance, verify that it now runs inside Docker on port designated in the `helix.toml` file (usually `6969`).
   * Calling a query in the `queries.hx` file should return the expected result. Replace `<port>`, `<query_name>`, and `<parameter_name>` with the actual port, query name, and parameter name. Remember to run create query first before running read, update, delete queries.
   ```bash theme={null}
   curl -X POST http://localhost:<port>/<query_name> \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{<parameter_name>: <parameter_value>, ...}'
   ```

## Best Practices

* **Development**
  * Run `helix check` before every deploy
  * Use descriptive instance names
  * Keep dev/prod configs separate
  * Clean unused resources with `helix prune`
  * Version-control `helix.toml`

* **Production**
  * Set `build_mode = "release"`
  * Tune vector parameters to data scale
  * Enable monitoring & logging
  * Automate backups
  * Test migrations in staging first

* **Security**
  * Never commit credentials
  * Use env vars for secrets
  * Rotate API keys regularly
  * Keep CLI updated: `helix update`
  * Use private instances for prod data