---
title: 'Local Development'
description: 'Running Cartwright locally with Prisma, seed data, and the dev server.'
canonical: 'https://cartwright.app/docs/getting-started/local-development'
---

# Local Development (/docs/getting-started/local-development)



Cartwright runs as a normal Next.js app. The public template uses Prisma with a SQLite schema. Runtime database access goes through `lib/db.ts`: if `TURSO_DATABASE_URL` and `TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN` are set, Prisma uses the libSQL adapter; otherwise it falls back to local SQLite via `DATABASE_URL`.

<Tabs items="['SQLite','Turso']">
  <Tab value="SQLite">
    ```bash
    DATABASE_URL="file:./dev.db"
    AUTH_SECRET="replace-with-a-random-secret"
    NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000"
    ```

    ```bash
    cp .env.example .env.local
    # replace AUTH_SECRET with a random value
    pnpm install
    pnpm db:setup
    pnpm dev
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="Turso">
    ```bash
    DATABASE_URL="file:./dev.db"
    TURSO_DATABASE_URL="libsql://your-db.turso.io"
    TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN="your-token"
    AUTH_SECRET="replace-with-a-random-secret"
    NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000"
    ```

    ```bash
    pnpm install
    pnpm db:setup
    pnpm dev
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The dev server is `next dev`. If port `3000` is already in use, Next.js will prompt or choose another port depending on your local version. Use the URL printed by the command.

The setup wizard is data-gated. `lib/setup-wizard.ts` shows it when `BrandingSettings.setupComplete` is false and the product count is zero. That lets fresh forks go through `/admin/setup` automatically without locking existing shops that already have products.

<Callout type="warn">
  Do not run `pnpm db:setup` against a populated production database. It is an onboarding command that includes seed behavior; use the documented migration workflow for an existing production store.
</Callout>