Getting started

varsha is a premium website starter template built on Astro. This guide covers prerequisites, installation methods, and running your first local development server.

Prerequisites

Before installing varsha, make sure you have the following tools:

Tool	Minimum version	Notes
Node.js	18.17.0 or 20.3.0+	LTS recommended
npm	9.0+	Bundled with Node.js
A code editor	—	VS Code with the Astro extension recommended
Git	2.0+	Required for cloning and deployment workflows

You can check your Node.js version by running:

node --version

Install varsha

Choose one of the following methods to create a new varsha project.

Recommended: create-varsha

The official CLI scaffolds a project with dependency installation and git init in one command.

degit

degit downloads the latest template without Git history, giving you a clean starting point.

Git clone

Clone the full repository if you want to contribute back or preserve Git history.

Option 1: Create with create-varsha (recommended)

npx create-varsha my-varsha-site
cd my-varsha-site

The CLI automatically installs dependencies and initializes a git repository. You can also use npm create varsha, yarn create varsha, pnpm create varsha, or bunx create-varsha.

Options:

• --pm <manager> — Use a specific package manager (npm, yarn, pnpm, bun)
• --no-install — Skip dependency installation
• --no-git — Skip git initialization
• --template <branch> — Use a specific branch or tag

Option 2: Create with degit

npx degit yethikrishna/web-ui-template my-varsha-site
cd my-varsha-site
npm install

This creates a new directory called my-varsha-site with a fresh copy of the varsha starter, excluding the original Git history.

Option 3: Clone with Git

git clone https://github.com/yethikrishna/web-ui-template.git my-varsha-site
cd my-varsha-site
npm install

If you clone with Git, consider removing the existing remote and adding your own before making commits:

git remote remove origin
git remote add origin https://github.com/your-username/your-repo.git

Option 4: Create with Astro CLI

npm create astro@latest -- --template yethikrishna/web-ui-template my-varsha-site
cd my-varsha-site
npm install

Run the development server

Start the local dev server:

npm run dev

By default, varsha runs on http://localhost:4321. Open this URL in your browser to see your site.

The dev server supports:

• Hot module replacement (HMR): Changes to .astro, .mdx, .css, and .ts files are reflected instantly without a full page reload.
• Local network access: Add --host to expose the dev server on your local network: npm run dev -- --host.

Available scripts

varsha includes the following npm scripts out of the box:

Script	Command	Purpose
dev	npm run dev	Start the local development server
build	npm run build	Build the production site to ./dist/
preview	npm run preview	Preview the production build locally before deploying
astro	npx astro	Run Astro CLI commands directly

Verify your installation

After running npm run dev, you should see:

1. The varsha landing page at http://localhost:4321/
2. The documentation at http://localhost:4321/docs/
3. The blog at http://localhost:4321/blog/

If all three pages load, your installation is working correctly.

Next steps

Quick start

Build your first custom page and deploy it in under five minutes.

Quick start →

Project structure

Familiarize yourself with how a varsha project is organized.

Project structure →

Getting help

• Documentation: You are here. Browse the sidebar for guides on every feature.
• GitHub issues: Report bugs or request features at github.com/yethikrishna/web-ui-template/issues.
• Instagram: Follow @yethikrishnar for updates and showcases.