Get Understudy running

Download Understudy

Understudy is distributed from the Understudy downloads page. Each release includes installation instructions to get the package in place. It ships built JavaScript, so there is nothing for you to compile. Once it is installed, the steps below wire it into your project.

Choose where data lives

Understudy needs a store, which is just somewhere to keep its data. It is a small get, put and delete over keys, so you can back it with whatever you like. A local folder store is included for solo use. For a shared or deployed setup, point it at storage your whole team can reach.

Write a small host file

One call wires everything: the login, the clock, id generation, sample data and webhooks. It returns a handle that answers every request, so your host file is just a thin wrapper around it.

Start it with node

Serve the handle from any HTTP server and run it with node. The first time you open the editor it asks you to create an admin account. After that, you are in.

Point your app at it

Change your app's base URL to the Understudy runtime instead of the real API. Your code does not change. It just talks to your stand-in now, statefully and faithfully.

That is it

Import a spec in the editor, shape your data, and your stand-in is ready to use. From here, browse the features or follow a setup guide for your environment.