> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.memmachine.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart Guide

> Start using MemMachine's personalized memory in minutes

MemMachine uses a client-server architecture. The **Server** manages the storage, retrieval, and processing of memories, while your application uses a **Client** SDK to interact with it.

This guide focuses on getting the **MemMachine Server** up and running.

## Installation

The fastest method to get started with MemMachine is by using Docker and Docker Compose. This approach bundles all necessary components into containers, simplifying the setup process.

### Prerequisites

Before installing MemMachine, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

* **Docker & Docker Compose** - Required to run the server containers.
* **OpenAI API Key** - For language models and embeddings (configured in the server).

### Download and Start the Server

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install Docker">
    Make sure that you have [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/) and [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) installed on your machine.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Download MemMachine and Run">
    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Linux/MacOS" icon="linux">
        Open your terminal and run the following commands:

        ```bash theme={null}
        # Download the latest MemMachine release tarball
        TARBALL_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/MemMachine/MemMachine/releases/latest \
          | grep '"tarball_url"' \
          | head -n 1 \
          | sed -E 's/.*"tarball_url": "(.*)",/\1/')

        curl -L "$TARBALL_URL" -o MemMachine-latest.tar.gz

        # Extract the release archive
        tar -xzf MemMachine-latest.tar.gz

        # Move into the extracted directory (GitHub adds a commit hash to the folder name)
        cd MemMachine-MemMachine-*/

        # Start the MemMachine installation
        ./memmachine-compose.sh

        ```
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Windows" icon="windows">
        Use PowerShell to download and run the script:

        ```powershell theme={null}
        $latestRelease = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.github.com/repos/MemMachine/MemMachine/releases/latest"; `
        $tarballUrl = $latestRelease.tarball_url; `
        $destination = "MemMachine"; `
        if (Test-Path $destination) { Remove-Item $destination -Recurse -Force }; `
        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $destination; `
        Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $tarballUrl -OutFile "MemMachine-latest.tar.gz"; `
        tar -xzf "MemMachine-latest.tar.gz" -C $destination --strip-components=1; `
        Set-Location $destination; `
        ./memmachine-compose.sh
        ```
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    The script will walk you through the setup process, including configuring your OpenAI API key.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Installation">
    Once the script completes, your MemMachine server should be running. You can verify it by checking the health endpoint:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl http://localhost:8080/health
    ```

    You should receive a response indicating the server status is healthy.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next Steps: Connect Your App

Now that the server is running, you need to install the Python Client SDK to interact with it from your application.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Python Client Guide" icon="python" href="../examples/python">
    Install the SDK and write your first "Hello World" program.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="../api_reference/intro">
    Explore the full REST API documentation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Management Scripts

The `memmachine-compose.sh` script is your main tool for managing the server.

```bash theme={null}
./memmachine-compose.sh --help
```

Common commands:

* `./memmachine-compose.sh start` - Start MemMachine services
* `./memmachine-compose.sh stop` - Stop MemMachine services
* `./memmachine-compose.sh restart` - Restart MemMachine services
* `./memmachine-compose.sh logs` - Show service logs
* `./memmachine-compose.sh clean` - Remove all services and data
* `./memmachine-compose.sh build` - Build a custom MemMachine image
* `./memmachine-compose.sh help` - Show help message