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

# Quickstart

> From an empty machine to a working voice agent, in order.

From an empty terminal to your first live call, in about 20 minutes. Three pages, meant to be read in sequence.

<Note>
  Total time is roughly 20 minutes, most of it Docker pulling images. You need Docker and one AI provider API key. Every stack runs on your own infrastructure — no call audio, transcript, or credential ever leaves your machine unless you choose a cloud model provider.
</Note>

## The path

| Step | Page                                                   | What you end with                                                  |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 1    | [Prerequisites](prerequisites)                         | A machine that can run the stack, and the accounts you need.       |
| 2    | [Install and run](install-and-run)                     | Ten containers up, API answering on `:8000`, dashboard on `:3000`. |
| 3    | [Generated secrets and defaults](secrets-and-defaults) | Knowing what was generated for you and what to change.             |

Once the stack is up, build your first agent and place your first call from the dashboard — no terminal needed:

* [Create your first agent](../dashboard/create-an-agent)
* [Test and call with your agent](../dashboard/make-a-call)

Prefer the API? See [Recipes](../../api-reference/recipes).

## Before you start

You do **not** need a telephony account to try VoicEra. A `websocket` agent runs entirely in the browser and needs only an STT, TTS, and LLM key. Add telephony when you want real phone numbers.

<Warning>
  Run `make application-up`, not a bare `docker compose up`. It generates `SECRET_KEY`, `INTERNAL_API_KEY`, and `PROVIDER_AUTH_ENCRYPTION_KEY` into `.env`; without them the stack starts misconfigured.
</Warning>

## Where next

Once a call works:

* [Architecture](../concepts/architecture) — what you just started
* [Running a campaign](../operator/running-a-campaign) — outbound at volume
* [Security hardening](../deployment/security-hardening) — before anyone else can reach it