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# Getting Started

> Choose how to set up a Catalyst project, comparing One-Click Catalyst and CLI Installation, including how each path handles Makeswift, local development, and Native Hosting.

There are two ways to set up a Catalyst project: start in the control panel with One-Click Catalyst, or start in your terminal with the Catalyst CLI. Either way, you end up with a Catalyst project you can develop locally. The main differences are where you start and whether Makeswift is included.

Before you start, check the [prerequisites](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/prerequisites). They cover the local tools, store, and control panel permissions both paths need.

## One-Click Catalyst

Start in the BigCommerce control panel: **Channels → Create Channel → Catalyst**.

* **Who it's for:** Marketers and content authors who want to explore Catalyst and Makeswift without writing code.
* **What you get immediately:** A hosted preview deployment, plus two connected Makeswift sites (production and development), ready to view and edit right away.
* **Makeswift:** Always included.
* **Local code:** Not required to get started, but available any time. Your channel's dashboard gives you a ready-to-run `pnpm create` command, pre-populated with your channel's connection details and Makeswift site keys, so running it locally is a copy-paste away.

See [One-Click Catalyst](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/one-click-catalyst) for the full walkthrough.

## CLI Installation

Start in your terminal:

```shell showLineNumbers={false}
pnpm create @bigcommerce/catalyst@latest
```

* **Who it's for:** Developers who want a local project to customize from the start.
* **What you get immediately:** A local project on your machine, ready to run with `pnpm run dev`.
* **Makeswift:** Not included by default. Pass `--gh-ref @bigcommerce/catalyst-makeswift@latest` for a Makeswift-connected project. See [Makeswift](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/makeswift/overview) for how the two variants differ.
* **Local code:** Immediately. The CLI creates a new channel (or connects an existing one) and scaffolds the project locally in one step.

See [CLI Installation](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/cli-installation) for the full walkthrough.

CLI Installation also works for local development on a storefront you already created with One-Click Catalyst. When the CLI asks whether to create a new channel, choose **No** and select your One-Click channel. Pass `--gh-ref @bigcommerce/catalyst-makeswift@latest` to keep its Makeswift integration, and set `MAKESWIFT_SITE_API_KEY` yourself. The One-Click dashboard's **Start development** command does both for you, so it's usually the quicker way in. See [Run locally](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/one-click-catalyst#run-locally).

### Set up Native Hosting at the same time

[Native Hosting](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/deployment/native-hosting/overview), BigCommerce's own hosting infrastructure, is the recommended way to deploy Catalyst. To set your project up for it from the start, add the `--hosting commerce` flag to the same command:

```shell showLineNumbers={false}
pnpm create @bigcommerce/catalyst@latest --hosting commerce
```

This isn't a separate setup path. It's CLI Installation with hosting configured up front, and you can also opt in later from any existing project. See [Native Hosting: Getting Started](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/deployment/native-hosting/getting-started) for the full walkthrough.

## Choose a setup path

* **Start with One-Click Catalyst** if you want to explore Catalyst and Makeswift's visual editing capabilities first, or if a non-developer on your team needs to design the storefront before development starts. You can always move to local development later.
* **Start with CLI Installation** if you're a developer who wants to begin customizing code immediately, and know whether you want Makeswift's visual editor as part of your project.

If you're not sure, One-Click Catalyst is the lower-commitment starting point. It doesn't require deciding on Makeswift up front, and you can still run the resulting project locally at any time.

## Next steps

* **[Run a One-Click Catalyst project locally](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/one-click-catalyst#run-locally)** whenever you're ready to customize code.
* **[Deploy](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/deployment/overview)** to Native Hosting (recommended) or Vercel, and point your domains at the storefront and checkout.
* **Keep your project up to date.** [Versioning](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/versioning) explains Catalyst's branches and Git tags, and [Upgrading](/developer/docs/storefront/catalyst/getting-started/upgrading) shows how to move to a newer release with `catalyst upgrade`.