--- title: 'Setup | Skeleton' url: 'https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/setup' markdown: 'https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/setup.md' lang: en date: '2026-07-03' description: 'Tip Follow this step-by-step guide which describes how we at Crabston GmbH create and configure websites for our clients using the Hadron Skeleton. 0. Preparation Fork the skeleton repository / create from template Clone the repository including Grav: cd /your/preferred/directory git clone ht…' taxonomy: category: - Documentation - Hadron - Skeleton tag: - Expert - Setup - Skeleton --- Important These docs are compatible only with Hadron v3, using [Grav v2](https://getgrav.org/blog/grav-2-stable-released) & [Quark2](https://github.com/getgrav/grav-theme-quark2), as there are significant changes in structure and functionality. You can find the Hadron v2 Documentation either on the [Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20260702141259/https://usehadron.dev/en/docs) or on the [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/Crabston/grav-skeleton-hadron/tree/2.2.1/pages/06.docs). Tip Follow this step-by-step guide which describes how we at [Crabston GmbH](https://crabston.ch/) create and configure websites for our clients using the [Hadron Skeleton](https://github.com/Crabston/grav-skeleton-hadron). ## 0. Preparation 1. Fork the skeleton repository / create from template 2. Clone the repository including Grav: ```shell cd /your/preferred/directory git clone https://github.com/Crabston/grav.git . git clone https://github.com/Crabston/grav-skeleton-hadron.git user ``` Note See the [Hadron Skeleton installation guide](https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/installation) for additional cloning methods and alternatives. ### 0.1 SendGrid API Key [SendGrid](https://sendgrid.com) is an email service provider that enables sending email. You need an account with SendGrid for this. Once a basic configuration exists, create a new API key at [app.sendgrid.com/settings/api\_keys](https://app.sendgrid.com/settings/api_keys) with the permission Mail Send (Mail Send: Yes). Add the key to your configuration or manage it via Doppler. ### 0.2 Umami Website ID [Umami Analytics](https://github.com/Crabston/grav-plugin-umami-analytics) is an open-source analytics tool for collecting detailed website statistics. You need an account on [Umami](https://umami.is/) or access to a hosting server. Create a new site/project in Umami and copy the website ID. Then add the website ID in the Umami configuration or manage it via Doppler. ### 0.3 Doppler configuration [Doppler](https://www.doppler.com) is a secrets manager for securely storing and managing API keys and other sensitive data. You need a Doppler account for this. Create a new project in Doppler, then add the following secrets: - `SENDGRID_API_KEY`: API\_KEY\_VALUE: `plugins.email_DASH_sendgrid.api_key` - `UMAMI_WEBSITE_ID`: WEBSITE\_ID\_VALUE: `plugins.umami_DASH_analytics.website_id` The list above is in the format `SECRET_NAME: SECRET_VALUE: SECRET_PATH`. `SECRET_NAME` is the secret's name, `SECRET_VALUE` is its value and `SECRET_PATH` is the path where the secret is used. Add `SECRET_PATH` as a note in Doppler. After adding the secrets, update the Doppler configuration file `doppler.yaml`: ```yaml setup: project: PROJECT_NAME config: prd ``` ## 1. Formal changes Formal changes include small administrative adjustments that are not directly related to the website content but are practical. This affects the following files: 1. `README.md`: Update the readme to store key information about the site 2. `LICENSE`: Add the correct license file 3. `CHANGELOG.md`: Update the changelog to document site changes *For convenience, you can version these administrative changes directly (e.g. on GitHub) before cloning the repository.* ## 2. Base configuration With the Grav base configuration you can apply well-known changes before installation so you can start fine-tuning after installation. Tip Find more information about a local development environment here: [Documentation / Skeleton / Development Environment](https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/entwicklungsumgebung) 1. If user accounts already exist, create or copy them 2. If you already know which plugins and themes you want to use, add or remove them in the `.dependencies` file 3. Afterwards you can adjust system and site settings 4. Finally, you can make individual changes to plugin and theme configurations *At this point it's worth creating a new Git branch and making at least one commit per configuration/chapter.* ### 2.1 Accounts If user accounts already exist they can be created. Create one file per account in `user/accounts`. The file must have the following structure: `accounts/username.yaml`: ```yaml state: enabled email: email@example.com fullname: User's full name title: User's title hashed_password: HASHED_PASSWORD admin_next: preferences: adminLanguage: en-US # Language access: # ... individual access permissions (if not handled via groups) api: login: true # Admin login super: true # Super user site: login: true # Site login groups: # List of groups - website # Can log in to the website and view protected pages - admin # Can log in to the admin panel and access the API - accounts # Can manage user accounts and groups - editor # Can edit content on the site, including pages and media - maintainer # Can manage restricted parts of the site & see relevant system information - manager # Can manage the site as a whole themselves. DO ONLY GRANT TO TRAINED & EXPERIENCED USERS! - statistics # Can see site statistics ``` ### 2.2 Dependencies Use the `.dependencies` file to install required plugins and themes via the built-in function. Adjust it: remove unwanted plugins/themes and add the ones you need. ### 2.3 Settings There are two main configuration files you should adjust. Recommended edits include: `config/site.yaml`: ```yaml title: 'Site name' default_lang: en # Default language author: name: 'Default author / organization' email: contact@example.com metadata: description: 'Default site description' keywords: 'relevant, keywords, for, the, site' blog: route: '/blog' ``` `config/system.yaml`: ```yaml timezone: Europe/Zurich # Server / site timezone custom_base_url: https://usehadron.dev/ # Base URL languages: supported: # List supported languages - en default_lang: en # Default language home: alias: /home # Path of the homepage pages: theme: custom # Theme to use ``` ### 2.4 Theme & plugins You can already make the following changes to themes and plugins: `config/themes/custom.yaml`: See [Documentation / Theme / Options](https://usehadron.dev/docs/theme/optionen#konfigurationsdatei) `config/plugins/email.yaml`: ```yaml from: your@provider.mail # Default sender (SendGrid by default) to: contact@example.com # Default recipient ``` `config/plugins/feed.yaml`: ```yaml title: 'Feed name' description: 'Feed description' ``` `config/plugins/sitemap.yaml`: ```yaml news_enabled_paths: - /blog ``` `config/plugins/taxonomylist.yaml`: ```yaml route: /blog ``` `config/plugins/umami-analytics.yaml`: ```yaml script_src: 'https://umami.crabston.ch' # Umami host URL website_id: 'UMAMI_WEBSITE_ID' # Website ID if not provided via Doppler domains: 'example.com' # Domains that may send data, separated by commas ``` ## 3. Installation After the base configuration is ready, install Grav and start the server if necessary. ```sh bin/grav install bin/plugin tntsearch index bin/grav server ``` Open the site locally at `http://127.0.0.1:8000`. If no accounts exist yet, create the admin account at `http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin`. You can then view the skeleton's default pages or make further adjustments via the admin panel. ## 4. Further adjustments You can now adjust more settings, extend the custom theme and create or edit new pages. `config/theme/custom.yaml`: ```yaml # Logo configuration favicon: user/media/favicon/hadron-favicon.svg: name: hadron-favicon.svg type: image/svg+xml size: 566 path: user/media/favicon/hadron-favicon.svg custom_logo: user/media/logo/hadron-logo.svg: name: hadron-logo.svg type: image/svg+xml size: 3076 path: user/media/logo/hadron-logo.svg custom_logo_mobile: user/media/logo/hadron-logo.svg: name: hadron-logo.svg type: image/svg+xml size: 3076 path: user/media/logo/hadron-logo.svg ``` --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Skeleton](https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton.md) - Previous: [Installation | Skeleton](https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/installation.md) - Next: [Development Environment | Skeleton](https://usehadron.dev/docs/skeleton/development.md)