> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.realmacsoftware.com/elements-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.realmacsoftware.com/elements-docs/cms/getting-started/quickstart.md).
# Quickstart
Elements includes a built-in CMS that makes it easy to create a blog or content-driven site using Markdown files.
{% hint style="danger" %}
Elements CMS [requires PHP 8.4](/elements-docs/cms/getting-started/system-requirements.md) or newer to be installed on your server. You'll need to **ensure your page extension is set to .php** on any pages you wish to access CMS data from.
{% endhint %}
#### Microblog Project
The Microblog project in the Elements New Projects window is a pre-built Blog that uses the Elements CMS. It's an excellent resource to examine and see how the CMS is integrated.
### How to Set Up the Elements CMS
This video series will walk you though setting sup the Elements CMS inside your Elements project.
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#### How the CMS Is Structured
CMS content lives inside a dedicated CMS folder in your project. A typical blog setup looks like this:
* posts
Contains your blog posts as Markdown (.md) files
* authors
Contains author profiles, also as Markdown files
Each Markdown file includes two parts:
1. Frontmatter at the top of the file, which defines metadata like title, date, and author
2. Markdown content below, which is the body of the post
Elements uses this data to automatically populate your blog pages.
#### How Blog Pages Work
A basic blog in Elements uses two main page types:
* Blog page
Uses a CMS Collection component to list posts from the posts folder
* Post page
Uses a Single Item component to display one post at a time
The Collection controls where the content comes from, while the Item page defines how an individual post looks.
#### Writing Posts
To add a new post:
* Create a new Markdown file in the posts folder
* Fill in the frontmatter fields such as title, date, and author
* Write your content using standard Markdown
When you preview or publish the site, Elements automatically generates the blog listing and individual post pages.
#### Styling and Design
All visual styling is handled in Elements, not in the Markdown files.
This means you can change fonts, colors, layout, and spacing across your entire blog without touching your content.
#### Preview and Publish
You can preview the blog locally at any time using Preview in Browser.
When ready, publish as normal and your CMS-powered blog will be live.
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