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Getting started

This guide takes you from a clone to a signed-in studio connected to an Elsa server.

Prerequisites

Requirement Version Notes
Node.js 22 or newer The Docker image is built on node:22-alpine.
pnpm 10 The repository pins pnpm@10.33.0 through packageManager.
Elsa server 3.x Must expose the REST API and allow the studio's origin through CORS.

Install and run

pnpm install
pnpm dev

The studio starts on http://localhost:3000. The development server reads studio.config.json on every request, so configuration changes need only a browser reload, not a restart.

Point it at a server

Open studio.config.json and set the first entry's url to your Elsa API. The base URL ends with the API route prefix, which is /elsa/api by default:

{
  "servers": [
    { "name": "Local", "url": "https://localhost:5001/elsa/api" }
  ],
  "auth": { "provider": "elsa-identity" }
}

To work against several backends at once, see adding a server in the configuration guide.

The server must allow your origin

The studio runs in the browser and calls the Elsa API directly, so the API has to return CORS headers permitting http://localhost:3000. The reference host in elsa-core already allows any origin in development. If sign-in fails with no status code in the network tab, this is almost always the cause, and Troubleshooting explains how to confirm it.

Sign in

Sign in

The default provider is Elsa Identity, which signs in with a username and password against /identity/login and keeps the session alive with a silent refresh. A development Elsa server typically starts with admin / password.

Four other providers are supported, including API key, OpenID Connect and Elsa's external authentication broker. See authentication.

First steps

Once signed in:

  1. Dashboard shows throughput and status for the connected server.
  2. Workflows → Definitions lists what exists. Use New workflow in the sidebar to create one, choosing a flowchart, sequence or state machine.
  3. Build the workflow in the designer, then Publish it.
  4. Run it from the editor header, and follow the run under Workflows → Instances.

What you see depends on the backend

Optional modules are hidden unless two things are true: the module is enabled in configuration, and the connected server reports the feature it needs. A studio pointed at a minimal Elsa server will legitimately show fewer sidebar entries than one pointed at a full installation.

Modules lists every module with the server feature it requires.

Verify your changes

pnpm test          # unit tests
pnpm lint          # ESLint
npx tsc --noEmit   # type check