> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://codemash.gitbook.io/codemash/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://codemash.gitbook.io/codemash/get-started/get-started.md).

# Get started

What Norbix is, the three ways to run it, and the tools you use afterwards.

Norbix is a backend for your apps: database, files, users and sign-in, email, SMS and push, payments, scheduled tasks, logs and AI. You manage it in Cloud, your AI agent can work on it, and your apps call it through the SDKs, the CLI or plain REST.

## How Norbix models it

The first question is **how you run Norbix**.

|                          | Managed service                                             | Self-hosted                                          | Enterprise                                                     |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Who runs the servers** | Norbix                                                      | You                                                  | You, with our help                                             |
| **Who it is for**        | Most teams; the fastest start                               | Teams that must keep everything on their own servers | Organisations with special scale, security or compliance needs |
| **What you need**        | A free account                                              | A self-hosted licence, a domain, a Linux server      | An enterprise licence and a talk with us                       |
| **Licence**              | None                                                        | Yes — from Cloud → Account → Licensing               | Yes — made by hand                                             |
| **Cost to start**        | A trial (**Start Trial...** in Cloud)                       | A trial licence                                      | Agreed with us                                                 |
| **Start here**           | [Managed service](/codemash/get-started/managed-service.md) | [Self-hosted](/codemash/get-started/self-hosted.md)  | [Enterprise](/codemash/get-started/enterprise.md)              |

Which licence you need, and where you get it: [Licensing](/codemash/get-started/licensing.md).

Fastest way to see it work: the 10-minute [Quickstart](/codemash/get-started/managed-service/quickstart.md).

### Things every deployment type shares

* [Keys and environments](/codemash/get-started/keys-and-environments.md) — project id, keys, PROD and TEST.
* [Ids and prefixes](/codemash/get-started/ids.md) — what `pr_`, `usr_`, `tmpl_` … mean.

## Where you use it

* [Cloud](/codemash/cloud/cloud.md) — the web app where you manage projects and modules.
* [AI](/codemash/ai/ai.md) — let your coding agent work on your backend, or put AI into your product.
* [SDKs](/codemash/sdks/install.md) — call Norbix from your app.
* [CLI](/codemash/cli/cli.md) — scripts, CI and the terminal.
* [API reference](/codemash/api-reference/api-reference.md) and its [Guides](/codemash/api-reference/guides.md) — plain REST.