---
title: "Beginner path"
description: "9 free lessons to install Éclair CMS with your hosting provider, find your way around the admin, publish your first pages and prepare your launch."
url: "https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-11-02"
updated: "2026-11-02"
---

# Beginner path

> **Key takeaways** — The Beginner path teaches you to install Éclair CMS and put your site online with no technical knowledge. In 9 lessons, you choose your hosting, install Éclair in 3 minutes, publish your first pages and set up the essentials before launch.

## Get your site online with Éclair

Nine lessons to install Éclair CMS with your host, write your first pages and prepare a launch with no bad surprises.

[Start lesson 1](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/discover-eclair)

This path is for you if you've never installed a website or you're new to Éclair CMS. No technical knowledge is needed: each lesson tells you where to click, what should happen and what to do if it doesn't.

## What you'll be able to do

### 🚀 Install Éclair CMS

Upload the files to your host and answer the wizard's four questions.

### 🏠 Build your site

Create your pages, your first post, your menus and your home page.

### 🛡 Launch safely

Turn on two-factor authentication, publish the legal pages and connect Google Search Console.

## The 9 lessons to install Éclair CMS and launch

1. [Discover Éclair CMS](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/discover-eclair) What a CMS without a database is, why Éclair is so fast and what it doesn't do.
2. [Prepare your installation](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/prepare-installation) The domain name, hosting, server requirements and the checklist before you start.
3. [Install Éclair step by step](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/install-eclair) Uploading the folder, the hidden files not to forget and the five screens of the wizard.
4. [Get to know the Éclair admin](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/admin-tour) The dashboard, the side menu, roles and the Edit button on the public site.
5. [Write and publish your first blog post](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/first-article) The 18 blocks, the slash key, preview, publishing and version history.
6. [Pages, menus and home page](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/pages-menus-home) Pages and subpages, header and footer menus, and choosing the home page.
7. [Images and the Éclair media library](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/images-media-library) Accepted formats, WebP conversion, alt text and the featured image.
8. [Contact form and messages](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/contact-form) A captcha-free form, protected from spam, and the admin inbox.
9. [Essential settings before launch](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/essential-settings) Key settings, Search Console, legal pages and the launch checklist.

> **Before you start** — Have a domain name and compatible hosting ready (PHP 8.1 or later, HTTPS). If you don't have them yet, lesson 2 and the [Choosing your hosting](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting) guide help you choose without making a mistake.

## What comes after the Beginner path?

Once your site is online, the [Intermediate path](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate) teaches you to make it unique and visible: Visual mode, art directions, SEO, GEO and multilingual sites. You can also go straight to the [AI & MCP path](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp) to write and update your site with Claude or ChatGPT.

## Questions about the Beginner path

### How long does the Beginner path take?

Allow about an hour of reading, plus one to two hours if you repeat each step on your own site as you go.

### Can I follow the path without hosting?

Yes, for reading. To practice, you need PHP hosting. Developers can also run Éclair on their computer with PHP's built-in server, as explained in the [Local development and testing](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/local-development) lesson.

### What if the installation gets stuck?

Lesson 3 lists the most common errors, and the [Troubleshooting](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/troubleshooting) page details every solution, from the 404 error to a forgotten password.