Setting Up Your Environment
This page frames the setup decision and points you at the right deployment option. Each option has its own dedicated guide linked from the table below.
Prerequisites
- modernGraphTool project files — either a pre-built release or a clone of the source repository, depending on which deployment option you pick.
- Text editor — for modifying
config.js,theme.css, and other configuration files. Visual Studio Code is recommended for its syntax highlighting and auto-completion.
Deployment Options
modernGraphTool supports three deployment paths. Pick one based on how much control you need over updates and customization:
| Option | Best for | Updates | Customization | Subdirectory hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDN Deployment (recommended) | Most operators | Automatic | Config, theme, data | Requires one config line (BASE_PATH) |
| Pre-built Release | Controlled rollouts, airgapped | Manual (re-download) | Config, theme, data, HTML metadata | Works out of the box |
| Building from Source | Developers, forks | Manual (git pull + build) | Everything | Works out of the box |
CDN Deployment
Your server hosts only a minimal index.html loader plus your config.js, theme.css, data/, and assets/. The application code itself comes from jsDelivr and auto-updates when new versions ship. This is the simplest path — no manual updates, no re-uploads.
If your site lives under a subdirectory like /headphones/ (common on squig.link, where operators often run a root earphones database plus a /headphones/ headphones database on the same subdomain), you'll need to set CDN_MODE.BASE_PATH in your config — it's a one-line change, but easy to miss. See the CDN deployment guide for details.
Pre-built Release
Download a full dist/ folder and upload it to your server. You control exactly which version runs and when it changes — no runtime dependency on jsDelivr, works in airgapped environments, subdirectory hosting works without any extra config. The tradeoff is that updating to a new release means re-downloading and re-uploading.
Building from Source
Clone the repository, customize anything you like, and build your own dist/ folder. This is the developer path — use it if you need changes that go beyond what config.js exposes.
Installing a Text Editor
While various text editors are available, Visual Studio Code is recommended for its convenient features like code highlighting and auto-completion.
VS Code can be downloaded for free by anyone and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Go to the VS Code website, download the installer for your operating system, and install it.
- Open the modernGraphTool project folder (or the extracted release folder) in VS Code.
- You can now edit configuration files and manage your data.