---
title: Welcome to Chatwoot Developer Docs
description: Your comprehensive guide to installing, configuring, developing with, and integrating Chatwoot - the open-source customer support platform.
sidebarTitle: Introduction
---

# Welcome to Chatwoot Developer Documentation

Welcome to the complete developer documentation for Chatwoot, the open-source customer support platform trusted by thousands of businesses worldwide. Whether you're setting up your own instance, contributing to the project, or building integrations, this documentation will guide you through every step.

## What You'll Find Here

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card
    title="Installation & Setup"
    icon="server"
    href="/self-hosted/introduction"
  >
    Deploy Chatwoot on your infrastructure with Docker, Kubernetes, or cloud providers
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="Development Guide"
    icon="code"
    href="/contributing/introduction"
  >
    Contribute to Chatwoot with our development setup, testing guidelines, and best practices
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="API Reference"
    icon="square-terminal"
    href="/api-reference/introduction"
  >
    Build powerful integrations with our comprehensive REST APIs
  </Card>
  <Card
    title="Architecture"
    icon="sitemap"
    href="/self-hosted/architecture"
  >
    Understand Chatwoot's system architecture and components
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Getting Started Paths

Choose your path based on what you want to accomplish:

### 🚀 **I want to install Chatwoot**
Perfect! Head to our [Installation Guide](/self-hosted/introduction) to deploy Chatwoot on your preferred platform. We support:
- Docker containers for quick setup
- Kubernetes for scalable deployments  
- Major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure)
- Traditional Linux VMs

### 🛠️ **I want to contribute to Chatwoot**
Amazing! Check out our [Contributing Guide](/contributing/introduction) to:
- Set up your development environment
- Understand our coding standards
- Learn our testing practices
- Submit your first pull request

### 🔌 **I want to build integrations**
Great! Explore our [API Reference](/api-reference/introduction) with three categories of APIs:
- **Application APIs** - Manage accounts, agents, and conversations
- **Platform APIs** - Administrative control for installations
- **Client APIs** - Build custom chat interfaces

### 📚 **I want to understand the architecture**
Excellent! Our [Architecture Guide](/self-hosted/architecture) covers:
- System components and their interactions
- Database schemas and relationships
- Scalability considerations
- Security best practices

## Why Chatwoot?

Chatwoot is built with modern technologies and follows industry best practices:

- **Open Source**: Full transparency and community-driven development
- **Multi-channel**: Support customers across web, mobile, email, and social platforms
- **Scalable**: From small teams to enterprise deployments
- **Extensible**: Rich APIs and webhook system for custom integrations
- **Modern Stack**: Ruby on Rails backend, Vue.js frontend, PostgreSQL database

## Community & Support

Join our thriving community of developers and users:

- **GitHub**: [github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot](https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot)
- **Community Slack**: [chatwoot.com/slack](https://chatwoot.com/slack)  
- **Discussions**: [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/discussions)
- **Twitter**: [@chatwootapp](https://twitter.com/chatwootapp)

---

Ready to dive in? Choose your path above and let's build something amazing together! 🚀
