---
title: Quick start
status: published
author: steveruizok
date: 3/22/2023
order: 0
keywords:
  - hello world
  - intro
  - start
  - installation
---

Have five minutes? Run this command in your terminal to explore tldraw [starter kits](/starter-kits):

```bash
npm create tldraw@latest
```

Have a little more time? Let's try out the tldraw SDK in a React project.

If you're new to React, we recommend using a [Vite template](https://vitejs.dev/guide/#scaffolding-your-first-vite-project) as a starter. We'll assume your project is already running locally.

## Getting started

First, install the `tldraw` package from npm:

```bash
npm install tldraw
```

Next, in your React project, import the `Tldraw` component and tldraw's CSS styles. Then render the `Tldraw` component inside a full screen container:

```tsx
import { Tldraw } from 'tldraw'
import 'tldraw/tldraw.css'

export default function App() {
	return (
		<div style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0 }}>
			<Tldraw />
		</div>
	)
}
```

That's pretty much it! At this point, you should have a complete working single-user canvas. You can draw, write, add images and video, zoom, pan, copy and paste, undo and redo—everything you'd expect from a canvas.

You'll be starting from our default [shapes](/docs/shapes), [tools](/docs/tools), and [user interface](/docs/user-interface), but you can customize all of these things for your project if you wish. For now, let's show off a few more features.

## Local persistence

Let's add local persistence by passing a `persistenceKey` prop to the `Tldraw` component:

<FocusLines lines={[4]}>

```tsx
export default function App() {
	return (
		<div style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0 }}>
			<Tldraw persistenceKey="example" />
		</div>
	)
}
```

</FocusLines>

The `persistenceKey` prop saves your project to the browser's storage so that it survives a refresh. It also synchronizes the project with other instances that share the same key—even in other browser tabs! Give it a try by opening your app in a second window.

## Real-time collaboration

To add support for multiple users collaborating in real time, you can use the [**tldraw sync**](/docs/sync) library. Its demo hook connects your app to tldraw's demo server, which hosts temporary rooms.

First, install the `@tldraw/sync` package:

```bash
npm install @tldraw/sync
```

Next, import the `useSyncDemo` hook from the `@tldraw/sync` package. Call it in your component with a unique ID and pass the store that it returns to the `Tldraw` component:

<FocusLines lines={[2,6,10]}>

```tsx
import { Tldraw } from 'tldraw'
import { useSyncDemo } from '@tldraw/sync'
import 'tldraw/tldraw.css'

export default function App() {
	const store = useSyncDemo({ roomId: 'insert-any-string-here' })

	return (
		<div style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0 }}>
			<Tldraw store={store} />
		</div>
	)
}
```

</FocusLines>

Try it out by opening your project in a second incognito window, or else access it from another device. You should see all of tldraw's multiplayer features: live cursors, user names, viewport following, cursor chat, and more.

If you want to go further with real-time collaboration, be sure to check out our guide to the [**tldraw sync**](/docs/sync) library.

## Controlling the canvas

The tldraw [editor](/docs/editor) has a runtime JavaScript API. Everything that can happen in tldraw can be done programmatically through the [Editor](?) instance.

For simplicity's sake, let's roll back our persistence and sync code. We can then use the `Tldraw` component's `onMount` callback to get access to the Editor instance. We'll use the editor to create a new shape on the canvas, select it, then slowly zoom to it.

```tsx
import { Editor, Tldraw, toRichText } from 'tldraw'
import 'tldraw/tldraw.css'

export default function App() {
	const handleMount = (editor: Editor) => {
		editor.createShape({
			type: 'text',
			x: 200,
			y: 200,
			props: {
				richText: toRichText('Hello world!'),
			},
		})

		editor.selectAll()

		editor.zoomToSelection({
			animation: { duration: 5000 },
		})
	}

	return (
		<div style={{ position: 'fixed', inset: 0 }}>
			<Tldraw onMount={handleMount} />
		</div>
	)
}
```

The Editor is tldraw's main interface for controlling the canvas. Be sure to check out the [Editor](?) API documentation for more information on what you can do with it, as well as our [guide on using the editor](/docs/editor).

## Next steps

Now that you've seen how the tldraw canvas works, you can:

- Create your own [shapes](/docs/shapes) and [tools](/docs/tools)
- Customize the [user interface](/docs/user-interface)
- Learn more about the [editor](/docs/editor)
- Explore our [examples](/examples)
- Build with our [starter kits](/starter-kits)

The SDK lets you customize shapes, tools, UI, and more. In addition to our long-form docs, we have dozens of examples in our [examples section](/examples) that cover more of its functionality. You can run these locally with the tldraw [GitHub repository](https://github.com/tldraw/tldraw).

## Join our community

If you build something great, please share it with us in our [#show-and-tell](https://discord.tldraw.com/?utm_source=docs&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=sociallink) channel on Discord. Good luck!