---
title: Getting Started
type: guide
summary: Install and run Distats Panel in under a minute using the CLI.
related:
  - /docs/user-management
  - /docs/cli-reference
---

# Getting Started



What is Distats Panel? [#what-is-distats-panel]

**Distats Panel** is a self-hosted web dashboard for managing your Discord bot. It connects directly to your bot token to give you real-time insights into your bot's servers, users, and performance — all wrapped in a sleek, dark-themed interface.

No cloud databases. No subscriptions. Just install and run.

Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

* **Node.js** 18 or higher
* **npm** (comes with Node.js)
* An empty directory where the panel will be installed
* A Discord bot token from the [Discord Developer Portal](https://discord.com/developers/applications)

Quick Start [#quick-start]

Installing Distats Panel takes less than a minute using the CLI. You do **not** need to clone any repository manually.

Step 1 — Initialize the panel [#step-1--initialize-the-panel]

Open a terminal inside an **empty directory** and run:

```bash
npx distats-cli@latest init
```

This command will:

* Clone the Distats Panel repository into your current directory
* Install all npm dependencies automatically
* Build the Next.js application
* Generate a `@distats_panel/config.json` file with your settings

Step 2 — Create an admin user [#step-2--create-an-admin-user]

Once the panel is initialized, create your first administrator account:

```bash
npx distats-cli@latest create-user
```

You'll be prompted to enter a **username** and **password**. Credentials are stored locally in a SQLite database using industry-standard `scrypt` password hashing — no remote database required.

Step 3 — Start the panel [#step-3--start-the-panel]

```bash
npm start
```

Then open your browser at [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) and log in with the credentials you just created.

***

What you get out of the box [#what-you-get-out-of-the-box]

After setup, your panel includes:

* **Overview page** — real-time bot stats (servers, members, latency, avatar)
* **Servers page** — paginated, searchable, sortable list of all servers your bot is in, with an Insights slide-over panel per server
* **Users page** — browse users that interact with your bot
* **Admin page** — manage panel administrator accounts

<Callout emoji="🔒">
  The entire `/dashboard` route tree is protected by Next.js middleware. Any
  request without a valid JWT session is automatically redirected to the login
  page.
</Callout>