# Get started

## 1. Get a license

**blocks.md** is licensed under [BUSL-1.1](https://spdx.org/licenses/BUSL-1.1.html), which means that it is free to use as long as it is on local. Once you're ready to use the software in production, you'll first need to get a license from [our website](https://blocks.md/#pricing). 

There are three types of licenses available depending on what you need:

1. **Standard license**: one website/end-product
2. **Multisite license**: unlimited websites/end-products
3. **Enterprise license**: for integration into products

Once you've purchased a license (or you're on local), you can proceed to the next step.

## 2. Install via `npm`

```
npm install blocksmd
```

## 3. Convert Markdown files to forms and pages

Once you've installed **blocks.md**, put all of your Markdown files in a `src` directory. You can also have your images and media files in `src/static` (that is, within the input directory), and this directory will be copied for you. Once you're ready, run the following command in your CLI:

```
blocksmd
```

By default, this command will look for a directory called `src` and place the resulting output in a new `site` directory. It will also create the necessary CSS and JS files in a new `site/blocksmd` directory (that is, within the output directory) and copy the static files. However, you can specify the input and output directories, and also set the name of the static directory using the following options:

```
Options:
      --help             Show help                                     [boolean]
      --version          Show version number                           [boolean]
  -i, --input            Input directory    [string] [required] [default: "src"]
  -o, --output           Output directory  [string] [required] [default: "site"]
  -s, --static-dir-name  Static directory name (for images, media files, etc.)
                                         [string] [required] [default: "static"]
```

So for example, if you wanted to convert the Markdown files in the `cms/pages` directory and place the output in `website`, you would run the following:

```
blocksmd -i cms/pages -o website
```

The output folder is a static site with regular HTML files, and you can host them on Github Pages, Netlify, Vercel, etc. For example, you can literally drag and drop an output folder created using **blocks.md** to [Netlify Drop](https://app.netlify.com/drop), and your forms and pages will all work properly.

## Watch video

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1pLqxCd1LM>" %}
blocks.md - Get started
{% endembed %}

## Next steps

You can find a more in-depth usage guide here:

{% content-ref url="how-to-use" %}
[how-to-use](https://blocksmd.gitbook.io/docs/how-to-use)
{% endcontent-ref %}