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Tutorials

This page introduces Bellamy Book, the self-hosted social network platform, and guides you through the first thing you’ll do: create a post. Follow the steps below to get oriented and try the app yourself.

What is Bellamy Book?​

Bellamy Book is a self-hosted social network platform with posts, feed, comments, reactions, messaging, stories, friends, and more. In these tutorials you will:

  1. Get the app running (or use an existing instance).
  2. Create your first post — in the UI or via the API.
  3. Explore other basics (friends, reactions, etc.).

Step 1: Get the app running​

Before you can create a post, the app must be running.

When you’re done, you should have the frontend at http://localhost:3000 (and the API at http://localhost:5000 if you’re using the API).

Step 2: Create your first post​

You can create a post in two ways: in the app (UI) or via the API. Pick the path that fits you.

Option A: Create a post in the app (UI)​

  1. Open the frontend: http://localhost:3000.
  2. Sign up or log in.
  3. On the home feed, find the “What’s on your mind?” box at the top.
  4. Type your message (e.g. “Hello, this is my first post!”).
  5. Optionally add a photo or video.
  6. Click Post.

Your post will appear in your feed. You’ve just completed the main “create post” flow in the app.

Option B: Create a post via the API​

If you prefer to use the API (e.g. from code or Postman):

  1. Log in to get a token:
    • POST to /api/Authentication/login with email and password.
    • Use the returned token in the Authorization: Bearer <token> header for the next steps.
  2. Create a post:
    • POST to /api/Post/users/{userId} with:
      • caption (text of the post)
      • visibility (e.g. Public, Friends, only_me)
      • Optional: mediaFiles for images/videos (multipart/form-data).

Full code examples, privacy options, and feed retrieval are in Create First Post (API). Follow that tutorial for a complete copy-paste example.

Step 3: What to do next​

After creating your first post, try these:

GoalWhat to do
Add friends and manage your networkManage Friends
React to posts (like, love, etc.)React to a post
Comment on postsComment on a post
Use the API in more depthAPI Reference

More how-to guides​

Step-by-step guides for common tasks (in the app and via API):

TaskGuide
Save the website as an app (PWA) and get push notificationsSave web as app
Create a story (24h)Create a story
Change avatar & cover (wallpaper)Change avatar and cover
Submit a support ticketSubmit support ticket
Add a friendManage Friends
Send a messageSend a message
Create a group chatCreate group chat
Search (users, posts, blogs, hashtags)Search
Close (delete) your accountClose account
Comment on a postComment on a post
React to a post (like, love, etc.)React to a post
Share a postShare a post

All tutorials (reference)​

Basic tutorials​

Advanced tutorials​

Prerequisites (for API / dev tutorials)​

  • Bellamy Book installed and running (see Step 1).
  • For API tutorials: a user account and auth token.
  • For dev tutorials: basic knowledge of REST APIs; JavaScript/TypeScript (frontend) or C# (backend) as needed.

Need help?​

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