---
question: How do I start the stack after creating a project?
kind: overview
---

# Installation

ABI is an operating system for agents, not for your machine. It runs as ordinary processes on top of macOS or Linux: directly with `abi dev up`, or in Linux containers with the Docker stack, which is how it runs on a server. It gives agents what an OS gives programs (memory in the knowledge graph, messaging, scheduling, packages as modules), and leaves hardware, users, and networking to the host. See [Why an operating system](/architecture/agent-system#why-an-operating-system).

Installation is how this project goes from the directory `abi new project` wrote to a running stack. Nexus has no separate Installation screen.

`abi new project` installs the packages and validates `config.yaml`. Start that project with `abi dev up` (no Docker) or with the Docker stack (`abi stack start`, or `abi deploy local`). The procedure is the [Quickstart](/user-guide/get-started/quickstart). What the machine needs first is [Install and prerequisites](/user-guide/get-started/install). Where the same project can run is [Choose your path](/user-guide/get-started/choose-your-path).

The generated config seeds an organization when that stack boots. That organization is the next page.