[Developer]

Getting Started with Joomla!

Joomla makes creating and maintaining Web sites easy for everyone, from total beginners setting up their first site to IT professionals managing enterprise installations.
Get the Basic Details

If you have never used Joomla before, you might want to read What is Joomla? first.
Test Out the Online Demo

You can really test out Joomla using our online demo at demo.joomla.org. Don't worry, you can't break it! You'll quickly discover how easy it is to create and manage content as well as learn your way around the Joomla administrator interface. If you are evaluating Joomla for use on a project, you may want to review the materials for evaluators on the Joomla Documentation Wiki.
Get Ready to Install

Getting started on your Joomla Web site is easy to do. Many hosting services offer a simple one-click installation, but if you'd rather be more hands-on, have more control or are your own host, all you need is a Web server with PHP and MySQL. Then download a copy of Joomla. Most commercial hosts provide these as part of their basic package of services. The Joomla Installation Manual (Download PDF) takes you through the process step by step, The Joomla Quick Start Guide (Download PDF) should get you running quickly, and the accompanying video is a nice resource.
Find Documentation and Help

Documentation for Joomla is available on the Joomla Documentation Wiki at docs.joomla.org. Choosing a user type will help you find the appropriate resources on the wiki. The wiki page The Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla contains lots of information, advice, and links for first time users. If you have more questions, visit the Joomla forums.
What to Do Next

If you're looking to get started in Joomla development, developer.joomla.org is the best place for you to start. There you'll find tons of information on Joomla, the APIs and much more.
If you're a designer and want to learn more about creating Joomla templates, the Joomla Template Tutorial shows how easy it is to design in Joomla and even convert an existing Web site to Joomla.