---
title: "Gemini Quickstart!"
date: 2021-09-16T19:30:00+00:00
---

# What is Gemini?

<!-- ![Gemini 7 capsule – photo by NASA](/images/599px-Gemini_6_7.jpg) -->

Gemini is a new way of using the Internet, separate from the World Wide
Web you are familiar with. Compared to the WWW, it is intended to be:

* Simpler – Gemini pages aren't programs that run in your browser like
  most modern websites are; they're just text with a little formatting,
  so there are no surprises. Once you know how one Gemini page works,
  you know how they all work.
* Human Scale – Gemini servers and clients aren't written by big,
  monopolistic software companies the way web browsers are; the DIY
  ethos of Gemini means that complete applications can be written by
  individual developers or small groups in a reasonable amount of time.
  That also means that you have more choices compared to web browsers.
* Distraction Free – Gemini pages are text-only and have simple
  typography. You can view images, watch video, or listen to music over
  Gemini, but nothing will ever autoplay, pop over what you're
  reading, or jump out of the way of your mouse.
* Privacy Protecting – Every Gemini request is independent of every
  other, so there's no way to track you between sites. Every site you
  visit is protected by the same encryption used by banking and
  eCommerce sites on the WWW.
* Safer logins without passwords. In geminispace the common authentication
  is via something called "Client Certificates", which is to say that
  your browser will identify you to the server with credentials that
  cannot be faked.

More details are in the [Official Gemini
FAQ](https://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/faq.html). Be aware that it's
targeted at a more technical audience than this quick start page, so you
might want to skip it for now and come back later. The main thing to
know is that you're going to get a much more stripped-down experience
compared to the modern WWW, but that's okay! Some of the choices made to
keep Gemini simple may seem too extreme, compared to even a bare-bones
web site, but there are hidden benefits that won't be obvious at first.

# How do I read pages on Gemini?

The first thing to do is to install a Gemini browser. A Gemini browser is
like a web browser, except instead of browsing the web, it browses
Geminispace. There are at least a couple of Gemini browsers available for
most platforms. Here, I'm going to recommend just one, that I think will
feel most familiar or least surprising to new users. That doesn't mean I
think the other ones are bad. A lot of it is just personal preference,
just like with web browsers. After you get used to Gemini with one of the
browsers I recommend, you may want to try some others.

You may be used to doing everything in the web browser, and find it
strange or uncomfortable to have to install a different program to read
Gemini pages. But you'll get used to it; the WWW tries to be everything
to everyone, both a floor-wax *and* a toothpaste, while Gemini tries to
be good at just one thing.

## Windows

You have several options for a Gemini browser on Windows, but I'm
going to recommend that you install
[Geminaut](https://www.marmaladefoo.com/pages/geminaut), because of
its comfortable, Windows-native user interface. Download and run the
latest MSI file from the website. You will get a warning that the
installer isn't signed, which is because the developer is an
independent hobbyist. If you downloaded it directly from the link
above, it should be safe to "run anyway".

{{< flexrow >}}
{{< figure src="/images/GemiNaut-thumb.png"
           link="/images/GemiNaut.png"
           alt="A screenshot of GemiNaut on Windows 10"
           >}}
{{< /flexrow >}}

[Lagrange](https://git.skyjake.fi/skyjake/lagrange/releases) is
another good option – it has more features and is lightweight, but the
user interface isn't native like GemiNaut's. There is also a nightly
build of [Kristall](https://kristall.random-projects.net/).

## MacOS

There are several Gemini browsers that can be built for MacOS, but the
only one I know of that provides pre-built downloads for a released
version is
[Lagrange](https://git.skyjake.fi/skyjake/lagrange/releases). That's
okay, because Lagrange is a very good browser. The UI doesn't use
native controls, but it's light and fast.

{{< flexrow >}}
{{< figure src="/images/Lagrange-MacOS-1-thumb.png"
           link="/images/Lagrange-MacOS-1.png"
           alt="A screenshot of Lagrange on MacOS" >}}
{{< figure src="/images/Lagrange-MacOS-2-thumb.png"
           link="/images/Lagrange-MacOS-2.png"
           alt="Another screenshot of Lagrange on MacOS" >}}
{{< /flexrow >}}

There may also be nightly builds of
[Kristall](https://kristall.random-projects.net/), if you're so
inclined. 

## iOS

There is one Gemini browser on the app store, called
[Elaho](https://apps.apple.com/app/id1514950389). There is another one
on TestFlight called
[Rocketeer](https://testflight.apple.com/join/LAs1URxM).

{{< flexrow >}}
{{< figure src="/images/Elaho-thumb.png"
           link="/images/Elaho.png"
           alt="A screenshot of Elaho on iPhone"
           >}}
{{< /flexrow >}}

## Android

For Android, I recommend
[Ariane](https://oppen.digital/software/ariane/). The developer's site
has several different download options, but if you are at all unsure,
you should [install from Google
Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=oppen.gemini.ariane). 

[Deedum](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.snoe.deedum)
is also a good browser for Android, but its UI is not quite as simple.

{{< flexrow >}}
{{< figure src="/images/Ariane-thumb.png"
           link="/images/Ariane.png"
           alt="A screenshot of Ariane on Android 10" >}}
{{< figure src="/images/deedum-thumb.png"
           link="/images/deedum.png"
           alt="A screenshot of deedum on Android 10" >}}
{{< /flexrow >}}

## Linux or Unix (desktop GUI)

If you're able to compile programs from source, you are spoiled for
choice. Most Gemini browsers are developed for Linux. The main GUI
choices are:

  * [Lagrange](https://git.skyjake.fi/skyjake/lagrange/releases)
  * [Kristall (QT5)](https://kristall.random-projects.net/)
  * [Castor (GTK)](https://git.sr.ht/~julienxx/castor)
  
If you need a binary release, you will probably need to install
Lagrange. [Lagrange is on
FlatHub](https://flathub.org/apps/details/fi.skyjake.Lagrange), so if
your distribution supports FlatPaks, you're in luck. There is also a
nightly AppImage of Kristall, if you prefer.

{{< flexrow >}}
{{< figure src="/images/Lagrange-linux-thumb.png"
           link="/images/Lagrange-linux.png"
           alt="A screenshot of Lagrange on Linux (sway)" >}}
{{< figure src="/images/kristall-thumb.png"
           link="/images/kristall.png"
           alt="A screenshot of kristall" >}}
{{< figure src="/images/castor-thumb.png"
           link="/images/castor.png"
           alt="A screenshot of castor, with quite an odd GTK theme" >}}
{{< /flexrow >}}

## Linux or Unix (terminal or console)

The situation here is similar to Linux GUI browsers, but there are at
least two that have binary releases:

  * [Bombadillo](https://bombadillo.colorfield.space/)
  * [Amfora](https://github.com/makeworld-the-better-one/amfora)
  
If you're not sure which you want, go for Amfora; it has more familiar
keybindings than Bombadillo.

## Other

If there's no Gemini browser for your platform, but there *is* a web
browser, you can use a proxy or web-based gemini browser. Either the proxies
[portal.mozz.us](https://portal.mozz.us/),
[proxy.vulpes.one](https://proxy.vulpes.one/gemini/gemini.circumlunar.space/)
or the web-based gemini browser
[warmedal.se/~wobbly/](https://warmedal.se/~wobbly/)
should work for your needs.

You shouldn't use a proxy just because you don't want to install a
Gemini browser, though! You will miss out on the experience of *not*
using the web browser. Specifically, you will need a gemini browser to
interact with services that require a client certificate, which is how
user authentication works on gemini.

# Where do I point my Gemini browser?

By now, you should have a Gemini browser installed. If you've tried to install
one, but gotten stuck, please feel free to give me an email at 
[help@geminiquickst.art](mailto:help@gemini.quickst.art). I don't mind! You can
do this next part using one of the web portals, but it would be better if you
had a real browser installed.

First, open up your Gemini browser, and arrange it so that you can see both the
Gemini browser and the web browser you're reading this in. You should be able to
follow the rest of this tutorial *in Gemini*. In your Gemini browser, open
[gemini://geminiquickst.art/](gemini://geminiquickst.art/). You may or may not
be able to click on that link from your web browser and have it open up in your
Gemini browser, depending on a lot of nerd stuff that you don't have to care
about now. If it doesn't open up on click, copy and paste
`gemini://geminiquickst.art/` into your Gemini browser. You should get a page
that's pretty much the same as this one, though the colors and fonts may be
different. Scroll it down until you reach this point, then read the rest of your
page in your Gemini browser, rather than your web browser.

# Where do I find interesting things on Gemini?

Gemini is pretty new, so like the early web, there's not as much content as
you're used to on the modern web, and too much of it is tech stuff. But there's
a lot of other stuff there too, if you're willing to look.

## Gemlogs (like blogs)

One of the main things people have been using Gemini for is blogging. And it
makes sense, because blogs are mostly text, it's easy to find updates, and the
web has made a real mess of it, where it hasn't completely abandoned it to
social media.

Several of the browsers recommended above have built in feed-readers for
subscribing to gemlogs and staying informed about updates. If yours does, I
recommend that you take advantage of that feature as you find gemlogs you want
to read. It will be more flexible than depending on a feed aggregator hosted by
someone else, and easier than setting up your own feed aggregator.

But to find feeds to subscribe to, you're best off starting with an aggregator
someone else is running. This is a list of well-known public aggregators in
Geminispace.

* [Antenna](gemini://warmedal.se/~antenna/) is an active aggregator where authors
  push new content. This is therefore the aggregator that shows new content the
  fastest, for those gemlogs that use it to reach out.
* [Spacewalk](gemini://rawtext.club/~sloum/spacewalk.gmi) is an aggregator that
  follows every update to the pages it follows. This makes it a little less
  accurate than feed-based aggregators, but it means that it can follow pages
  that don't announce their updates or post content in log form.
* [gmisub](gemini://calcuode.com/gmisub-aggregate.gmi) aggregates over
  100 feeds using the [Gemini simple feed
  specification](gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/companion/subscription.gmi).
* [Nightfall City](gemini://nightfall.city/) is a more community-minded aggregator,
  where writers choose a 'street' to belong to and are encouraged to engage more with
  each other.
* [CAPCOM](gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/capcom/) is run by Solderpunk, the
  founder of the Gemini project. It knows over 300 Gemini feeds, but picks
  100 every month to display, regardless of their activity status. It's less
  maintained these days than the others mentioned here.


## Curated directories of interesting pages by topic

Because Geminispace is a lot smaller than the web, it's still somewhat possible
to hand-curate a list of interesting sites. You may remember how Yahoo! got its
start as a curated index of links by topic.

* [Medusae.space](gemini://medusae.space/index.gmi) is an index similar to the
  old Yahoo!. You can browse by topic, or search.
* [Gemini Discovery](gemini://discovery.geminiprotocol.com/) is a
  index of search engines and indices you can use to find things
  you're interested in.

## Searching

You can also search Gemini, just like you can search the web. However,
it's not indexed by Google or Bing or DuckDuckGo; we have our own
search engines. Or rather, search engine. There have been three search
engines built for Gemini, but only one is currently active:
[Geminispace.info](gemini://geminispace.info/).

That said, search is not as important, currently, on Gemini as it
is on the WWW. Subscriptions and cross-site links are the main ways of
finding new things.

## Social places and apps/games

Since the inception of the protocol, and despite (or maybe because of) its strict
limitations, there has been a tremendous amount of innovation in the space.

* [AstroBotany](gemini://astrobotany.mozz.us/) is a surprisingly engaging
  gardening game, in which you plant a seed and nurture it as well as helping
  your fellow gardeners with theirs.
* [Wordtunneler](gemini://gemini.thegonz.net/wt/) is a game for all word game
  fanatics. Find the best path from one word to another, using the shortest
  possible steps.
* [Cosmic Voyage](gemini://cosmic.voyage/) is a shared universe fiction project.
  All writers share a common, but very loose, theme and form the stories they
  like within it.
* [Station](gemini://station.martinrue.com/) is a centralised social network. In
  geminispace.
* [Geddit on glv.one](gemini://geddit.glv.one/), geddit is a discussion forum/link
  aggregator similar to reddit. This is one such instance.
* [Geddit on pitr.ca](gemini://geddit.pitr.ca/) is another instance of geddit.

## And more...

There are many attempts to collect awesome gemini-related stuff. This one is
perhaps the best so far:

* [Awesome Gemini](https://github.com/kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini)

If you know what IRC is and how to use it you may be interested in joining
the official gemini IRC channel (#gemini) at irc.tilde.chat.

# How do I publish/share things on Gemini?

This part is a little harder, but people are busily working on making
it easier! The first thing that you should know is that there's no
direct equivalent of the WWW's social media sites on Gemini. Gemini
doesn't have a built-in method for posting things, so most people posting
on Gemini right now are using separate tools to write their pages or
posts and to upload them to a server. And that's leaving out
registering an account on the server, which is usually done manually
by the site owner! But that situation is going to get better. Right
now, there are a few Gemini sites where the "separate tools" for
registering an account and posting pages or updates are web
applications, and it's likely that someone will make an integrated
native application.

## Gemini sites with WWW applications for posting

* [The Midnight Pub](//midnight.pub/) is a hybrid Gemini site with a
  "local pub" theme. Some people post regular gemlogs, some people
  role-play the part of patrons at the pub. It's kind of a slow-paced
  social media site. Registration requires emailing the bartender to
  ask them for a key, but don't be shy – they just want to make sure
  you're not a spammer. People can subscribe to a feed of just your
  posts, or a feed of everyone at the pub.
* [Gemlog.Blue](//gemlog.blue/) is a site that makes it easy to
  maintain a gemlog. You can register on the WWW side of the site, and
  create, edit, or delete posts through the web interface, and view
  them through Gemini. People can subscribe to a feed of your posts.
* [Flounder](//flounder.online/) is another site with a web
  application for posting. It's more general-purpose than Gemlog.Blue
  or the Midnight Pub. The registration page asks where you heard
  about Flounder, but it's really just a low-tech anti-spam
  measure. Tell them this page sent you.
* [Smolpub](//smol.pub/) is also another site with a web application
  for posting. General purpose, similar to Flounder. Created
  and maintained by the same person who runs The Midnight Pub.
  
## Gemini sites with public account signup

Shared hosting on Gemini today is pretty similar to shared hosting on
the WWW in 1999, but in general more community-oriented and
friendlier. If you think of these sites as being like GeoCities, but
without neon backgrounds and blinking "under construction" GIFs, you
won't be too far wrong.

With these sites, you will sign up, either via the web or email, and
have a space that you can access with a native graphical file transfer
application such as [FileZilla](https://filezilla-project.org/)
(Windows, MacOS, or Linux). You'll write
[Gemtext](gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/gemtext.gmi)
documents on your own computer, then copy them to your host with
Filezilla or a similar program. Some of these sites will want you to
send an SSH public key, which may sound too technical, but [Digital
Ocean](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-filezilla-to-transfer-and-manage-files-securely-on-your-vps)
has a pretty good guide to using them with FileZilla. It's focused on
their own VPS service, but most of it should apply here, too.

One warning – if you're on Windows and you're not careful with how you
install Filezilla, you *may* end up with some additional bundled
software you don't want. For Windows users, I recommend
[Winscp](https://winscp.net/eng/index.php) as an alternative.

* [pollux.casa](gemini://pollux.casa/) offers free Gemini hosting on
  subdomains (like 'yourname.pollux.casa') that are also reachable by
  http. Sign-up is by email to Adële, the host, and access to your
  files is by SFTP or FTPS. Overall, this seems like one of the most
  friendly site hosting options for newcomers.
* If you are a French speaker, you might look at [Un bon
  café](gemini://unbon.cafe), a French Gemini hosting service that
  aims to be simple and use SFTP for uploading content. They also
  offer an email hosting service. The service is free.
* [koyu.space](gemini://koyu.space/info.gmi) offers free
  hosting. Unlike some of the others, your site gets automatically
  updated from a git repository you maintain, so this one is probably
  not best for non-technical people, unless you have a hankering to
  learn git.
* [SourceHut Pages](gemini://srht.site/) offers free Gemini
  hosting. Their setup is *probably* more complex than non-technical
  users will want to engage with, but it's free, and it's somewhat
  less involved than running your own Gemini server.
* [Jae's Gemini pod](gemini://g.jae.moe/free.gmi) offers free hosting,
  on a subdomain or your own domain. You'll need to send the owner a
  SSH public key, a name for your website, and the domain name or
  subdomain you want to use.
* [Main Street in Nightfall
  City](gemini://main-street.nightfall.city/real-estate/) offers
  Gemini, Gopher, and WWW hosting at the center of downtown Nightfall
  City, home of the Midnight Pub. The hosting here is a little more
  hands-on, but more flexible. You'll need an account name and SSH
  public key. The online help focuses on terminal tools, but you
  should be able to use FileZilla or similar to upload your pages.
* [si3t.ch](gemini://gmi.si3t.ch/) offers free shared hosting. Your
  capsule will have its own subdirectory. Instructions are on the
  site. 

## Pubnixes and Tildes

A pubnix is a PUBlic uNIX server, a kind of shared computer for use by
members of a community. They're usually used by logging in to a
terminal interface using an SSH (secure shell) client. That's actually
a very good way to dip your toes into the more technical side of
Gemini (and Gopher, and WWW) hosting, but it's understandable if it's
not for you. Many pubnixes offer Gemini hosting to their members.

These are a few pubnixes with Gemini hosting:

* [The Mare Crisium Soviet Socialist
  Regency](gemini://soviet.circumlunar.space)
* [The Mare Tranquillitatis People's Circumlunar
  Zaibatsu](gemini://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space)
* [The Mare Serenitatis Circumlunar Corporate Republic](gemini://republic.circumlunar.space)
* [Ctrl-C Club](gemini://gemini.ctrl-c.club)
* [envs.net](gemini://envs.net)
* [heathens.club](gemini://heathens.club)
* [Park City](gemini://park-city.club)
* [rawnix.org](gemini://rawnix.org)
* [RawTextClub](gemini://rawtext.club)
* [SDF Public Access UNIX System](gemini://sdf.org)
* [tilde.pink](gemini://tilde.pink)

More can also be found here:

* [Tildeverse](//tildeverse.org).

## Self-hosting guides (here be monsters)

It's not hard, *as these things go* to set up a Gemini server on a VPS
(Virtual Private Server), a collocated server, or a Raspberry Pi in a
shoebox under the bookshelf your router sits on. However "as these
things go" covers a lot of evils. You'll generally need to be familiar
with the Unix or Linux command-line, installing software from a
distribution repository, and with compiling software from source.

I do not *yet* have any How-To documents collected for self-hosting a
Gemini server. Please let me know if you find or write one!

# Conclusion

That's it! Hopefully by this point you have found some things you want
to read on Gemini, ideally things you've subscribed to that will
keep you coming back. And if things have gone really well, you'll have
established a foothold of your on in Geminispace, and I'll be reading
something you've shared in not too long.

If any of the steps in this document were unclear or you need help for
another reason, please feel free to email
[help@geminiquickst.art](mailto:help@geminiquickst.art). 

If you see something that's missing (like a hosting site you want to
recommend), or something wrong, please mail
[info@geminiquickst.art](mailto:info@geminiquickst.art). 

Thank you for reading! See you out there!
