What should I build first?

You've got a server — or you're about to make one — and a blank slate. The fastest way to learn Falix is to build one real thing all the way through. This guide is a chooser: pick what sounds fun, and it points you straight at the guide that takes you there, with an honest note on how much time and code each path asks for.

Start with what sounds fun

There's no wrong first project. Pick the row that makes you want to open a new tab:

A Minecraft server — the no-code win

If you just want to see something work, this is it. You don't write a line of code: you create the server, pick your software, and share a name your friends type to join. It's the most forgiving first project because the whole thing is clicks in the panel.

Good to know before you start: on the free plan a Minecraft server stops itself a little while after the last player leaves, and you start it again when you want to play. That's normal, not a bug — the free-plan gaming guide explains the rhythm.

A Discord bot — your first real code

A bot is the classic "I made this" project. You'll deploy a working /ping bot from a template, paste in a token, and watch it answer in your server — then read the code and add a command of your own. It asks for a little JavaScript, but the starter guide hands you working code first and explains every line after, so you're never staring at a blank file.

💡 Tip: You'll need a bot token from Discord first — the your first Discord bot guide walks through getting one before you write any code.

A static website — online in ten minutes

Have some HTML, CSS, and images? A portfolio, a landing page, a game-jam entry? A static site is the shortest path from files to a public URL. No backend, no database — a real web server just serves your files. Deploy the template, drop your files in, done. The static website guide is the whole story.

A URL shortener — build something that thinks

When you're ready for a project with moving parts — takes input, stores it, hands something back — the URL shortener is the sweet spot. It's a complete little app in three files: Express receives a long link, saves it in a database, and returns a short code that redirects. It's marked intermediate because you'll touch a few concepts at once (a web framework, a database, routes), but the guide builds it up piece by piece and you end with something genuinely useful.

Still can't decide?

An honest rule of thumb:

• Never hosted anything before? Do the Minecraft server or the static site first. Both give you a win in minutes with nothing to debug, and that confidence carries into the harder projects.
• Want to learn to code on a server? Start with the Discord bot — small, fun, and the feedback loop (edit, restart, test) is instant.
• Already comfortable with JavaScript? Jump to the URL shortener and skip the training wheels.

🎯 Good to know: Your server isn't locked to one choice. You can switch a server to a different application later (it reinstalls and wipes files first, with a warning), or run a second project in its own instance. Picking wrong today costs you nothing.

The two things every path shares

Whatever you build, two ideas from the basics make everything else click:

• How app hosting works — the one-page mental model of a Falix server.
• Keeping your app online — free plans run on a session timer; here's how uptime actually works.

Read one guide, build one thing, and you'll know more about Falix than any amount of clicking around.

Next steps

• Create your first app server
• How app hosting works
• One-click templates