> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/nats-io/nats-server/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# NATS Server Documentation

> High-performance messaging server for cloud and edge native distributed systems

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      <h1 className="text-4xl sm:text-5xl lg:text-6xl font-bold text-white mb-6">
        NATS Server Documentation
      </h1>

      <p className="text-lg sm:text-xl text-white/90 max-w-3xl mx-auto mb-8">
        Build fast, scalable, and resilient distributed systems with the high-performance messaging server trusted by cloud and edge applications worldwide.
      </p>

      <div className="flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-center justify-center gap-4 flex-wrap">
        <a href="/quickstart" className="inline-flex items-center px-8 py-3.5 rounded-lg bg-white text-[#3ab1e3] font-semibold hover:bg-gray-100 transition-colors no-underline">
          Get Started
        </a>

        <a href="/architecture/overview" className="inline-flex items-center px-8 py-3.5 rounded-lg border-2 border-white/30 bg-white/10 backdrop-blur-sm text-white font-semibold hover:bg-white/20 transition-colors no-underline">
          Explore Architecture
        </a>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<div className="mt-16 mb-16 max-w-5xl mx-auto px-6">
  <h2 className="text-3xl font-bold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-3">Quick Start</h2>
  <p className="text-base text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400 mb-8">Get NATS Server up and running in minutes</p>

  <Steps>
    <Step title="Download and install">
      Install NATS Server using Docker, or download the binary for your platform.

      ```bash Docker theme={null}
      docker pull nats:latest
      docker run -p 4222:4222 -p 8222:8222 nats:latest
      ```

      See the [installation guide](/installation) for other installation methods.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Start the server">
      Launch NATS Server with default settings or provide a configuration file.

      ```bash theme={null}
      nats-server
      ```

      <Note>The server listens on port 4222 for client connections and 8222 for monitoring by default.</Note>
    </Step>

    <Step title="Verify it's running">
      Check server status using the monitoring endpoint.

      ```bash theme={null}
      curl http://localhost:8222/varz
      ```

      You'll see a JSON response with server information including version, connections, and resource usage.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Connect a client">
      Use any of the [40+ NATS client libraries](https://nats.io/download/) to connect and start messaging.

      ```go Go theme={null}
      nc, _ := nats.Connect(nats.DefaultURL)
      nc.Publish("hello", []byte("world"))
      ```

      Ready to explore more? Check out the [quickstart guide](/quickstart) for a complete tutorial.
    </Step>
  </Steps>
</div>

<div className="mt-16 mb-16 max-w-5xl mx-auto px-6">
  <h2 className="text-3xl font-bold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-3">Explore by topic</h2>
  <p className="text-base text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400 mb-8">Deep dive into NATS Server capabilities</p>

  <CardGroup cols={2}>
    <Card title="Deployment" icon="rocket" href="/deployment/docker">
      Deploy NATS Server with Docker, Kubernetes, or as a standalone binary
    </Card>

    <Card title="Architecture" icon="diagram-project" href="/architecture/overview">
      Understand clustering, gateways, accounts, and multi-tenancy
    </Card>

    <Card title="JetStream" icon="layer-group" href="/features/jetstream">
      Enable persistence, streaming, and exactly-once delivery semantics
    </Card>

    <Card title="MQTT Support" icon="wifi" href="/features/mqtt">
      Connect MQTT 3.1.1 and 5.0 devices to your NATS infrastructure
    </Card>

    <Card title="Security" icon="shield-halved" href="/operations/security">
      Secure your deployment with TLS, NKeys, JWT, and authorization
    </Card>

    <Card title="Monitoring" icon="chart-line" href="/features/monitoring">
      Monitor server health, performance, and observe message flows
    </Card>
  </CardGroup>
</div>

<div className="mt-16 mb-16 max-w-5xl mx-auto px-6">
  <h2 className="text-3xl font-bold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-3">Key features</h2>
  <p className="text-base text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400 mb-8">What makes NATS Server powerful</p>

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        <div>
          <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-2">High Performance</h3>

          <p className="text-sm text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">
            Built in Go for exceptional throughput and low latency, handling millions of messages per second
          </p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

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          </svg>
        </div>

        <div>
          <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-2">JetStream Persistence</h3>

          <p className="text-sm text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">
            Stream storage, replay, and exactly-once delivery with built-in clustering and replication
          </p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

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        <div>
          <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-2">Decentralized Security</h3>

          <p className="text-sm text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">
            Zero-trust architecture with NKeys, JWT-based authentication, and multi-tenancy via accounts
          </p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>

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        <div>
          <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-2">Global Distribution</h3>

          <p className="text-sm text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400">
            Build super-clusters spanning multiple regions with gateway connections for global reach
          </p>
        </div>
      </div>
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</div>

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  <h2 className="text-3xl font-bold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-3">Community and support</h2>
  <p className="text-base text-gray-600 dark:text-gray-400 mb-8">Get help and connect with the NATS community</p>

  <CardGroup cols={3}>
    <Card title="Slack Community" icon="slack" href="https://slack.nats.io">
      Join the active NATS community on Slack for questions and discussions
    </Card>

    <Card title="GitHub" icon="github" href="https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server">
      Report issues, contribute code, and track development progress
    </Card>

    <Card title="Google Groups" icon="comments" href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/natsio">
      Ask questions and engage with community members on Google Groups
    </Card>
  </CardGroup>
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    <h2 className="text-3xl font-bold text-white mb-4">Ready to get started?</h2>

    <p className="text-lg text-white/90 max-w-2xl mx-auto mb-8">
      Deploy NATS Server in minutes and start building fast, resilient distributed systems
    </p>

    <a href="/quickstart" className="inline-flex items-center px-8 py-3.5 rounded-lg bg-white text-[#3ab1e3] font-semibold hover:bg-gray-100 transition-colors no-underline">
      Start Building Now
    </a>
  </div>
</div>