---
url: https://radioactive-labs.github.io/plutonium-core/getting-started/tutorial.md
---
# Tutorial: Building a Blog

In this tutorial, you'll build a complete blog application with Plutonium. You'll learn:

* How to structure a Plutonium application
* Creating resources with models, definitions, and policies
* Setting up authentication with Rodauth
* Implementing authorization rules
* Adding custom actions with Interactions
* Customizing the UI

## What We'll Build

A blog application with:

* **Posts** - Articles with title, body, and publication status
* **Comments** - Nested under posts
* **Users** - Authors who can manage their own posts
* **Admin Portal** - Full access for administrators
* **Author Portal** - Limited access for content authors

## Prerequisites

* Ruby 3.2+
* Rails 7.2+ (Rails 8 recommended)
* Node.js 18+
* PostgreSQL (or SQLite for development)

## Time Required

This tutorial takes approximately 45-60 minutes to complete.

## Chapters

### [1. Project Setup](./01-setup)

Create a new Plutonium application and understand the project structure.

### [2. Creating Your First Resource](./02-first-resource)

Generate the Post resource with model, definition, policy, and controller.

### [3. Setting Up Authentication](./03-authentication)

Configure Rodauth for user authentication with multiple account types.

### [4. Implementing Authorization](./04-authorization)

Add policies to control who can view, create, edit, and delete posts.

### [5. Adding Custom Actions](./05-custom-actions)

Create a "Publish" action using Interactions for business logic.

### [6. Nested Resources](./06-nested-resources)

Add Comments as a nested resource under Posts.

### [7. Creating an Author Portal](./07-author-portal)

Create a second portal with different access levels for content authors.

### [8. Customizing the UI](./08-customizing-ui)

Customize forms, tables, and views to match your requirements.

## Getting help

If you get stuck:

* Check the [Guides](/guides/) for task-oriented walkthroughs.
* Browse the [Reference](/reference/) for full API surface — [App](/reference/app/), [Resource](/reference/resource/), [Behavior](/reference/behavior/), [UI](/reference/ui/), [Auth](/reference/auth/), [Tenancy](/reference/tenancy/), [Testing](/reference/testing/).
* Visit [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/radioactive-labs/plutonium-core/issues).

[Begin Chapter 1: Project Setup →](./01-setup)