The PortIgniter LMS docs are live
PortIgniter LMS launches tomorrow, and I didn’t want anyone to unbox it and then go hunting for answers. So today I published the complete PortIgniter LMS documentation here on the support site, right next to the Reef docs. It covers everything from the first docker compose up to restoring a backup, with real screenshots from a running site on almost every page.
Start to finish, in the order you’ll need it
The docs follow the path most people take with a new LMS:
- Getting Started walks through the
.envfile, the first start, and signing in as the administrator, plus how to put the stack behind HTTPS. - How PortIgniter LMS Works explains the containers, where your data lives, and why your courses are plain files with a database index.
- Building Courses and Lessons & Media cover the builder, every block type, and hands-on labs with the Steps block.
- Quizzes and Assignments & Reviews cover all ten question types, question banks, timed exams, hand-ins, and the review queue.
- Enrollment & Access and Selling Courses cover invitations, Stripe setup, memberships, and scheduled sales.
- Certificates and Reports & Analytics cover verifiable certificates, course reports, learner progress, and per-question quiz analytics.
- Users & Sign-In and Site Settings cover roles, two-step sign-in, branding, and email.
- Backups & Upgrades, Management Commands, and Troubleshooting cover running it day to day, and what to check when something looks off.
Write courses outside the builder
One of my favorite things about PortIgniter LMS is that every course is a folder of JSON and Markdown files. The new Course Files section is the reference for that format: course.json, lesson files, quiz and question bank files, and assignment files. If you’d rather write your courses in your editor, keep them in Git, or have an AI assistant draft one for you, this is the section to bookmark. Run php spark courses:check to validate a course before you import it.
Click any screenshot to enlarge it
The screenshots are full-size captures from a real site, and many show more detail than fits in the page. Click any image in the LMS or Reef documentation to open it full screen, and use the arrow keys to step through every image on the page.
Reminder: launch day is tomorrow
PortIgniter LMS launches tomorrow, November 1, 2026. $100 gets you the full source code and a year of updates, under the MIT license, so your copy is yours to keep, change, and run on as many sites as you like.
Get PortIgniter LMS for $100, then open Getting Started and have your first course published before lunch.