Confluence 101

Thank you for choosing Confluence. To help you get up and running quickly, we've compiled some easy instructions for configuring and using Confluence.

(info) Are you using Confluence Hosted? If so, please visit our Confluence Hosted documentation instead.

Getting Started

1. Installing Confluence

First things first. If you haven't already got Confluence up and running, carry out the following steps:

You may want to watch the video showing how to do this.

  1. Go to the Atlassian Download Center.
  2. Click 'Show all' and download the Confluence Standalone Windows Installer (.EXE) file.
    (info) If you are upgrading Confluence, please download the ZIP archive instead of the Standalone Installer.
  3. Install Java and set JAVA_HOME.
  4. Run the Windows Installer .EXE file, choose an installation directory, a home directory, and a port ('8080' will do). We recommend that you choose to 'Run Confluence as a service'.
  5. Confluence will start automatically when the Installer finishes, if you selected the option to launch Confluence at the end of the Installer.
  6. To access Confluence, go to your web browser and type this address: http://localhost:8080. Windows 'Start' menu shortcuts will also be added which you can also use to start and stop Confluence.
  7. Follow the Setup Wizard. This will guide you through the process of setting up your Confluence server and creating an Admin user.

For more help on the technical procedures in this section, see the Confluence Installation Guide.

If you need assistance, please create a support ticket.

(warning) Before using Confluence as a production system, you need to switch from the default HSQL database, which is provided for evaluation purposes only. Please see the documentation for details.

You may want to watch the video showing how to do this.

Download the Confluence Standalone for Mac (TAR.GZ) file from the Atlassian Download Center, and follow the installation instructions. The Setup Wizard will guide you through the process of setting up your Confluence server and creating an Admin user.

If you need assistance, please create a support ticket.

(warning) Before using Confluence as a production system, you need to switch from the default HSQL database, which is provided for evaluation purposes only. Please see the documentation for details.

Download the Confluence Standalone for Linux (TAR.GZ) file from the Atlassian Download Center, and follow the installation instructions. The Setup Wizard will guide you through the process of setting up your Confluence server and creating an Admin user.

If you need assistance, please create a support ticket.

(warning) Before using Confluence as a production system, you need to switch from the default HSQL database, which is provided for evaluation purposes only. Please see the documentation for details.

2. Importing Existing Content

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3. Adding Users

Confluence was designed to improve team communication, so you will want to configure it such that your colleagues can participate on it:

  1. Create users — add user accounts for the people who will create most of the pages and blog posts in your Confluence site.
    • Your users will be automatically added to the 'confluence-users' group. For more about groups, please see the documentation.
  2. (Optional) Enable 'anonymous' mode — allow non-logged-in users to access your Confluence site. Note that they will only be able to view content where the space permissions allow 'Anonymous' access.

4. Configuring Mail

Confluence can send notifications based on user preferences, such as watching the contributions to a particular space or page. To take advantage of this feature, you will first need to tell Confluence about your SMTP server.

Mastering the Basics

5. Creating Spaces, Pages and Blog Posts

Your new Confluence site contains a 'Demonstration' space, which contains a Tutorial. This will guide you through the basics of using the Dashboard, creating a space, adding pages and publishing blog posts ('news items').

(info) Your users will need to access Confluence at http://<Confluence machine name>:8080 (not

[http://localhost:8080]

).

6. Searching Confluence

7. Subscribing to Updates

Customising Confluence

(Note that you need to be an Administrator to do the tasks in this section.)

By replacing the default Confluence logo with your organisation's logo, your Confluence site will immediately appear more familiar to visitors.

Please see the following documentation:

9. Changing Confluence's Colours

By replacing the default Confluence colours with your organisation's standard colours, your Confluence site will immediately appear more familiar to visitors.

Please see the following documentation:

10. Choosing a Different 'Theme'

Depending on what you are using Confluence for, you may want to alter the 'theme' (i.e. screen layout) for an individual space or for the entire site. For example, for a space that contains documentation, you may prefer a theme that displays a table of contents on the left and allows you to configure a page header and footer.

Please see the following documentation:

11. Using a Page Template

A page template is a form that is displayed when a user creates a page, so that the user can enter content in particular fields. A page template can be made available to your entire Confluence site or just to a particular space, e.g. a Human Resources space might have a template called 'Leave Request', or an IT space might have a template called 'Asset Configuration'.

Please see the following documentation:

12. Installing Plugins

There are hundreds of new features and customisations available for Confluence as plugins. For example, many additions to Confluence's macros are available as plugins. Or, if you want to populate Confluence with content created elsewhere, take a look at the WebDAV plugin and the Universal Wiki Converter.

Confluence comes with a number of bundled plugins. You can install others in one click via the plugin repository. Take a look at our most popular plugins.

(info) Universal Plugin Manager:

  • If you are using Confluence Hosted, you can now install plugins using the Universal Plugin Manager, which is bundled with new Confluence Hosted sites from August 27th, 2010.
  • If you started using Confluence Hosted before August 27th 2010, or if you are using Confluence Standalone, you can install the Universal Plugin Manager by following these instructions: Installing the Universal Plugin Manager.

Important Next Steps

(Note that you need to be an Administrator to do the tasks in this section.)

13. Connecting to an External Database

Before using Confluence as a production system, you need to switch from the default HSQL database, which is provided for evaluation purposes only. Please see the documentation for details.

14. Backing up Data

To back up your Confluence data, and establish processes for regular backups, please see the documentation.

Thank you for using Confluence.

We're always happy to help. Feel free to contact us with any questions you have.

Except where otherwise noted, content in this space is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License.