Beginner’s Guide: Step-by-Step Local Installation for Sitecore XM Cloud

Many times, we want to accomplish a task but aren’t sure where to start—the same applies to Sitecore XM Cloud local setup and installation. In this guide, I’ll Walk you through the process of setting up a Sitecore XM Cloud environment locally, step by step.

Sitecore XM Cloud is the cloud-native, headless version of Sitecore Experience Manager (XM), designed for modern, omnichannel digital experiences. It separates content management (authoring) from content delivery, enabling fast, API-driven, and scalable architectures. Developers can deliver content to web, mobile, and other channels via GraphQL APIs and Experience Edge, while content authors manage items in a cloud-first environment.

Even though XM Cloud is cloud-first, a local environment is essential for:

  • Experimenting safely with content, templates, and workflows.
  • Testing headless frontends like Angular, React, or Next.js.
  • Debugging GraphQL queries and APIs efficiently.
  • Validating scheduled tasks, content previews, and personalization before deployment.

Prerequisites for Local Installation

Before starting, ensure the following are installed and configured on your local machine:

  1. .Net SDK 6.0 and runtime

(https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/thank-you/sdk-6.0.404-windows-x64-installer)

  1. .NET Framework 4.8 SDK

(https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet-framework/net48)

  1. Node LTS (v18.13.0)

(https://nodejs.org/en/)

  1. Valid Sitecore license.xml
  2. Administrator access to PowerShell (v5.1)
  3. Docker Desktop v4.11.1

(https://docs.docker.com/desktop/setup/install/windows-install/)

  1. Hyper-V enabled (via 'Turn Windows features on or off')
  2. Access to Sitecore Cloud account https://portal.sitecorecloud.io.
  3. Ensure that IIS and any running Solr services are stopped before starting with setup and installation

Step-by-Step Local installation guide

1. Clone the Sitecore XM Cloud Repository

Repository: https://github.com/sitecorelabs/xmcloud-foundation-head

Open Visual Studio → Clone a repository → provide the Repository Location URL and a path to clone (e.g., C:\xmcloud) → Clone.

2. Initialize the Local Project:

Open PowerShell as administrator and navigate to the scripts folder

cd C:\xmcloud\local-containers\scripts

 A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

 Run the initialization script

 .\init.ps1 -InitEnv -LicenseXmlPath "C:\licensefile\license.xml" -AdminPassword "YourAdminPassword"

 Replace paths and password as needed.

 A computer screen with text on it AI-generated content may be incorrect.

A screenshot of a computer program AI-generated content may be incorrect.

After completion, you’ll be prompted to set the NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS environment variable. Copy the command provided and run it. After success, restart your terminal and navigate back to the cloned repository directory.

3. Download Required Docker Images

Run the following command to download the images required for the XM Cloud

.\up.ps1

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This process takes some time.

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A black screen with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.

During the end of the process, a browser window will be opened asking for device confirmation.

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Confirm to proceed further and you will see below screen

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4. Start the Environment:

Once images are downloaded and confirmed, preconfigured processes like indexing and restoring items will run automatically.

After completion, your local Sitecore XM Cloud environment will open in the browser.

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At this point, we have successfully installed XM Cloud on our local environment using Docker Container.

A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

A screenshot of a computer AI-generated content may be incorrect.

This setup allows developers to mirror cloud functionality locally, providing a safe and efficient environment for development, testing, and experimentation.

Initially, the Content Editor may appear empty. The Headless Tenant and Headless Site are not yet configured. You can create these locally or synchronize with your cloud environment to ensure correct rendering host values. We will setup and configure that in next blogs.

Hope this helps!

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