(Legacy) Quick start
⚠️ We changed installation methods and this legacy guide is kept for users’ convenience. If you are looking for current CKEditor 5 installation instructions, please refer to the newest version of the CKEditor 5 Quick Start guide.
# Introduction
In this guide, you will find the quickest and easiest way to run ready-to-use CKEditor 5 with minimal effort – by running the editor from CDN.
# Running a simple editor
Creating an editor using a CKEditor 5 build is simple and can be described in two steps:
- Load the desired editor via the
<script>tag. - Call the static
create()method to create the editor.
Let us run a classic editor build as an example. In your HTML page add an element that will serve as a placeholder for a CKEditor instance:
<div id="editor"></div>
Load the classic editor build (here a CDN location is used).
<script src="https://cdn.ckeditor.com/ckeditor5/41.4.2/classic/ckeditor.js"></script>
Call the ClassicEditor.create() method to display the editor.
<script>
ClassicEditor
.create( document.querySelector( '#editor' ) )
.catch( error => {
console.error( error );
} );
</script>
# Sample implementation
A full web page with embedded CKEditor 5 from this example would look like this:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>CKEditor 5 – Classic editor</title>
<script src="https://cdn.ckeditor.com/ckeditor5/41.4.2/classic/ckeditor.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Classic editor</h1>
<div id="editor">
<p>This is some sample content.</p>
</div>
<script>
ClassicEditor
.create( document.querySelector( '#editor' ) )
.catch( error => {
console.error( error );
} );
</script>
</body>
</html>
This kind of installation will only provide features available in the build used.
You can learn more about other available predefined editor builds in the dedicated builds guide.
# Running a full-featured editor from CDN
The fastest way to run an advanced editor using the rich editing features offered by CKEditor 5 is using a superbuild. The superbuild, available instantly from CDN, is a pre-configured package that offers access to almost all available plugins and all predefined editor types.
The superbuild contains a lot of code. A good portion of that code may not be needed in your implementation. Using the superbuild should be considered for evaluation purposes and tests rather than for the production environment.
We strongly advise using the Online builder approach or building the editor from source to create customized and efficient production-environment solutions. You can also try out the predefined builds tailored for specific needs.
# Using the CKEditor 5 superbuild
In the superbuild, all editor classes are stored under the CKEDITOR object. Apart from that exception, the editor initialization is no different than the one described in the available builds documentation.
Because the superbuild contains a lot of plugins, you may need to remove the plugins you do not need with the removePlugins configuration option and adjust the toolbar configuration. There are also some plugins that require a license to run. You can learn more about obtaining and activating license keys in the License key and activation guide. Observe the configuration below to see this implemented.
# Sample implementation
In this example, you remove the premium collaboration features and several other plugins that require credentials to work. You need to do this, otherwise, the editor will throw an error.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<style>
#container {
width: 1000px;
margin: 20px auto;
}
.ck-editor__editable[role="textbox"] {
/* Editing area */
min-height: 200px;
}
.ck-content .image {
/* Block images */
max-width: 80%;
margin: 20px auto;
}
</style>
<div id="container">
<div id="editor">
</div>
</div>
<!--
The "super-build" of CKEditor 5 served via CDN contains a large set of plugins and multiple editor types.
See https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/installation/legacy/getting-started/quick-start.html#running-a-full-featured-editor-from-cdn
-->
<script src="https://cdn.ckeditor.com/ckeditor5/41.4.2/super-build/ckeditor.js"></script>
<!--
Uncomment to load the Spanish translation
<script src="https://cdn.ckeditor.com/ckeditor5/41.4.2/super-build/translations/es.js"></script>
-->
<script>
// This sample still does not showcase all CKEditor 5 features (!)
// Visit https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/index.html to browse all the features.
CKEDITOR.ClassicEditor.create(document.getElementById("editor"), {
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/getting-started/setup/toolbar/toolbar.html#extended-toolbar-configuration-format
toolbar: {
items: [
'exportPDF','exportWord', '|',
'findAndReplace', 'selectAll', '|',
'heading', '|',
'bold', 'italic', 'strikethrough', 'underline', 'code', 'subscript', 'superscript', 'removeFormat', '|',
'bulletedList', 'numberedList', 'todoList', '|',
'outdent', 'indent', '|',
'undo', 'redo',
'-',
'fontSize', 'fontFamily', 'fontColor', 'fontBackgroundColor', 'highlight', '|',
'alignment', '|',
'link', 'uploadImage', 'blockQuote', 'insertTable', 'mediaEmbed', 'codeBlock', 'htmlEmbed', '|',
'specialCharacters', 'horizontalLine', 'pageBreak', '|',
'textPartLanguage', '|',
'sourceEditing'
],
shouldNotGroupWhenFull: true
},
// Changing the language of the interface requires loading the language file using the <script> tag.
// language: 'es',
list: {
properties: {
styles: true,
startIndex: true,
reversed: true
}
},
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/headings.html#configuration
heading: {
options: [
{ model: 'paragraph', title: 'Paragraph', class: 'ck-heading_paragraph' },
{ model: 'heading1', view: 'h1', title: 'Heading 1', class: 'ck-heading_heading1' },
{ model: 'heading2', view: 'h2', title: 'Heading 2', class: 'ck-heading_heading2' },
{ model: 'heading3', view: 'h3', title: 'Heading 3', class: 'ck-heading_heading3' },
{ model: 'heading4', view: 'h4', title: 'Heading 4', class: 'ck-heading_heading4' },
{ model: 'heading5', view: 'h5', title: 'Heading 5', class: 'ck-heading_heading5' },
{ model: 'heading6', view: 'h6', title: 'Heading 6', class: 'ck-heading_heading6' }
]
},
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/editor-placeholder.html#using-the-editor-configuration
placeholder: 'Welcome to CKEditor 5!',
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/font.html#configuring-the-font-family-feature
fontFamily: {
options: [
'default',
'Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif',
'Courier New, Courier, monospace',
'Georgia, serif',
'Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Grande, sans-serif',
'Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif',
'Times New Roman, Times, serif',
'Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif',
'Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif'
],
supportAllValues: true
},
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/font.html#configuring-the-font-size-feature
fontSize: {
options: [ 10, 12, 14, 'default', 18, 20, 22 ],
supportAllValues: true
},
// Be careful with the setting below. It instructs CKEditor to accept ALL HTML markup.
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/general-html-support.html#enabling-all-html-features
htmlSupport: {
allow: [
{
name: /.*/,
attributes: true,
classes: true,
styles: true
}
]
},
// Be careful with enabling previews
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/html-embed.html#content-previews
htmlEmbed: {
showPreviews: false
},
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/link.html#custom-link-attributes-decorators
link: {
decorators: {
addTargetToExternalLinks: true,
defaultProtocol: 'https://',
toggleDownloadable: {
mode: 'manual',
label: 'Downloadable',
attributes: {
download: 'file'
}
}
}
},
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/mentions.html#configuration
mention: {
feeds: [
{
marker: '@',
feed: [
'@apple', '@bears', '@brownie', '@cake', '@cake', '@candy', '@canes', '@chocolate', '@cookie', '@cotton', '@cream',
'@cupcake', '@danish', '@donut', '@dragée', '@fruitcake', '@gingerbread', '@gummi', '@ice', '@jelly-o',
'@liquorice', '@macaroon', '@marzipan', '@oat', '@pie', '@plum', '@pudding', '@sesame', '@snaps', '@soufflé',
'@sugar', '@sweet', '@topping', '@wafer'
],
minimumCharacters: 1
}
]
},
// The "superbuild" contains more premium features that require additional configuration, disable them below.
// Do not turn them on unless you read the documentation and know how to configure them and setup the editor.
removePlugins: [
// These two are commercial, but you can try them out without registering to a trial.
// 'ExportPdf',
// 'ExportWord',
'AIAssistant',
'CKBox',
'CKFinder',
'EasyImage',
// This sample uses the Base64UploadAdapter to handle image uploads as it requires no configuration.
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/images/image-upload/base64-upload-adapter.html
// Storing images as Base64 is usually a very bad idea.
// Replace it on production website with other solutions:
// https://ckeditor.com/docs/ckeditor5/latest/features/images/image-upload/image-upload.html
// 'Base64UploadAdapter',
'MultiLevelList',
'RealTimeCollaborativeComments',
'RealTimeCollaborativeTrackChanges',
'RealTimeCollaborativeRevisionHistory',
'PresenceList',
'Comments',
'TrackChanges',
'TrackChangesData',
'RevisionHistory',
'Pagination',
'WProofreader',
// Careful, with the Mathtype plugin CKEditor will not load when loading this sample
// from a local file system (file://) - load this site via HTTP server if you enable MathType.
'MathType',
// The following features require additional license.
'SlashCommand',
'Template',
'DocumentOutline',
'FormatPainter',
'TableOfContents',
'PasteFromOfficeEnhanced',
'CaseChange'
]
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
# The CKEditor 5 superbuild limitations
While the superbuild is designed to provide as many of them as possible, some of these plugins may conflict with each other. Due to that fact, several of those needed to be excluded from the superbuild and are not available that way:
- Watchdog
- ContextWatchdog
- Context
- Title
- Restricted editing
# Running a full-featured editor with Premium features
If you would like to quickly evaluate CKEditor 5 with premium features such as real-time collaboration, track changes, and revision history, sign up for a 14-day free trial.
After you sign up, in the customer dashboard you will find the full code snippet to run the editor with premium features with all the necessary configurations.
# Adjusting plugins included in the CKEditor 5 superbuild
You may turn off any features available in the superbuild using the removePlugins configuration option. For a full list of features currently available in the superbuild, consult the predefined editor builds guide. Removing certain features may make the editor unusable.
Every day, we work hard to keep our documentation complete. Have you spotted outdated information? Is something missing? Please report it via our issue tracker.
With the release of version 42.0.0, we have rewritten much of our documentation to reflect the new import paths and features. We appreciate your feedback to help us ensure its accuracy and completeness.