# Barn documentation

> Start Barn with two commands, then look up operations, configuration, and CLI contracts as needed.

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LLMS index: [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

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Barn turns one Pigsty-compatible Inventory into fixed-IP QEMU virtual
machines. It manages one deployment per Unix user; state lives under
`~/.barn`, so lifecycle and SSH commands work from any directory.

Choose the shortest path for your task:

- **[Start](start/)** — boot the first lab with two commands, then operate and troubleshoot it.
- **[Reference](reference/)** — exact Inventory fields, commands, flags,
  output, and exit codes.
- **[About](about/)** — design, native validation, limits, and
  release gates.

Start with the [Quick Start](start/tutorial/) to prepare the **Barn 0.9.0 release candidate**
from source. Once the CLI is ready, run `barn up` to start the lab, then `barn ssh` to connect.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Barn 0.9.0 is not yet published. See [release and validation status](about/status/#documentation-baseline).

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Section pages:

- [Start](/docs/start/): Start Barn with up, connect with ssh, and read the other guides only when needed.
- [Reference](/docs/reference/): Exact contracts for the Pigsty-compatible Inventory and Barn command line.
- [About Barn](/docs/about/): The product model, implementation boundaries, native evidence, current limits, and release gates.