# Overview
This section focuses on installing the SkillTree platform. Once the service is installed you will have access to the management dashboard and API.
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Please note that this section is only applicable if you are installing the SkillTree platform from scratch. If your organization is already running a centralized service please proceed to the Integration User Guide or the Dashboard User Guide
There are two official distributions:
Quick Start shows how to install and start each distribution type.
Once a distribution has been selected, the next consideration is to select an installation mode. The SkillTree platform supports two modes:
- Password Auth Mode: Accounts created and managed by SkillTree and/or delegated to OAuth2 authentication provider (ex. GitHub, Google, etc..)
- PKI Auth Mode: PKI Mode is for intranets where organizations utilize PKI with 2-way SSL certificates to implement authentication and authorization. User's browser must be setup with a personal PKI certificate and that certificate must be issued by a Certificate Authority trusted in the dashboard application's truststore.
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Use Password Auth Mode if you are not sure which mode is applicable to you.
Please visit the Installation Modes section to learn more.
So what's next?
- Quick Start: Become familiar with starting the service, the dashboard and what client-lib integration looks like.
- Development Installation: Run the dashboard and the service on your test and/or development environments.
- Production Installation: Detailed documentation for production-grade installations.
- Configuration: SkillTree configuration and catalog of options.