---
title: Create a starter project
slug: commerce-connect-14/docs/creating-your-project
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-07-23T10:25:35.210Z
---

For better control and understanding, you should start developing in an empty project. However, you can install a sample site like [Foundation](https://github.com/episerver/Foundation) to explore and use for inspiration. The Optimizely project templates provide a preconfigured website with Optimizely Customized Commerce and a Visual Studio project for development.

## Create the project

See [Setting up a development environment](docId\:i6vcylyxdOMdJL4AxhCEy) to install the Optimizely templates and command line tool. When done, run the commands described in the following (check command line options for more configuration options).

```csharp
dotnet new epi-commerce-empty --name ProjectName
cd projectname
dotnet-episerver create-cms-database ProjectName.csproj -S . -E
dotnet-episerver create-commerce-database ProjectName.csproj -S . -E --reuse-cms-user
dotnet-episerver add-admin-user ProjectName.csproj -u username -p password -e user@email.com -c EcfSqlConnection
```

### The project structure

The project creation process completes these actions:

- Installs main components through NuGet packages (*EPiServer.Commerce*).
- Create the database.
- Updates configuration files, such as *appSettings.json*, with connection strings.
- Installs the Optimizely user interface components and places them under the URL */episerver*.

When finalized, you have a project folder structure containing:

- **Properties.** Launch settings for the development server.
- **Infrastructure.** Site components.
- **modules.** Package modules.
- **wwwroot.** Client resources.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/VQCX26r2vhku8zLLXJ1Ob_dce2696-imagezu4sgs.png)

The [initialization module](https://world.optimizely.com/documentation/developer-guides/commerce/initialization/) ensures the catalog structure is added under the site's root level.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/BrbvVORKJ5iIeSMZye5kI/Bcgl_31GfGF6b04OvZue7_8a528b2-imageup1dr.png)

## Update to the latest version

See [Install Optimizely (.NET Core)](docId\:VuiU-K4aAR6ISGicFg4lk) to add the latest updates to a Customized Commerce site.