Gemini is a new way of using the Internet, separate from the World Wide Web you are familiar with. Compared to the WWW, it is intended to be:

* Simpler – Gemini pages aren’t programs that run in your browser like most modern websites are; they’re just text with a little formatting, so there are no surprises. Once you know how one Gemini page works, you know how they all work.

* Human Scale – Gemini servers and clients aren’t written by big, monopolistic software companies the way web browsers are; the DIY ethos of Gemini means that complete applications can be written by individual developers or small groups in a reasonable amount of time. That also means that you have more choices compared to web browsers.

* Distraction Free – Gemini pages are text-only and have simple typography. You can view images, watch video, or listen to music over Gemini, but nothing will ever autoplay, pop over what you’re reading, or jump out of the way of your mouse.

* Privacy Protecting – Every Gemini request is independent of every other, so there’s no way to track you between sites. Every site you visit is protected by the same encryption used by banking and eCommerce sites on the WWW.

It's usually served over the Internet as it relies on TCP/IP, but nothing will stop you from making it more interesting and adding Nomadnet or Yggdrasil to the mix.

The first thing to do is to install a Gemini client. A Gemini client is like a web browser, except instead of browsing the web, it browses Geminispace. There are at least a couple of Gemini clients available for most platforms. Here, I’m going to recommend just one, that I think will feel most familiar or least surprising to new users. That doesn’t mean I think the other ones are bad. A lot of it is just personal preference, just like with web browsers. After you get used to Gemini with the client I recommend, you may want to try some others.

You may be used to doing everything in the web browser, and find it strange or uncomfortable to have to install a different program to read Gemini pages. But you’ll get used to it; the WWW tries to be everything to everyone, both a floor-wax and a toothpaste, while Gemini tries to be good at just one thing.

I personally recommend Lagrange client for GUI mode:

And Amfora for TUI:

There's also one that's made specificaly for off-grid use:

* Station: gemini://station.martinrue.com/

* BBS: gemini://bbs.geminispace.org/

* Astrobotany: gemini://astrobotany.mozz.us/

* Spellbiding and Wordo: gemini://tilde.team/~stack/

* Chess: gemini://dev.spool-five.com/src/app/chess

* Cosmos: gemini://skyjake.fi/~Cosmos/

* Antenna: gemini://warmedal.se/~antenna

* Wiki: gemini://gemi.dev/cgi-bin/wp.cgi/

* News: gemini://gemi.dev/cgi-bin/waffle.cgi/

* Kennedy search engine and time capsule: gemini://kennedy.gemi.dev/

* Capsule of the day: gemini://discogem.gmi.bacardi55.io/

First, you'd need to choose a server. There's a ton of them listed here: https://github.com/kr1sp1n/awesome-gemini?tab=readme-ov-file#servers

But my personal preferences are:

* Gemserv: https://git.sr.ht/~int80h/gemserv

* Gmid: https://github.com/omar-polo/gmid

* Agate: https://github.com/mbrubeck/agate

* And my own implementation, Gabbro: https://git.sr.ht/~byte-/gabbro

Then you'd need to write your first page. Typicaly it's called index.gmi. Pages in gemini use gemtext, which is a markdown flavor. It can do stuff like this:

Gemtext supports utf-8, emojis, and any pages can also be generated by CGI or SCGI software. Browser then will render that text according to its capabilities. In comparison to micron, language of nomadnet, gemini and gemtext doesn't have color. Instead browsers may decide to assign them to capsules based on their domain just to make them more unique, like Lagrange does.

After you wrote your first page, don't forget to generate a certificate according to your chosen browser's instructions!

Once you've successfully launched your capsule, it's a mandatory step to announce about it on BBS or Station, so people could check it out and welcome you to the community :)

That's all!

Parts of this text are taken from: