# Getting started with the Discovery Framework

This section describes how to launch and configure the Discovery Framework and begin to work with it.

For more comprehensive information about Liferay components and concepts, see the Liferay Portal Administrator's Guide.

- Starting the Discovery Framework
  You start the Discovery Framework by starting your application server, going to the portal in your Web browser, and logging in.
- Creating a default.json file
  Upon installation, all components that require a backing data source are bound to a data source called default.json. This file does not exist by default; you must either manually create it under endeca-portal\data\endeca-data-sources, or switch to another data source in the Framework Settings component.
- Accessing the Control Panel
  After logging in to the Discovery Framework, you may also want to access edit controls. This is done through the Control Panel.
- Adding Endeca standard components
  The Discovery Framework contains several Endeca standard components. These components make it possible for you to add Endeca functionality to your application.