<!-- Source: https://docs.biosimulant.com/overview/web-quickstart -->

# Web Quickstart

This guide walks through the typical user flow for the Biosimulant web app: signing in, browsing models, running a simulation, and viewing results. No local install needed.

## Before you start

- **Time:** about 5 minutes.
- **Requirements:** a modern browser. Public labs can be browsed without installing anything; an account may be required to start and save runs.
- **Outcome:** one completed public simulation with plots, downloadable results, and provenance.

**Info:**

  Prefer to run simulations locally? See the [Library Quickstart (Python)](/overview/library-quickstart), the [Desktop App](/overview/desktop-cli), or the [CLI](/references/cli).

## Step 1: Open the Hub

Open the [Biosimulant Hub](https://hub.biosimulant.com/) and choose a published lab. For a known starting point, use the [Lotka–Volterra System Lab](https://hub.biosimulant.com/labs/52e99dd4-17c7-47a5-b8bc-e59319d71b25).

## Step 2: Sign in when needed

If sign-in is required for the Biosimulant Web workspace you are using:

1. Open the platform in your browser
2. Click **Sign In**
3. Authenticate with your account

**Info:**

  Public browsing may be available without sign-in, but saving labs and starting runs typically requires authentication.

## Step 3: Inspect the lab

1. Click **Models** in the navigation bar
2. Use the search bar to find models by name or keyword
3. Filter by:
   - **Standard** (SBML, NeuroML, CellML, NMODL, ONNX, other)
   - **Tags**
   - **Visibility or source**, if your account can see those filters

Open the lab and inspect:

- **Description**: What the model represents
- **Parameters**: Configurable inputs
- **Models and wiring**: The modules that participate in the lab
- **References**: Associated publications

## Step 4: Run the simulation

1. From the lab page, click **Run**
2. Configure the run:
   - **Duration**: How long to simulate (e.g., 100 seconds)
   - **Communication step**: The coupling boundary between module exchanges, when exposed
   - **Parameters**: Override default values if needed
3. Click **Start Run**

The simulation runs in the background. You can navigate away and return to its run page.

## Verify the result

Once the simulation completes:

1. Confirm the run status is **Completed**
2. Inspect its time-series plots, summary tables, or domain-specific visualizations
3. Review the resolved package version and provenance
4. Download available results or artifacts

For the Lotka–Volterra lab, expect lagged predator–prey oscillations and a closed-loop phase portrait.

## Troubleshooting

- **Run is unavailable:** sign in and confirm the lab is public or shared with your account.
- **Run remains queued:** keep the run URL and check it again; managed runs are durable.
- **Unexpected result:** reset the inputs to their defaults and compare the resolved lab version with the example page.
- **Need a reproducible script:** switch to the [Developer API quickstart](/developer-api/quickstart).

## Next steps

- [Browse Models](/how-to/web/browse-models): catalog and metadata basics.
- [Compose Models](/how-to/web/compose-models): build a runnable lab from connected models.
- [Analyze Results](/how-to/web/analyze-results): deep dive into visualization and run comparison.
- [Library Quickstart (Python)](/overview/library-quickstart): run the same kind of simulation locally.
- [Desktop App](/overview/desktop-cli): the GUI workbench for the same workflows.
- [CLI](/references/cli): drive the same workflows from the terminal.