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Quick start

Get up and running with Ganimede in minutes. This guide will walk you through launching a notebook and performing basic operations on the 2D canvas.

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Launch a notebook

1

Start Ganimede with a notebook file

Launch Ganimede by providing the path to a Jupyter notebook file:
ganimede path/to/notebook.ipynb
If the notebook file doesn’t exist yet, Ganimede will create a new one for you.
Ganimede uses standard .ipynb format, so you can open existing Jupyter notebooks or create new ones.
2

Access the interface

Once started, Ganimede runs a local web server on port 8000. Open your browser and navigate to:
http://localhost:8000
You’ll see your notebook opened on a 2D canvas interface.
3

Explore the canvas

The canvas is your workspace where you can freely arrange code cells. Use your mouse or trackpad to:
  • Pan around the canvas by clicking and dragging
  • Zoom in and out to see more or less detail
  • Select cells by clicking on them

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Basic operations

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Creating code cells

1

Add a new cell

Click the “New Cell” button or use the keyboard shortcut to create a new code cell on the canvas.
2

Position the cell

Drag the cell to position it anywhere on the canvas. Place related cells near each other to reflect your workflow.
3

Write code

Click inside the cell to start writing Python code. The editor supports syntax highlighting and code completion.
# Example: Simple calculation
x = 42
y = 8
result = x * y
print(f"The result is: {result}")

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Running code

1

Execute a cell

Click the “Run” button or press Shift + Enter to execute the code in a cell.The output will appear below the cell, just like in traditional notebooks.
2

View execution history

Every time you run a cell, Ganimede automatically saves that execution as a version. You can view the history to see what code produced specific outputs.
3

Check cell status

Cells show visual indicators of their execution state:
  • Idle: Ready to run
  • Running: Currently executing
  • Complete: Finished with output
  • Error: Execution failed (error details shown in output)

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Organizing on the canvas

1

Create tissue groups

Use tissue grouping (headings) to organize related cells together:
  1. Select multiple cells you want to group
  2. Create a tissue heading to label the group
  3. Move the entire group together on the canvas
This helps structure complex notebooks with clear visual hierarchy.
2

Arrange your workflow

Position cells on the canvas to reflect your computational workflow:
  • Data loading cells at the top or left
  • Processing cells in the middle
  • Visualization and results at the bottom or right
The 2D space lets you create a layout that matches your thought process.
3

Save your work

Ganimede automatically saves your notebook as you work. The spatial layout, code, and outputs are all preserved in the .ipynb file.

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Example workflow

Here’s a simple example to try: 
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

# Create sample data
data = {
    'name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'David'],
    'age': [25, 30, 35, 40],
    'score': [85, 92, 78, 95]
}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
df
Create three cells with this code and arrange them on the canvas to see how spatial organization makes your workflow clearer.

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Development mode

For development work, you can run Ganimede with auto-reload enabled: 
ganimede_dev path/to/notebook.ipynb
This will restart the server automatically when you make changes to the Ganimede source code.
Development mode is intended for Ganimede developers. Use the standard ganimede command for normal notebook work.

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Next steps

Canvas workspace

Master the 2D canvas for organizing your notebooks

Code execution

Learn how code execution works with Jupyter kernels

CLI reference

Explore all command-line options

Configuration

Customize your Ganimede setup

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