Ionic apps are created and developed primarily through the Ionic command-line utility. The Ionic CLI is the preferred method of installation, as it offers a wide range of dev tools and help options along the way. It is also the main tool through which to run the app and connect it to other services, such as Ionic Appflow.
Much of your app can be built right in the browser with ionic serve. We recommend starting with this workflow. When you're ready to deploy your app to a real device, check out our Deploying guide.
The "Install... Start... Serve..." cycle is summarized here: