docs: improve getting started and README documentation

getting-started/README.md

@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@
 
 # Getting Started with Apache Polaris
 
+If you prefer not to use Docker, you can get started with Polaris by downloading and running the official binary distribution.  
+See [Getting Started with the Polaris Binary Distribution](getting-started-binary.md) for step-by-step instructions on installing and running Polaris directly as a standalone application.
+
 You can quickly get started with Polaris by playing with the docker-compose examples provided in
 this directory. Each example has detailed instructions.
 

getting-started/getting-started-binary.md

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+<!--
+  Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+  or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+  distributed with this work for additional information
+  regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+  to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+  "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+  with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+  software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+  "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+  KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+  specific language governing permissions and limitations
+  under the License.
+-->
+
+# Getting Started with Apache Polaris Binary Distribution
+
+Quickly start Apache Polaris by running the pre-built binary, no build needed.
+
+---
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Java 21 or later installed. You can verify this by running:
+
+```bash
+java -version
+```
+
+- Basic familiarity with running commands in your operating system terminal.
+
+---
+
+## Step 1: Download the Apache Polaris Binary
+
+1. Visit the official Apache Polaris GitHub
+   [Releases page](https://github.com/apache/polaris/releases).
+
+2. Download the latest binary archive file, for example:
+
+```bash
+apache-polaris-<version>-bin.tar.gz
+```
+
+---
+
+## Step 2: Extract the Archive
+
+Extract the downloaded tar.gz file to your desired directory:
+
+```bash
+tar -xzvf apache-polaris-<version>-bin.tar.gz
+cd apache-polaris-<version>
+```
+
+*Replace `<version>` with the actual version number.*
+
+---
+
+## Step 3: Configure Polaris (Optional)
+
+Edit the configuration file if needed:
+
+---
+
+## Step 4: Run the Polaris Server
+
+Start the Polaris server using the provided script:
+
+```bash
+./bin/polaris-server.sh start
+```
+
+To tail the logs in a separate terminal, run:
+
+```bash
+tail -f logs/polaris.log
+```
+
+---
+
+## Step 5: Verify the Server is Running
+
+Open your browser and navigate to:
+
+```bash
+http://localhost:8181
+```
+
+You should see the Polaris server running or be able to access its REST API.
+
+---
+
+## Step 6: Stop the Polaris Server
+
+To stop the server, run:
+
+```bash
+./bin/polaris-server.sh stop
+```
+
+---
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- See the official Apache Polaris documentation for details.
+- Use ./bin/polaris-admin in the binary for admin and maintenance tasks.
+
+---
+
+Get started with Apache Polaris binaries. See repo for containers and more.
+
+---
+
+*Happy data cataloging with Apache Polaris!*