# Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with DanubeData in just 5 minutes.

## Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Sign up at [danubedata.ro](https://danubedata.ro) — with your email, or **Sign in with Google** or **GitHub**
2. Verify your email address (not needed if you signed up with Google or GitHub)
3. Log in to your dashboard

New here? A guided onboarding tutorial walks you through your first steps.

## Step 2: Create a Project

Projects (also called "Teams") help you organize your resources.

1. Click **Create New Project** in the navigation menu
2. Enter a project name (e.g., "Production", "Development")
3. Click **Create**

## Step 3: Add a Payment Method

Before creating resources, you'll need to add a payment method.

1. Navigate to **Billing** in the main menu
2. Click **Add Payment Method**
3. Enter your credit card details
4. Click **Save**

## Step 4: Deploy Your First Resource

### Option A: Deploy a Database

1. Go to **Databases** in the navigation
2. Click **Create Database Instance**
3. Choose your database engine (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MariaDB)
4. Select a resource profile
5. Choose a region
6. Click **Create Database**

Your database will be ready in 2-3 minutes!

### Option B: Deploy a Cache Instance

1. Go to **Cache Instances** in the navigation
2. Click **Create Cache Instance**
3. Select a resource profile
4. Configure persistence settings
5. Click **Create Cache**

Your Redis instance will be ready in 1-2 minutes!

### Option C: Deploy a VPS Instance

1. Go to **Pods** (VPS) in the navigation
2. Click **Create Pod**
3. Select an operating system
4. Choose a resource profile
5. Add your SSH key
6. Click **Create Pod**

Your VPS will be ready in 3-5 minutes!

## Step 5: Monitor Your Resources

1. Click on your newly created resource
2. View real-time metrics on the dashboard
3. Set up alerts for important events

## Step 6: Configure Networking (Optional)

### Create a Firewall

1. Navigate to **Firewalls**
2. Click **Create Firewall**
3. Add firewall rules to control traffic
4. Attach the firewall to your instances

## Next Steps

- **Explore Features**: Learn about [databases](https://docs.danubedata.ro/databases-overview), [cache](https://docs.danubedata.ro/cache-overview), and [VPS](https://docs.danubedata.ro/vps-overview)
- **Set Up Backups**: Configure [automated backups](https://docs.danubedata.ro/databases-backups)
- **API Integration**: Use our [API](https://docs.danubedata.ro/api-authentication) for automation
- **Monitor Performance**: Set up [monitoring and alerts](https://docs.danubedata.ro/monitoring-overview)

## Need Help?

If you encounter any issues, check out our detailed documentation or contact our support team through the dashboard.

Happy deploying! 🚀