> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveku.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sign Up & Create Your First Project

> Create a Hiveku account and start your first website

Getting started on Hiveku takes about two minutes. Create an account, name your organization, then spin up your first site.

## Create Your Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to app.hiveku.com">
    Open [app.hiveku.com](https://app.hiveku.com) in your browser and click **Sign Up**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a sign-in method">
    You can create an account with:

    * **Email + password** — classic, works everywhere
    * **Google** — one click with your Google account
    * **GitHub** — great if you'll be importing repos later

    <Tip>
      If you plan to import projects from GitHub, signing in with GitHub saves you a step later.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify your email">
    If you signed up with email, check your inbox for a verification link and click it. Google and GitHub sign-ins skip this step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Set Up Your Organization

An **organization** is the top-level container for your projects, team members, and billing. Every account belongs to at least one org.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Name your organization">
    After sign-up, you'll be asked to name your org. Use your company name, your personal brand, or a team name — you can change it later.

    <Info>
      Org names must be globally unique. If your preferred name is taken, try adding a suffix (`acme-studio` instead of `acme`).
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite teammates (optional)">
    You can skip this now and add team members later from **Settings > Team Members**. See [Invite Team Members](/how-tos/invite-team) for details.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Create Your First Site

From the dashboard, click **New Site**. You'll see three options.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Create New" icon="sparkles">
    Start from a blank project
  </Card>

  <Card title="From GitHub" icon="github">
    Import an existing repo
  </Card>

  <Card title="Track External" icon="chart-line">
    Add analytics only, no hosting
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Create New (Blank)">
    Best if you're starting fresh and want the AI to build things from a prompt.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Click Create New">
        Pick **Create New** on the New Site screen.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Name your project">
        The name becomes your default URL. A project called `my-portfolio` will live at `my-portfolio.hiveku.com`.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Pick a database option">
        Choose **No Database**, **Hiveku Database**, or **Bring Your Own**. If you're not sure, pick **No Database** — you can add one later. See [Set Up a Database](/how-tos/setup-database).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Click Create">
        Hiveku provisions the project and opens the Editor. You're ready to start building.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From GitHub">
    Best if you already have a site in a GitHub repo and want Hiveku to host and auto-deploy it.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Click From GitHub">
        Pick **From GitHub** on the New Site screen.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Authorize GitHub">
        If this is your first import, you'll be prompted to authorize Hiveku to access your repositories. You can restrict access to specific repos.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Select a repository">
        Pick the repo you want to import. Hiveku detects the framework automatically (Next.js, Astro, Vite, etc).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Confirm and create">
        Review the project name and click **Create**. Hiveku clones the repo, runs an initial build, and opens the Editor.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Info>
      Every push to your default branch will auto-deploy. You can change this in **Settings > Deployment**.
    </Info>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Track External">
    Best if your site is hosted somewhere else (Vercel, Netlify, WordPress) and you just want Hiveku's analytics and monitoring.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Click Track External">
        Pick **Track External** on the New Site screen.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Enter your live URL">
        Paste the domain you want to track (`https://example.com`).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Add the tracking snippet">
        Copy the provided snippet and paste it into the `<head>` of your external site. Hiveku starts collecting analytics within a few minutes.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Your Default URL

Every project gets a free Hiveku subdomain:

```
https://{project-name}.hiveku.com
```

You can attach a custom domain later — see [Set Up a Custom Domain](/how-tos/custom-domain).

## Verifying Setup

After creating your project, the Editor opens automatically with your project files loaded in the left panel and a live preview on the right. If you see both, you're good to go.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Organization name is already taken">
    Org names are globally unique. Try a variant — `acme-studio`, `acme-labs`, or a location suffix like `acme-nyc`. You can rename your org later in **Settings > Organization**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="GitHub isn't connecting">
    Make sure you authorized the Hiveku GitHub App with access to the repo you want. Go to [GitHub settings](https://github.com/settings/installations), find Hiveku, and confirm repo access is granted.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Verification email didn't arrive">
    Check your spam folder. If it's still missing, try signing in again — the link re-sends on the next attempt. You can also use a Google or GitHub sign-in instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Editor is blank after creation">
    Refresh the page. If it's still blank, the initial build may still be running — wait 30 seconds and try again.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What's Next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build with AI" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/how-tos/build-with-ai">
    Use natural language to create pages and features
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invite your team" icon="users" href="/how-tos/invite-team">
    Add collaborators to your new org
  </Card>
</CardGroup>