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

# Step 1: Register and find credentials


            Your Kickstart Progress:
        
        
                Intro
                
            
                Step 1
                
                
                Step 2
                
                
                Step 3
                 
                 
                Step 4
                
                
                Step 5
                 
                
This step will help you quickly get your account set up for the rest of this kickstart tutorial.

* [Task 1: If you don't yet have a Cloudinary account, register for a free one ](#task_1_if_you_don_39_t_yet_have_a_cloudinary_account_register_for_a_free_one)
* [Task 2: Find your product environment credentials in your console](#task_2_find_your_product_environment_credentials_in_your_console)
* [Task 3: Optional. Customize your cloud name. (Recommended for new accounts)](#task_3_optional_customize_your_cloud_name_recommended_for_new_accounts)

 ***~4 minutes***

---

### Task 1: If you don't yet have a Cloudinary account, register for a free one 

**[Sign up for free](https://cloudinary.com/users/register_free)** using your Google or GitHub account, or with any email address. 

--- 

### Task 2: Find your product environment credentials in your console

1. Open your Console settings ().
2. Navigate to the [API keys](https://console.cloudinary.com/app/settings/api-keys) page of the settings to see your cloud name, API key, and API secret. You'll need these credentials for other steps of this kickstart. 
   
     ![Cloudinary API keys and credentials](https://cloudinary-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/bo_2px_solid_grey/v1716993828/docs/api_keys_credentials_new_acct.png "thumb: dpr_2,w_550, with_code:false, with_url:false, width:550, popup:true")

More about credentials, product environments and your console...

* Client-side code will always require at least your product environment **cloud name**.  
* Backend code will require your product environment **cloud name**, **API key**, and **API secret**.  
* It's important to store your API secret in a secure place and never share your secret publicly or commit it to any publicly accessible source control. 
* A **product environment** is an entity within your account that includes an asset repository, some product environment-specific settings, and other elements that help you manage it. Free accounts support one product environment, but other plans support multiple product environments.   
  
    Different product environments can represent production or staging environments, different organizations, products, geographic sites, or customers that you want to manage separately within a single Cloudinary account and on a single plan.
* In your Cloudinary console, you can switch between product environments and navigate between different products. As a developer, you'll probably mostly be working with the **Image** and **Video** product.  For more details about the Console and various pages of the navigation, see [Cloudinary Console](solution_overview#cloudinary_console).

--- 

### Task 3: Optional. Customize your cloud name. (Recommended for new accounts) 

If you just created this account, or if your Cloudinary assets haven't yet been used in production, it's [recommended](#why_cldname_matters) to customize your cloud name now to maximize SEO on your delivered assets. 

1. In your Console [**Settings > Product Environments**](https://console.cloudinary.com/app/settings/product-environments), click the **options** (kebab) button to the right of your product environment entry, and select **Edit**. 
2. Customize your **Cloud name** to a unique string value that represents your company, product, or project. 

     ![Edit Product Environment details](https://cloudinary-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/q_auto/f_auto/bo_2px_solid_grey/v1716993828/docs/edit_prod_env.png "thumb: dpr_2,w_500, with_code:false, with_url:false, width:500, popup:true")  

  
    > **TIP**:
>
> You can also optionally add a descriptive **Display name** that will be shown in the product environment selector at the top left of your Console. If you leave the Display name blank, the selector shows your cloud name. Unlike your cloud name, your product environment display name is exposed only within the Console.
     

2. **Save** your changes.

> **INFO**:
>
> If you/your organization are already using assets from this product environment in production or if someone else in your organization already chose the cloud name to be used for this product environment, you should **not** modify it now since changing your cloud name can break publicly delivered asset URLs.

Why your cloud name matters

* Your cloud name appears in the URLs you'll use to deliver assets with Cloudinary.  Using a name that represents your organization, product, or project can improve SEO. 
* Your cloud name is one of the credentials you'll need for configuration of your SDKs and all API calls.
* You can only customize your cloud name yourself while your account has fewer than 1000 assets. Additionally if you wait to customize your cloud name in the future, you'll have to modify existing code and redeploy any delivered assets.  Thus it's recommended to customize your cloud name as soon as possible after creating an account.

&nbsp;

> **Mark your progress: **:
>
> I have a Cloudinary account
>       I know where to find my product environment credentials
>       I've customized (or am happy with) my product environment cloud name

&nbsp;

    I'm ready for the next step &nbsp;&nbsp; &#8658; 

&nbsp;