Getting Started with CredVault

This guide walks you through setting up CredVault and creating your first project. By the end, you'll have a working database cluster and be ready to build your application.

Creating Your Account

Your CredVault journey begins with creating an account. Visit the Registration Page and click Get Started. You can register using your email address or sign in with Google or GitHub for faster onboarding.

After confirming your email, you'll land in the CredVault dashboard — your command center for managing all platform resources. Take a moment to explore the interface. The left sidebar provides navigation to different sections, while the main area displays your resources and activity.

Understanding Your Workspace

Every CredVault account operates within a workspace, which serves as the top-level container for all your resources. Your workspace includes:

Database Clusters — Managed database instances where your data lives. You can create multiple clusters for different environments (development, staging, production) or applications.

Team Members — Colleagues you invite to collaborate on your projects. Each member can have different permissions based on their role.

API Keys — Credentials for programmatic access to your resources. Create different keys for different applications or environments.

Billing and Usage — View your resource consumption and manage payment methods.

Creating Your First Cluster

A cluster is a managed database instance where your collections and documents reside. To create one:

Navigate to Clusters in the sidebar and click Create Cluster. You'll choose a few options:

Cluster Name — Pick something descriptive like "production-main" or "dev-testing". This helps you identify clusters quickly as your infrastructure grows.

Region — Select the geographic location closest to your users for optimal performance. Data residency requirements may also influence this choice.

Tier — Choose the appropriate size for your workload. Start with the free tier for development and testing. You can upgrade anytime as your needs grow.

Click Create and wait a moment while CredVault provisions your cluster. Once ready, you'll see the cluster appear in your list with a green status indicator.

Connecting to Your Cluster

With your cluster running, you're ready to connect. CredVault supports multiple connection methods to fit your workflow.

Using the Dashboard

The dashboard provides a built-in data explorer for browsing and querying your data without writing any code. Navigate to your cluster, open the Data Explorer tab, and start working with your collections interactively.

Using the SDKs

For application development, install the official SDK for your programming language. All SDKs are available through standard package managers:

Node.js developers can install from npm. The SDK provides TypeScript support out of the box with full type definitions.

Python developers can install from PyPI. The package works with any Python application or Jupyter notebook.

Java developers can add the dependency through Maven or Gradle. The SDK is compatible with Spring Boot and other popular frameworks.

Go developers can fetch the module using standard Go tooling. The client follows Go idioms with explicit error handling.

Visit the SDKs section for detailed installation instructions and examples for each language.

Using the CLI

The CredVault command-line interface is perfect for scripting, automation, and developers who prefer working in the terminal. Install it through your package manager or download the binary directly.

The CLI supports all platform operations: managing clusters, querying data, deploying functions, and more. It's also useful for CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code workflows.

Your First API Key

To connect your applications to CredVault, you'll need an API key. Navigate to Settings → API Keys and click Create Key.

Give your key a descriptive name that indicates its purpose — for example, "backend-development" or "ci-pipeline". This helps you track which applications are using which credentials.

Important: The full API key is displayed only once. Copy it immediately and store it securely. If you lose it, you'll need to create a new key.

API keys come in two types:

Live Keys — For production use. These keys access real data and count toward your billing.

Test Keys — For development and testing. These keys access a sandboxed environment with separate data.

Storing Your Data

With a cluster and API key ready, you can start storing data. CredVault uses a document model similar to MongoDB, with data organized into collections of JSON-like documents.

Collections are created automatically when you first insert data — no schema definition required. This flexibility lets you iterate quickly during development. As your application matures, you can define schemas and validation rules for data integrity.

Each document in a collection has a unique identifier. You can let CredVault generate IDs automatically or provide your own. Documents can contain nested objects, arrays, and various data types including dates, numbers, and binary data.

What's Next?

You've completed the essential setup. Here are suggested next steps:

Explore the Data Explorer — Familiarize yourself with querying and managing data through the dashboard.

Install an SDK — Set up your development environment with the SDK for your programming language.

Try the Intelligence Engine — If you're working with data analytics or machine learning, explore CIE's capabilities.

Invite Your Team — Bring colleagues into your workspace to collaborate on projects.

Set Up Automation — Create webhooks or triggers to automate workflows based on data changes.

Continue to the Core Concepts section to deepen your understanding of how CredVault works.