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

# Get started with HackGATE in 5 minutes

> Learn how to create your first HackGATE site, configure researcher access, and start monitoring traffic through the API or Admin Center dashboard.

This guide walks you through creating your first HackGATE site and sharing a proxied test environment with researchers.

## Prerequisites

* An account at [admin.hackgate.io](https://admin.hackgate.io)
* Your origin URL — the application you want to proxy (e.g., `https://www.example.com`)
* A valid API token — see [Authentication](/authentication) for instructions

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to the Admin Center">
    Go to [admin.hackgate.io](https://admin.hackgate.io) and sign in with your organization account.

    Once signed in, you have access to your sites, analytics, and organization settings. You can also retrieve a Clerk JWT token from your session here for use in API requests.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a HackGATE site">
    Send a `POST` request to `/api/sites` with your origin URL as `originName`. HackGATE will provision a proxied subdomain for you.

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST https://api-admin.hackgate.io/api/sites \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-token>" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"originName": "https://www.example.com"}'
    ```

    The response includes a `hackgatedName` field with your new subdomain:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-...",
      "originName": "https://www.example.com",
      "hackgatedName": "www-myorg.hackgate.net",
      "isActive": true,
      "isDeploymentProgress": true
    }
    ```

    <Note>
      Your site takes approximately 4 minutes to deploy after creation. You will receive an email notification when it is ready. The site status will change from `deploying` to `active` once deployment completes.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Share the HackGATEd URL with researchers">
    Once your site is active, share the `hackgatedName` URL — for example, `https://www-myorg.hackgate.io` — with your researchers. This is the only URL they need.

    Your origin server remains private. All researcher traffic passes through the HackGATE proxy, which enforces your configured access controls, rate limits, and block rules.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Monitor traffic in the dashboard">
    Open the Admin Center dashboard to view real-time traffic analytics, or query the analytics API directly. For example, to get the most active researchers on your site:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl "https://api-admin.hackgate.io/api/analytics/getMostActiveUsers?url=www-myorg.hackgate.io&gte=2024-06-01T00:00:00Z&lte=2024-06-30T23:59:59Z" \
      -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-token>"
    ```

    The analytics endpoints return traffic timelines, most-active users, path discovery data, and WAF events. See the [API reference](/api/overview) for the full list of available endpoints.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

* [Configure authentication](/authentication) — set up API keys for automated workflows
* [Manage site access](/sites/overview) — configure hacker allowlists, rate limits, and scheduled testing
* [Review WAF monitoring](/analytics/waf) — understand what ModSecurity is flagging in your traffic