nocodb/packages/noco-docs/versioned_docs/version-0.109.7/030.setup-and-usages/010.dashboard.md

---
title: 'Dashboard'
description: 'Accessing the Dashboard!'
---

## Setup Your First Super Admin

Once you have started NocoDB, you can visit the dashboard via `example.com`. You will be redirected to `example.com/#/signup`. 

Enter your work email and your password.

<img width="1492" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/194793294-fa027496-c3c3-44eb-a613-2ba3e3bd26c1.png" />

:::note

Your password has at least 8 letters. No other constraints on case, numbers or special characters.

:::

## Initialize Your First Project

Once you have logged into NocoDB, you should see `My Projects`.

![Screenshot 2022-12-29 at 2 54 43 PM](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/86527202/209932699-743ffea2-986f-443f-8198-f56b597de706.png)
<!-- <img width="1494" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/194793424-c4451bf5-1486-46cf-b62f-86fc6d788d77.png" /> -->

To create a new project, you can click `New Project`. 
<!-- <img width="1492" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/194793457-e18e1112-2b44-4efc-8d98-5261a83a150c.png" /> -->

You need to specify the project name. The data will be stored in `NC_DB`. If it is not specified, a local SQLite will be created and used.

:::note

NC_DB is an environment variable used to store the meta data in the given database.

:::

![Screenshot 2022-12-29 at 2 54 57 PM](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/86527202/209932936-8fe7334c-1a94-4073-ba19-478efb620808.png)
<!-- <img width="1496" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/194793478-a4c20517-1c38-474d-8905-d1d3da560136.png" /> -->

### Connecting to External Database

Click on three-dot menu adjacent to `BASES`. Pick required database option from the menu `Connect to new datasource`. 

:::tip

If you are running NocoDB on Docker and your local DB is running on your host machine, your Host Address would be host.docker.internal instead of localhost.

:::

![Screenshot 2022-12-29 at 2 55 39 PM](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/86527202/209933294-9327ff16-21db-4aca-bf16-8cea8a1eb415.png)
  
Above menu is also accessible from `Team & Settings` > `Data Sources`. Click on `New` button to add existing database. 
  
![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/219841162-6456c5cf-fd26-4a88-8de6-e8742c043607.png)

You need to specify the project name, API type, and other database parameters.
  
![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/219841283-1a42f9f6-4677-4e25-8ca9-a060753d1e1e.png)
  
Currently it supports MySQL, Postgres, MSSQL and SQLite.

You can also configure associated SSL & advanced parameters.

<img width="689" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/189047293-05176c44-e162-495a-a7cd-e02377c1f42c.png" />

:::tip

You can click Edit Connection JSON and modify SSL settings in "ssl".

:::

```json
{
  "client": "pg",
  "connection": {
    "host": "<YOUR_HOST>",
    "port": "5432",
    "user": "<YOUR_DB_USER>",
    "password": "<YOUR_DB_PASSWORD>",
    "database": "<YOUR_DB_NAME>",
    "ssl": {
      "require": true,
      "rejectUnauthorized": false,
      "sslMode": "no-verify"
    }
  }
}
```

:::tip

You can click Edit Connection JSON and specify the schema you want to use in "searchPath".

:::

```json
{
  "client": "pg",
  "connection": {
    ...
  },
  "searchPath": [ "<YOUR_TARGET_SCHEMA>" ]
}
```

Click `Test Database Connection` to see if the connection can be established or not. NocoDB creates a new **empty database** with specified parameters if the database doesn't exist.

<img width="505" alt="image" src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/35857179/194793513-feabf14f-1f62-4896-b06d-88548251511a.png" />