# Getting Started

This guide walks you through the initial setup to get your website running through smoxy. The process is the same regardless of which module you use — Image Optimization, Acceleration, or Security. Once traffic flows through smoxy, you can activate your modules.

**What you need:**

* A smoxy account
* Your origin server's IP address and port
* Access to your domain's DNS management

***

### Step 1: Create a Site

1. Click **Create first site** (or the **+** button if you already have sites)
2. Enter the URL of the website you want to optimize (e.g. `example.com`)
3. Choose a **site type** (Production or Staging — this is for your own organization only)
4. Give your site a **name** (auto-filled from the URL, but you can change it)
5. Add **hostnames** — these are the domains that should use this site's configuration (e.g. `example.com`, `www.example.com`). You can add more later.

{% hint style="info" %}
**What is a site?** A site is a reusable bundle of settings — caching, security, optimization — that you assign to one or more domains. See [What is a Site?](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/what-is-a-site) for details.
{% endhint %}

***

### Step 2: Set Up SSL

For each hostname, smoxy needs an SSL certificate. You have two options:

#### Auto-managed (recommended)

smoxy generates and renews certificates automatically via Let's Encrypt. To verify domain ownership, you need to create a DNS CNAME record:

| Record Type | Name                          | Value                                            |
| ----------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| CNAME       | `_acme-challenge.example.com` | Shown in the setup wizard (copy button provided) |

After adding the record at your DNS provider, click **Verify Records** in smoxy. Once verified, the certificate is generated automatically.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** This DNS record is only for certificate generation — it does not route traffic through smoxy yet.
{% endhint %}

#### Self-managed

If you prefer to use your own certificate, click **Upload Own SSL Certificate** and paste your certificate (PEM format) and private key. See Self-managed SSL Certificates for format requirements.

***

### Step 3: Configure Your Origin

The origin is your backend server where smoxy forwards requests.

| Field                   | Description                                                                            |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Scheme**              | `https` (default) or `http`                                                            |
| **IP address**          | Your server's IPv4 address (e.g. `12.3.45.6`)                                          |
| **Port**                | Default `443` for HTTPS, `80` for HTTP                                                 |
| **Hostname** (optional) | Overrides the Host header sent to your server. Leave empty to use the incoming domain. |

You can also select an existing origin or load balancer if you've already configured one under **Organization > Origins & Loadbalancer**.

***

### Step 4: Complete the Go-Live Checklist

After setup, the Dashboard shows a Go-Live checklist with four items:

1. **Target Setup** — Origin or load balancer configured
2. **Connectivity** — smoxy can reach your origin (click **Retry** to test)
3. **Hostnames** — At least one hostname added
4. **SSL** — Valid certificate for your hostnames

All four must be green before you can go live.

***

### Step 5: Switch DNS to smoxy

This is the step that actually routes your visitors' traffic through smoxy. The dashboard shows the exact CNAME records you need to set:

| Record Type | Name              | Value                                         |
| ----------- | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| CNAME       | `example.com`     | Shown on the dashboard (copy button provided) |
| CNAME       | `www.example.com` | Shown on the dashboard (copy button provided) |

Set these records at your DNS provider. Use a low TTL (e.g. 300 seconds / 5 minutes) so you can quickly revert if needed.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** DNS changes can take up to 24–48 hours to propagate globally, though most changes are visible within minutes.
{% endhint %}

#### Verify Traffic

Enable **Live Mode** on the dashboard to see requests arriving in real time. Once you see traffic in the Requests chart, your setup is working.

***

### Step 6: Activate Your Modules

At this point, traffic flows through smoxy but no optimization is active yet. Activate the modules you've purchased:

#### Image Optimization

Automatically compresses and converts images to modern formats (WebP, AVIF) based on browser support. Enable it in your site settings and configure quality thresholds.

[Set up Image Optimization →](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/image-optimization)

#### Acceleration

Caches HTML pages at the edge for near-instant delivery. Enable it in your site settings. Make sure to exclude dynamic pages (cart, checkout, account) using Conditional Rules.

[Set up Acceleration →](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/acceleration)

#### Security

Activates the Web Application Firewall (WAF) with managed rules that protect against common threats. Safe to enable for all sites — no configuration needed to get started.

[Set up Security & WAF →](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/security-and-waf)

***

### What's Next?

* [Advanced Caching](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/advanced-caching) — Fine-tune TTL, cache keys, and cache tags
* [Dashboard](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/sites/dashboard) — Monitor traffic, cache hits, and manage your site
* [Rules](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/rules/rules-overview) — Create rules to customize behavior per path, country, or device
* [How SSL Works in smoxy](https://docs.smoxy.eu/en/ssl-and-certificates/how-ssl-works-in-smoxy) — Understand certificate management in detail