---
url: 'https://docs.smoxy.eu/getting-started.md'
---
# Getting Started

This guide walks you through the initial setup to get your website running through smoxy. Once traffic flows through smoxy, every feature is available -- image optimization, HTML caching, and security -- with a single usage-based subscription.

**What you need:**

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

::: tip
First time in smoxy? A short **product tour** introduces organizations, zones, and hostnames. You can replay it any time from the **(?)** menu, and a **Guided setup** walks you through activating your first zone.
:::

***

### Step 1: Create Your Organization

The first time you sign in, smoxy asks you to create an **organization**. An organization is your account - it holds your zones, domains, team, and billing. Give it a name and continue; your zones page opens next.

If you were invited to an existing organization instead, accept the invitation from your notifications and skip to Step 2.

***

### Step 2: Create a Zone

1. Click **Create Zone** (or **New zone** in the header if zones already exist)
2. Enter a **Zone name** (choose something you'll recognize)
3. Choose a **Tag** (Production, Staging, or Development - this is for your own organization only)
4. Click **Create Zone**

The dialog has just these two fields. After the zone is created, add the **hostnames** it should serve on the zone's **Hostnames** page - these are the domains that use this zone's configuration (e.g. `example.com`, `www.example.com`). You can add more at any time.

::: info
**What is a zone?** A zone is a reusable bundle of settings - caching, security, optimization - that applies to the hostnames attached to it. See [What is a Zone?](/zones/what-is-a-zone) for details.
:::

***

### Step 3: 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 CNAME Record** in smoxy. Once verified, the certificate is generated automatically.

::: info
**Note:** This DNS record is only for certificate generation - it does not route traffic through smoxy yet.
:::

#### Self-managed

To use your own certificate, open the **SSL Certificates** page and click **New Certificate**. In the **New SSL Certificate** dialog, set **Type** to **Custom**, then paste your **Certificate PEM** and **Private Key PEM** (and an optional **Chain PEM**). See [Self-managed SSL Certificates](/ssl-and-certificates/self-managed-certificates) for format requirements.

***

### Step 4: Configure Your Origin

Your origin is the backend server smoxy forwards requests to. Setting it up is two steps: create the origin, then select it as the zone's default backend.

**1. Create the origin.** On the org-level **Backends** page (nav **Backends**), click **Add origin** and fill in:

| Field                        | Description                                                                                       |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Protocol**                 | `https` (default) or `http`                                                                       |
| **Address (URL or IP)**      | Your server's address - a hostname (e.g. `origin.example.com`) or IPv4 address (e.g. `12.3.45.6`) |
| **Port**                     | Default `443` for HTTPS, `80` for HTTP                                                            |
| **Host Header (Optional)**   | Overrides the Host header sent to your server. Leave empty to use the incoming domain.            |

**2. Set it as the default backend.** On the zone's **Proxy** page, click **Select backend...** in the **Default backend** card, pick the origin (or a load balancer) you created, and click **Save changes**.

***

### Step 5: Finish Setting Up the Zone

While setup is incomplete, every zone page shows a **Finish setting up this zone** checklist with four steps:

1. **Set the default backend** - the origin or load balancer from Step 4
2. **Assign a hostname** - at least one hostname on the zone
3. **Valid SSL certificate** - a valid certificate covering your hostnames
4. **CNAME pointing at smoxy** - your hostname's DNS CNAME resolves to smoxy (see Step 6)

The checklist disappears once all four steps are complete. To start serving traffic, use the **Enabled / Disabled** toggle in the zone header.

***

### Step 6: 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.

::: info
**Note:** DNS changes can take up to 24-48 hours to propagate globally, though most changes are visible within minutes.
:::

#### Verify Traffic

Watch the dashboard to see requests arriving. Once you see traffic in the Requests chart, your setup is working.

***

### Step 7: Activate Your Modules

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

#### Optimization

Automatically compresses and converts images to modern formats (WebP, AVIF) based on browser support. Enable it on the zone's **Optimization** page and configure quality thresholds.

[Set up Optimization →](/zones/optimization)

#### HTML Caching

Caches HTML pages at the edge for near-instant delivery. Enable dynamic caching on the zone's **Cache** page. Make sure to exclude dynamic pages (cart, checkout, account) using Conditional Rules.

[Set up HTML caching →](/zones/cache)

#### Security

Activates the Web Application Firewall (WAF) with managed rules and security scenarios that protect against common threats. Safe to enable for all zones - no configuration needed to get started.

[Set up Security & WAF →](/zones/security-and-waf)

***

### What's Next?

* [Advanced Caching](/zones/cache) - Fine-tune TTL, cache keys, and cache tags
* [Dashboard](/zones/dashboard) - Monitor traffic, cache hits, and manage your zone
* [Rules](/rules/rules-overview) - Create rules to customize behavior per path, country, or device
* [How SSL Works in smoxy](/ssl-and-certificates/how-ssl-works) - Understand certificate management in detail