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

# Set Up Your Project

Before you can make your first API call, you need a Project and an Access Key.

## Projects

A **Project** is a logical container that allows you to group and manage different products or features within your account. It acts as the foundation for configuration, monitoring, and analytics.

Each **Project** is assigned an unique ID upon its creation (e.g. `proj_zqRs5XdUtmI0oypAPzKQ3`).

#### Key Benefits

* **Separation of Concerns**: Each project can be configured independently, allowing you to tailor settings to the specific needs of each product or environment (e.g., staging vs. production).
* **Improved Organization**: Keep your configurations clean and manageable by assigning each product to its own project.
* **Granular Analytics**: Track performance metrics and usage data at the project level, making it easier to understand how each product is performing.
* **Team Collaboration**: Projects can help teams work in parallel without interfering with each other's configurations or data.

#### Common Use Cases

* Managing multiple products under the same account.
* Separating development, staging, and production environments.
* Running experiments or beta features in isolated configurations.

## Access Keys

**Access Keys** are authentication tokens used to securely access your project's APIs. They allow your applications or services to interact with the platform without exposing sensitive user credentials.

#### Key Benefits

* **Secure Access**: access keys are tied to specific projects and can be scoped to restrict access to only the necessary endpoints or actions.
* **Environment Isolation**: Generate different keys for different environments (e.g., development, staging, production) to prevent accidental cross-environment interactions.
* **Easy Integration**: Include access keys in your requests to authenticate seamlessly with our APIs.

#### Best Practices

* **Keep Keys Secret**: Never expose your keys in client-side code or public repositories.
* **Rotate Regularly**: Periodically regenerate your access keys to reduce the risk of misuse.
* **Use Read/Write Scopes Wisely**: Assign the minimum required permissions to each key.

#### Common Use Cases

* Connecting backend services to your content pipeline.
* Authenticating webhook requests.
* Automating content creation or updates via scripts or CI/CD pipelines.

#### How to Create an Access Key

To generate an access key for your project, follow these steps:

1. **Log in to your Customer Dashboard**
   Start by signing in to your account via the [Customer Dashboard](https://dash.dumgum.ai).

2. **Navigate to the "Access Keys" Section**
   In the sidebar menu, locate and click on **"Access Keys"**. This section lists all the existing keys associated with your projects.

3. **Click "Create an Access Key"**
   At the top of the page, click the **"Create an access key"** button. A dialog will appear where you can configure the new key.

4. **Configure the Key**
   * **Name** your key for easy identification.

5. **Save and Copy Your Key**
   Once the key is created, make sure to copy it and store it in a secure location. For security reasons, this is the only time the full key will be visible.

<Warning>**Important:** Never share your access key publicly or include it in client-side code. Treat it like a password.</Warning>