> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.digitalapi.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.digitalapi.ai/api-gateway/getting-started.md).

# Getting started

AILIX is an enterprise API gateway and developer platform. This guide walks you through the operator surfaces of the Helix Portal, the control plane you use every day.

This page is your starting line. Pick a path below.

{% hint style="success" %}
**First time signing in?** Use **Continue with Azure Login** on the portal landing page (or your organisation's email and password). After sign-in you land on `/welcome` and the four working areas in the sidebar are ready to use.
{% endhint %}

## Choose a working area

The Helix Portal groups every operator surface under one of four working areas. Pick the one you need today; you can always return here.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>API Gateway</strong></td><td>Define services, configure upstreams, attach plugins, and bind to environments.</td><td>Start with <a href="/pages/f4WCBpW0BxOTjD8L7D1A">Defining services</a>.</td><td><a href="/pages/f4WCBpW0BxOTjD8L7D1A">/pages/f4WCBpW0BxOTjD8L7D1A</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Observability</strong></td><td>Build custom widgets, drill into request traces, save custom reports.</td><td>Start with <a href="/pages/ManEBvZUdPv8GfDDQWzu">Building custom widgets</a>.</td><td><a href="/pages/ManEBvZUdPv8GfDDQWzu">/pages/ManEBvZUdPv8GfDDQWzu</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Developer Portal</strong></td><td>The consumer experience and API distribution, documented as a separate product.</td><td>Open the <a href="https://docs.digitalapi.ai/developer-portal">Developer Portal</a>.</td><td><a href="https://docs.digitalapi.ai/developer-portal">https://docs.digitalapi.ai/developer-portal</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Setup</strong></td><td>Manage the organisation, invite users, build roles, connect SAML.</td><td>Start with <a href="/pages/S1eoedB5gFl4b4pjVWh0">Managing your organisation</a>.</td><td><a href="/pages/S1eoedB5gFl4b4pjVWh0">/pages/S1eoedB5gFl4b4pjVWh0</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Your first day in five steps

Follow these in order to put one API in front of one consumer. Each step links to the chapter that covers it in detail.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Sign in to the Helix Portal

Land on `/welcome` and recognise the four sidebar areas. See [The Welcome page](#the-welcome-page) below.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Define your first service

Register the API you want to expose. Go to [Defining services](/api-gateway/api-gateway/defining-services.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Configure an upstream

Walk the five-stage wizard that points AILIX at your backend. Go to [Configuring upstreams](/api-gateway/api-gateway/configuring-upstreams.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Attach an authentication plugin

Pick from the 105-plugin catalogue. Go to [Browsing the plugin catalogue](/api-gateway/api-gateway/browsing-the-plugin-catalogue.md) or jump to [Plugin reference](/api-gateway/plugin-reference/plugin-reference.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Onboard your first developer

Issue credentials so a consumer can call your API. See the [Developer Portal](https://docs.digitalapi.ai/developer-portal) product.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**In a hurry?** The [Plugin reference](/api-gateway/plugin-reference/plugin-reference.md) chapter lists every one of the 105 plugins by category with its priority and configuration fields, ready to copy into the **Add plugin** form.
{% endhint %}

## Signing in

The portal lives at `<your-helix-portal-domain>`. The unauthenticated landing is the marketing page; click **Login** to reach the sign-in form. AILIX accepts either email and password directly or a delegated SAML flow if your administrator has connected one (see [Configuring SAML authentication](/api-gateway/setup/configuring-saml-authentication.md)). Both paths land you on `/welcome`.

If the form rejects your credentials, check that your account exists in the organisation (see [Inviting and managing users](/api-gateway/setup/inviting-and-managing-users.md)). Session lifetime is portal-side; long idle sessions get re-prompted.

## The Welcome page

![Figure 2-1. The Welcome page after sign-in.](/files/EyCFxX5lNNRZIJiYtsLQ)

The Welcome page has four regions:

1. **Left sidebar.** Four working-area headings (**API Gateway**, **Observability**, **Developer Portal**, **Setup**). Click a heading to expand its sub-entries.
2. **Project header.** The `Project Helix` title, a short tagline, and the organisation chip in the top right.
3. **Dashboard tiles.** Direct links to **Services**, **Plugins**, **Upstreams**, **Environments**, **Custom Widgets**, **Consumers**, **API Products**, and **Apps**.
4. **Top right.** Global search (⌘K) across services, routes, plugins, and consumers, alongside the profile menu with the sign-out action.

## Finding your way around the sidebar

Each surface in the portal has three identifiers: the sidebar entry, the page heading, and the URL. The table below lists all three for every surface so you can reach a page by whichever you have at hand.

| Sidebar group    | Sub-entry      | Page heading   | URL                             |
| ---------------- | -------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------- |
| API Gateway      | Services       | Services       | `/api-gateway/apis`             |
| API Gateway      | Plugins        | Plugin Catalog | `/api-gateway/plugins`          |
| API Gateway      | Upstreams      | Upstreams      | `/api-gateway/upstreams`        |
| API Gateway      | Environments   | Environments   | `/api-gateway/environments`     |
| Observability    | Request Traces | Request Traces | `/observability/traces`         |
| Observability    | Custom Widgets | Custom Widgets | `/observability/widgets`        |
| Observability    | Custom Reports | Custom Reports | `/observability/custom-reports` |
| Developer Portal | Consumers      | Developers     | `/api-gateway/developers`       |
| Developer Portal | API Products   | API Products   | `/api-gateway/api-products`     |
| Developer Portal | Apps           | Apps           | `/api-gateway/apps`             |
| Setup            | Organizations  | Organizations  | `/organization/general`         |
| Setup            | Users          | Users          | `/organization/users`           |
| Setup            | Groups         | Groups         | `/organization/groups`          |
| Setup            | Roles          | Roles          | `/organization/roles`           |
| Setup            | Authentication | Authentication | `/organization/authentication`  |

{% hint style="info" %}
URL prefixes split across `/api-gateway/`, `/observability/`, and `/organization/`. The sidebar abstracts this; you only see the difference when you bookmark a deep link or build a runbook URL.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
UI labels and URL paths in this guide are reproduced verbatim from the portal (so you see `Organizations`, `/organization/`, and similar). Prose in this guide follows British spelling (`organisation`).
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" %}
Live traffic is investigated through three Observability surfaces: **Request Traces** for per-request drilldown, **Custom Widgets** for metric tiles you build yourself, and **Custom Reports** for saved filtered views.
{% endhint %}

## What to do next

Most operators start with **Defining services** because every other surface (upstreams, plugins, environments, developers, apps) needs a service to attach to. If you arrived here to handle a specific incident, jump straight to [Investigating with request traces](/api-gateway/observability/investigating-with-request-traces.md) or [Building custom widgets](/api-gateway/observability/building-custom-widgets.md).


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