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

# First login

> Complete your first login to the Chainstack Self-Hosted Control Panel and configure initial settings including admin credentials and node deployment.

This guide walks you through your first login to Chainstack Self-Hosted and initial configuration.

## First login

### Finding your credentials

During installation, the bootstrap credentials were generated and saved to a values file. Run the `yq` command from the installer output to retrieve your password:

```bash theme={"system"}
yq '.cp-auth.env.CP_AUTH_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD' /root/.config/cp-suite/values/cp-control-panel-*.yaml
```

Your credentials:

| Setting  | Default value                   |
| -------- | ------------------------------- |
| Username | `admin`                         |
| Password | Auto-generated (in values file) |

### Accessing the login page

Open your browser and navigate to the Control Panel URL. If you haven't exposed the services yet, see [Expose the UI and deployments API](/docs/self-hosted/installation#expose-the-ui-and-deployments-api) for instructions. The URL depends on how you exposed the services:

| Exposure method | URL                               |
| --------------- | --------------------------------- |
| LoadBalancer    | `http://<EXTERNAL-IP>`            |
| NodePort        | `http://<NODE-IP>:<NODE-PORT>`    |
| Ingress         | `http://your-configured-hostname` |
| Port forward    | `http://<SERVER-IP>:8080`         |

You'll see the Chainstack Self-Hosted login page:

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chainstack/X00JVqSBsO9dEVg8/images/self-hosted/login-page.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=X00JVqSBsO9dEVg8&q=85&s=7d27c46763b28cea020ff4f604dd325f" alt="Chainstack Self-Hosted login page" width="2944" height="2258" data-path="images/self-hosted/login-page.png" />
</Frame>

### Logging in

1. Enter `admin` in the **Username** field
2. Enter the generated password from your values file in the **Password** field
3. Click **Log in**

## Initial configuration

After your first login, we recommend completing these configuration steps.

### Update admin profile

For security, update your admin credentials immediately after first login.

1. Click **Settings** in the left sidebar
2. Under **Personal Information**, update the following:

| Field    | Recommendation                                   |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Username | Change from default `admin` to a unique username |
| Password | Set a strong password                            |

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chainstack/X00JVqSBsO9dEVg8/images/self-hosted/settings-page.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=X00JVqSBsO9dEVg8&q=85&s=b696d671a4b88244ff5afaf579221c05" alt="Chainstack Self-Hosted settings page" width="2944" height="2258" data-path="images/self-hosted/settings-page.png" />
</Frame>

<Warning>
  After changing your password, the original password in the values file is no longer valid. Store your new credentials securely.
</Warning>

## Understanding the interface

The Chainstack Self-Hosted interface provides access to all node management functions.

### Main sections

| Section      | Purpose                                      |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Nodes**    | List, deploy, and manage blockchain nodes    |
| **Docs**     | Link to Chainstack Self-Hosted documentation |
| **Settings** | User profile and credentials                 |

### Node status indicators

When viewing nodes, you'll see status indicators:

| Status            | Description                                                                |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Bootstrapping** | Node resources are being allocated and client software is being configured |
| **Running**       | Node is deployed and operational                                           |
| **Error**         | Node encountered an issue                                                  |

## Next steps

With your admin account configured, you're ready to:

1. [Deploy your first node](/docs/self-hosted/deploying-nodes) — Deploy a blockchain node
2. [Manage nodes](/docs/self-hosted/managing-nodes) — Learn node operations and monitoring

## Troubleshooting

If you run into issues logging in or accessing the Control Panel, see the [Troubleshooting guide](/docs/self-hosted/troubleshooting#access-troubleshooting) for solutions to common problems including login failures, backend URL configuration, and credential issues.