Quick Setup Guide

📅 Updated: Oct 12, 2025 ⏱️ 8 min read 👤 Maintained by Admin Team

Introduction

Welcome to the Admin platform! This guide will walk you through the initial setup process, helping you configure your workspace, connect your first data source, and start managing your operations in under 10 minutes.

Admin is designed to be zero-config by default. You'll only need to provide your API credentials and select your preferred sync frequency to get started.

ℹ️
Note: This guide assumes you already have an Admin account created. If you haven't signed up yet, visit the Registration Portal first.

Prerequisites

  • An active Admin account (Free or higher)
  • Valid API keys from your primary service provider
  • Node.js v18+ or Python 3.9+ (if using CLI tools)
  • Basic familiarity with REST APIs or database connectors

Installation & Configuration

Using the CLI

The fastest way to initialize your workspace is through our official CLI. Run the following command in your terminal:

bash
# Install the Admin CLI globally
npm install -g @admin/cli

# Initialize a new workspace
admin init my-workspace

# Configure credentials
admin configure --env=production

Using the Web Dashboard

Alternatively, you can skip the CLI and configure everything directly from the Admin dashboard:

  1. Navigate to app.admin.io/dashboard
  2. Click Create New Project from the sidebar
  3. Select your preferred integration template (PostgreSQL, REST, GraphQL, etc.)
  4. Enter your connection string and test the connection
  5. Click Deploy Workspace to activate
⚠️
Security Notice: Never commit your API keys or connection strings to public repositories. Use environment variables or Admin's built-in secrets manager.

Your First Data Sync

Once your workspace is configured, Admin will automatically pull a schema snapshot and begin syncing data. You can monitor the status in the Sync Dashboard under Operations > Data Flow.

Typical initial sync times:

  • Small datasets (< 10k records): ~30 seconds
  • Medium datasets (10k–100k records): ~2–4 minutes
  • Large datasets (> 100k records): 5–15 minutes
json
// Example sync response payload
{ "status": "completed",
"records_synced": 14820,
"duration_ms": 4205,
"next_scheduled": "2025-10-12T18:00:00Z", "errors": [] }

Common Issues & Fixes

Connection Timeouts

If your sync fails with a ECONNREFUSED or timeout error, verify that:

  • Your firewall allows outbound traffic to Admin's sync endpoints
  • VPC peering or private link is configured correctly (if using cloud hosting)
  • SSL/TLS certificates are valid and not self-signed
✅
Quick Fix: Run admin doctor in your terminal to automatically diagnose and resolve most connectivity issues.

Schema Mismatches

Admin auto-detects schema changes, but if you manually altered your database structure, trigger a manual refresh:

bash
admin schema refresh --force