---
title: 'Setup'
category: 'getting-started'
position: 2
features:
  - Automated performance improvements (e.g. WebP format)
  - CDN caching to reduce latency and remove pressure from your servers
  - Improved compressions for devices with poor connection
  - Real image location kept private from end users
  - Remain in control of your images and your storage location
  - Enables using the TwicPics transformation API
---

# Account setup

To optimize your media with TwicPics, you first need an account. If you don't already have one, you can easily [register for free](https://account.twicpics.com/signup).

Once your account is successfully created, follow these steps to set it up:

1. [Create a workspace](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-workspace)
2. [Create a domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-domain)
3. [Create a path](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-path)
4. [Make your first request](/docs/getting-started/setup#make-your-first-request)

<doc-alert>These steps must be completed to integrate TwicPics into your website.</doc-alert>

## Create a workspace

A workspace allows you to **collaborate with your team on a dedicated project**. Having a workspace is required to [create a domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-domain) that will deliver your optimized assets.

Once logged into your account, click the "New workspace" or "Create workspace" button:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-01.png" width="2880" height="1642" caption="Dashboard interface upon the first login to the TwicPics back office."></illustration>

You will be asked to enter a name for your workspace:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-06.png" width="2086" height="1352" caption="Interface for creating a workspace."></illustration>

After setting up your workspace, you can [create a domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-domain).

## Create a domain

It's time to create your first domain.

A domain is the host that will **deliver your optimized media** and is required to [create one or more paths](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-path) that will know where to fetch your original assets.

Depending on your needs, you can choose between two domain types:

- [Create a TwicPics domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-twicpics-domain) — your optimized media will be served from a TwicPics domain (i.e. twic.pics), using the TwicPics CDN.
- [Create a custom domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-custom-domain) — your optimized media will be served from your own domain, using the TwicPics CDN. Note that only [Business and Enterprise plans](/pricing) can use a custom domain.

<doc-details title="What are the benefits of creating a domain?">
Media retrieved from a TwicPics domain get the following advantages:
<features-list :items="features"></features-list>
That's only the tip of the iceberg! Serving your media from a TwicPics domain enables you to use the full power of our API: use it to add <a href="/docs/essentials/path-configuration#source-authentication">secure access to your images</a>, add <a href="/docs/essentials/path-configuration#overlay">watermarking</a>, or implement <a href="/docs/essentials/path-configuration#default-manipulation">default transformations</a>.
</doc-details>

### Create a TwicPics domain

By creating a TwicPics domain, your optimized media will be served from a TwicPics domain, using the TwicPics CDN.

A TwicPics domain takes the form of `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics` where `<subdomain>` is a subdomain of your choice, generally the name of your company (e.g. `https://my-company.twic.pics`).

To create a TwicPics domain, click the "Create a TwicPics domain" button displayed on your dashboard interface:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-02.png" width="2880" height="1642" caption="Dashboard interface after creating your first workspace."></illustration>

Then, set a subdomain for your TwicPics domain:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-04.png?v=2" width="2088" height="1148" caption="Interface for creating a TwicPics domain."></illustration>

Once you have successfully created your TwicPics domain, [create a path](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-path) to complete your setup.

### Create a custom domain

By creating a custom domain, your optimized media will be served from your own domain, using the TwicPics CDN. Only [Business and Enterprise plans](/pricing) can use a custom domain.

<doc-alert>Connecting your domain to the TwicPics CDN will require adding two CNAME records.</doc-alert>

A custom domain takes the form of `https://<subdomain>.<domain>.com`, using a domain that you own (e.g. `https://media.my-domain.com`).

To create a custom domain, open the drop-down menu next to the "Create a TwicPics domain" button, displayed on your dashboard interface. Then click the "Create a custom domain" item:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-03.png" width="2880" height="1642" caption="Dashboard interface after creating your first workspace."></illustration>

You will be asked to fill in your domain:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-05.png" width="2074" height="1160" caption="Interface for creating a custom domain."></illustration>

Once you have successfully created your custom domain, [create a path](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-path) to complete your setup.

## Create a path

A [domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-domain) path points to a **Source URL**, a storage from which your original assets will be retrieved.

A **Source URL** can be your web server, cloud storage, DAM, PIM, or whatever accessible HTTP resource.

<doc-alert>If your media are spread over several storage spaces, you can create a path for each of them. This means your domain can contain as many paths as you want.</doc-alert>

Associated with your domain, whether it is a [TwicPics domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-twicpics-domain) or a [custom domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-custom-domain), a path is part of the **output URL** from which your optimized media will be served, e.g. `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics/<path>/image.jpeg`.

<doc-details title="Show me an example">Let’s say one of your **Source URL** is `https://media.my-company.com/`. The simplest path creation would be to point this **Source URL** to the root of your domain:<table><tr><th>Domain</th><th>Path</th><th>Source URL</th></tr><tr><td>`https://<subdomain>.twic.pics`</td><td>`/`</td><td>`https://media.my-company.com/`</td></tr><tr><td>`https://<custom-twicpics-domain>`</td><td>`/`</td><td>`https://media.my-company.com/`</td></tr></table>Then, your image `https://media.my-company.com/product.jpeg` would be accessible from the **output URL** `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics/product.jpeg` or `https://<custom-twicpics-domain>/product.jpeg` in case of a custom domain.
</doc-details>

To create a [domain](/docs/getting-started/setup#create-a-domain) path, click the "Create path" button from your dashboard:

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-07.png" width="2074" height="1160" caption="Dashboard interface after creating your first domain."></illustration>

You will be asked to:

1. **Choose between an `image path` or a `video path`**, depending on the type of media to optimize. Note that video paths are only accessible to [Business and Enterprise plans](/pricing).
2. [Give a name to your path](#give-a-name-to-your-path).
3. **Enter a Source URL** to define your original assets storage.

<illustration src="docs/setup/setup-08.png" width="2088" height="1208" caption="Interface for creating a domain path."></illustration>

### Give a name to your path

You don't have to give a name to an `image path`. In this case, your path will automatically point your Source URL to the root of your domain (`/`):

<doc-alert>For obvious reasons, this approach is only available for one path per domain.</doc-alert>

| Domain                             | Path | Source URL                      |
| :--------------------------------- | :--- | :------------------------------ |
| `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics`    | `/`  | `https://media.my-company.com/` |
| `https://<custom-twicpics-domain>` | `/`  | `https://media.my-company.com/` |

You can also name your paths after the type of your original media:

| Domain                             | Path      | Source URL                                   |
| :--------------------------------- | :-------- | :------------------------------------------- |
| `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics`    | `/media/` | `https://media.my-company.com/web/`          |
| `https://<custom-twicpics-domain>` | `/logos/` | `https://media.my-company.com/images/logos/` |

As for `video paths`, they work just like image paths, except they **must start with the word `video`**, no matter what comes next:

| Domain                          | Path               | Source URL                             |
| :------------------------------ | :----------------- | :------------------------------------- |
| `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics` | `/video/`          | `https://media.my-company.com/videos/` |
| `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics` | `/videos/`         | `https://media.my-company.com/videos/` |
| `https://<subdomain>.twic.pics` | `/video-products/` | `https://media.my-company.com/videos/` |

### Apply path options

Please refer to the [path options](/docs/essentials/path-configuration#path-options) section if you need advanced path features. You will see for example how to:

- [authenticate to a secure storage](/docs/essentials/path-configuration#source-authentication),
- [define a fallback image URL](/docs/essentials/path-configuration#image-fallback-url),
- or [apply default transformations](/docs/essentials/path-configuration#path-options).

## Make your first request

At this point, you should be ready to test your setup by making your first request through TwicPics.

Depending on your setup, you should be able to request one of your images by filling your browser address bar with a URL of this format:

```curl
https://<your-twicpics-domain>/<your-path>/<your-image-filename>
```

And make your first transformation thanks to the **URL-based API**:

```curl
https://<your-twicpics-domain>/<your-path>/<your-image-filename>?twic=v1/resize=200
```

It's now time to proceed with integrating TwicPics on your website!