Quick start guide for setting up and using the Prisma Console

Location: Console > Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up your Console account and creating your first project.

## Prerequisites

- A GitHub account (for authentication)
- A Prisma project (optional, but recommended)

## Step 1: Create your account

1. Go to [console.prisma.io/login](https://console.prisma.io/login?utm_source=docs\&utm_medium=content\&utm_content=console)
2. Click **Sign in with GitHub**
3. Authorize Prisma Console to access your GitHub account

You now have a Console account with a default workspace.

## Step 2: Set up a workspace

When you create an account, a default workspace is automatically created for you. You can create additional workspaces for different teams or organizations.

### Create a workspace (optional)

To create an additional workspace:

1. Click the workspace dropdown in the top navigation
2. Click **Create Workspace**
3. Enter a name for your workspace
4. Click **Create**

## Step 3: Create a project

Projects organize your databases and environments within a workspace.

### Using the Console web interface

1. Navigate to your workspace
2. Click **Create Project**
3. Enter a project name
4. Click **Create**

## Step 4: Create a resource

Resources are the actual databases or environments within your project.

### For Prisma Postgres

1. Navigate to your project
2. Click **Create Database**
3. Enter a database name
4. Select a region
5. Click **Create**

### For Accelerate

> \[!WARNING]
> Accelerate retirement
>
> Prisma Accelerate will be retired on December 1, 2026, so new Accelerate environments are not recommended. Create a Prisma Postgres database instead, as described above. If you already run Accelerate, choose the path that matches your setup:
>
> - [Migrate a PostgreSQL database to Prisma Postgres](/guides/migrating-off-accelerate-prisma-postgres-import-from-existing-database-postgresql)
> - [Keep your existing database and remove Accelerate](/guides/migrating-off-accelerate-accelerate-keep-your-database)
> - [Connect to Prisma Postgres without Accelerate](/guides/migrating-off-accelerate-postgres-database-switch-from-accelerate)

1. Navigate to your project
2. Click **Create Environment**
3. Enter an environment name (e.g., "production")
4. Click **Create**

## Step 5: Generate a connection string

Connection strings authenticate your application's requests to Prisma products.

### Using the Console web interface

1. Navigate to your resource (database or environment)
2. Click **Connection Strings** tab
3. Click **Create Connection String**
4. Enter a name for the connection string
5. Copy the connection string and store it securely
6. Click **Done**

## Step 6: Use the connection string in your application

Add the connection string to your `.env` file. For Prisma Postgres, use the pooled connection string for application queries and the direct connection string for migrations, introspection and Prisma Studio:

```bash
# Application traffic over pooled TCP
DATABASE_URL="postgres://USER:PASSWORD@pooled.db.prisma.io:5432/postgres?sslmode=require"

# Prisma CLI commands and administrative tooling
DIRECT_URL="postgres://USER:PASSWORD@db.prisma.io:5432/postgres?sslmode=require"
```

In a Node.js runtime, pass the pooled connection string to Prisma Client through the [`@prisma/adapter-pg`](/guides/database-connecting-to-your-database) driver adapter. In an edge or TCP-constrained runtime, use the [Prisma Postgres serverless driver](/guides/database-serverless-driver) with the direct connection string instead.

> \[!WARNING]
> Accelerate retirement
>
> Prisma Accelerate will be retired on December 1, 2026. This covers both the Accelerate environments from Step 4, which use `prisma://accelerate.prisma-data.net/?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY` connection strings, and hosted Accelerate connections for Prisma Postgres, which use `prisma+postgres://accelerate.prisma-data.net/?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY`. Choose the path that matches your setup:
>
> - [Connect to Prisma Postgres without Accelerate](/guides/migrating-off-accelerate-postgres-database-switch-from-accelerate)
> - [Keep your existing database and remove Accelerate](/guides/migrating-off-accelerate-accelerate-keep-your-database)

## Next steps

- Learn more about [Console concepts](/guides/introduction-5-console-concepts)
- Explore [database metrics](/guides/features-2-console-features-metrics)
- Check out the [CLI reference](/guides/console-commands-console)

## Related pages

- [`Concepts`](/guides/introduction-5-console-concepts): Understand the core concepts of the Prisma Console: user accounts, workspaces, projects, and resources

## Related pages

- [Authentication & Tools](./authentication-tools-index.md)
- [Build](./build-index.md)
- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Concepts](./concepts-index.md)
- [Console commands](./console-commands-index.md)
- [Contract Authoring](./contract-authoring-index.md)
- [Core Concepts](./core-concepts-index.md)
- [Data Modeling](./data-modeling-index.md)
- [Database](./database-index.md)
- [DB commands](./db-commands-index.md)

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