> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.getunleash.io/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.getunleash.io/_mcp/server.

# Quickstart

> Get started with Unleash in minutes. Sign up for a free trial, create your first feature flag, and connect your application using our SDKs.

The easiest way to get started with Unleash is through a [cloud-hosted free trial](https://www.getunleash.io/plans/enterprise-payg). This gives you a ready-to-use instance, so you can explore all Unleash features without any local setup.

In this guide, you'll:

**Sign up** for a free, cloud-hosted Unleash Enterprise instance.

**Create your first feature flag** using the Unleash Admin UI.

**Connect Unleash to your application** by integrating an SDK into your codebase.

![The Unleash Admin UI onboarding experience](https://files.buildwithfern.com/unleash.docs.buildwithfern.com/1d5e74632bdcab730e7ee53cecfaf915681ab8d8ee5899cf30e217ab41cac00b/assets/onboarding-experience.png)

If you prefer to manage your own infrastructure, see the [self-hosted setup guide](/deploy/getting-started). To use the open-source version, see the instructions in the [Unleash GitHub repository](https://github.com/Unleash/unleash?tab=readme-ov-file#get-started-with-unleash).

## Sign up for an Unleash Enterprise Cloud trial

Start by signing up for a free 14-day trial of Unleash Enterprise Cloud. After you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation email. Follow the link in the email to set your password and log in to your Unleash instance.

Start free trial

## Create your first feature flag

Once you've logged in, it's time to create your first feature flag:

In the Unleash Admin UI, open the **Default** project.

Click **New feature flag**.

Enter a name, and click **Create feature flag**.

For more details on creating feature flags, see [How to create a feature flag](/guides/how-to-create-feature-flags).

## Connect your application to Unleash

Next, use one of the client or backend [SDKs](/sdks) to connect Unleash with your application.

Explore our SDK examples directly in your browser with CodeSandbox. Check out the [Unleash SDK Examples](https://github.com/Unleash/unleash-sdk-examples) repository to try one now.

In the Unleash Admin UI, create a [frontend API token](/concepts/api-tokens-and-client-keys#frontend-tokens) in **Admin settings > Access control > API access**.

Find the base URL of your Unleash Cloud instance.

For example, `https://us.app.unleash-hosted.com/some-instance-id`.

Your frontend API URL is this base URL with `/api/frontend` appended to it.

In your application code, initialize the SDK using your API URL and token.

The following example shows how to use the [JavaScript SDK](/sdks/javascript-browser) to connect to your Unleash instance:

```javascript title="JavaScript SDK"
import { UnleashClient } from "unleash-proxy-client";

const unleash = new UnleashClient({
    url: "https://<YOUR_UNLEASH_INSTANCE>/api/frontend",
    clientKey: "<YOUR_TOKEN>",
    appName: "<YOUR_APP_NAME>",
});

unleash.on("synchronized", () => {
    // Unleash is ready to serve updated feature flags.

    // Check a feature flag
    if (unleash.isEnabled("some-flag")) {
        // do cool new things when the flag is enabled
    }
});
```

In the Unleash Admin UI, create a [backend token](/concepts/api-tokens-and-client-keys#backend-tokens) in **Admin settings > Access control > API access**.

Find the base URL of your Unleash Cloud instance.

For example, `https://us.app.unleash-hosted.com/some-instance-id`.

Your API URL is this base URL with `/api` appended to it.

In your application code, initialize the SDK using your API URL and token.

The following example shows how to use the [Node.js SDK](/sdks/node) to connect to your Unleash instance:

```javascript title="Node.js SDK"
const { initialize } = require("unleash-client");

const unleash = initialize({
    url: "https://<YOUR_UNLEASH_INSTANCE>/api",
    appName: "<YOUR_APP_NAME>",
    customHeaders: {
        Authorization: "<YOUR_TOKEN>",
    },
});

unleash.on("synchronized", () => {
    // Unleash is ready to serve updated feature flags.

    if (unleash.isEnabled("some-flag")) {
        // do cool new things when the flag is enabled
    }
});
```

For examples that show how to connect to Unleash in other programming languages, see the [Unleash SDK Examples repository](https://github.com/Unleash/unleash-sdk-examples).

## Next steps

You have successfully connected Unleash to your application. To continue exploring, see the following resources:

* **Core concepts**: Learn about the [Unleash architecture](/get-started/unleash-overview), available [hosting options](/deploy/hosting-options), and other [reference documentation](/concepts/projects).
* **Developer guides**: Explore feature flag [best practices](/guides/feature-flag-best-practices) and [language-specific tutorials](/guides/implement-feature-flags-in-react).
* **Join the community**: Have questions or feedback? Join the [Unleash community on Slack](https://slack.unleash.run) to connect with other developers and the Unleash team.