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

# Quickstart

> Go from signup to your first successful proxy request in under 5 minutes. Covers both the dashboard and the terminal.

This guide walks you through making your first proxy request with FlameProxies. By the end, you'll have a working connection that returns a response through one of our residential IPs.

## 1. Create your account

Go to [flameproxies.com/register](https://flameproxies.com/register) and create an account. New accounts can start with a free 200 MB trial — no credit card required.

## 2. Get bandwidth

Before you can make requests, you need a package with bandwidth. Log in to the [dashboard](https://flameproxies.com/dashboard) and use your trial bandwidth, or buy residential or premium residential bandwidth.

Pricing is pay-as-you-go, and bandwidth never expires. See [Billing & top-ups](/dashboard/billing) for prices and payment methods.

## 3. Make your first request

Once your package has bandwidth, you have two ways to make your first request: through the dashboard's **proxy generator**, or from your **terminal** using curl.

### Option A: Proxy generator (dashboard)

The proxy generator is the fastest way to get a working proxy line without learning the format first.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your package">
    In the [dashboard](https://flameproxies.com/dashboard), open your residential or premium residential package.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure your connection">
    Pick a country (and optionally a city), choose a rotating or sticky connection, and select HTTP or SOCKS5.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy your proxy line">
    Choose the output format your tool expects — for example `http_url` — and copy the generated line.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the connection">
    Paste the line into your tool, or into the curl command below. You should get a response with an IP address that's different from your own.
  </Step>
</Steps>

For more on each option, see the [proxy generator guide](/dashboard/proxy-generator).

### Option B: curl (terminal)

If you prefer the command line, you can test your connection with a single curl command.

Replace `USERNAME` and `PASSWORD` with your package credentials from the dashboard:

```bash theme={null}
curl -x proxy.flameproxies.com:8989 -U "USERNAME-package-standard-country-us:PASSWORD" https://ipinfo.io/json
```

The username carries your parameters: `package-standard` selects residential proxies, and `country-us` exits from the United States. The password is your package password. See [Authentication](/getting-started/authentication) for the full format.

You should get a JSON response like this:

```json theme={null}
{
  "ip": "203.0.113.45",
  "city": "Los Angeles",
  "country": "US",
  "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
}
```

The `ip` field should be different from your real IP, and `country` should match what you targeted. That means your request was routed through a FlameProxies residential IP.

<Tip>
  To send the same request through the premium pool, change `package-standard` to `package-premium`. Everything else stays the same.
</Tip>

## 4. Verify it's working

A successful proxy request means:

* You get a `200` response with a JSON body (not a timeout or a `407 Proxy Authentication Required` error).
* The `ip` in the response is different from your own.
* If you set a country, the `country` in the response matches it.

If something went wrong, work through [Connection debugging](/troubleshooting/connection-debugging).

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Choose a proxy type" icon="compass" href="/getting-started/choosing-proxy-type">
    Understand the difference between residential, premium, and static proxies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/getting-started/authentication">
    Learn the proxy line format and output formats.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Python examples" icon="python" href="/examples/python">
    Working Python code for rotating and sticky proxies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Node.js examples" icon="node-js" href="/examples/nodejs">
    Working Node.js code for rotating and sticky proxies.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>