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

# Quick Start

> Add Sentry to your app and capture your first event in minutes.

Sentry starts capturing errors as soon as you initialize the SDK with your project's DSN. This guide walks you from sign-up to your first event in the dashboard.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Sentry account">
    Go to [sentry.io](https://sentry.io) and sign up. You can use your email address, or sign in with Google or GitHub.

    During sign-up, you'll create your **organization** — the top-level container for all your projects and team members. Choose a name for your company or team.

    <Note>
      Sentry is free for small teams. The Developer plan includes one user and generous event limits to get started without a credit card.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a project">
    After signing in, create your first project:

    1. Go to **Settings > Projects > Create Project**
    2. Select your platform (JavaScript, Python, or any of the 100+ supported platforms)
    3. Give your project a name that matches your application or service
    4. Assign it to a team

    Sentry displays your project's **DSN** (Data Source Name) on the next screen. Copy it — you'll need it in the next step.

    <Tip>
      You can always find your DSN later at **Settings > Projects > \[your project] > Client Keys (DSN)**.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install the SDK">
    Install the Sentry SDK for your language using your package manager.

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="JavaScript">
        ```bash theme={null}
        npm install --save @sentry/browser
        ```

        For Node.js applications:

        ```bash theme={null}
        npm install --save @sentry/node
        ```
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Python">
        ```bash theme={null}
        pip install --upgrade sentry-sdk
        ```
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initialize Sentry">
    Add the initialization code as early as possible in your application's startup — before any other code runs.

    Replace `YOUR_DSN` with the DSN you copied when creating your project.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```javascript main.js theme={null}
      import * as Sentry from "@sentry/browser";

      Sentry.init({
        dsn: "https://<key>@<org>.ingest.sentry.io/<project>",

        // Set a sample rate: 1.0 captures 100% of transactions
        // Lower this in production if you have high traffic
        tracesSampleRate: 1.0,
      });
      ```

      ```python main.py theme={null}
      import sentry_sdk

      sentry_sdk.init(
          dsn="https://<key>@<org>.ingest.sentry.io/<project>",

          # Set a sample rate: 1.0 captures 100% of transactions
          # Lower this in production if you have high traffic
          traces_sample_rate=1.0,
      )
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    <Note>
      The DSN format is `https://<public_key>@<host>/<project_id>`. Sentry generates this automatically — you don't need to construct it manually.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Throw a test error">
    Verify the SDK is working by triggering a test exception.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```javascript test-error.js theme={null}
      // Add this button or call from your code to trigger a test error
      document.getElementById("test-error").addEventListener("click", () => {
        throw new Error("Sentry test error");
      });

      // Or capture an exception manually
      try {
        throw new Error("This is a test error");
      } catch (error) {
        Sentry.captureException(error);
      }
      ```

      ```python test_error.py theme={null}
      # Raise an unhandled exception — Sentry captures it automatically
      raise Exception("This is a test error from Sentry")

      # Or capture it explicitly
      try:
          raise Exception("This is a test error")
      except Exception as e:
          sentry_sdk.capture_exception(e)
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="View your event in the dashboard">
    Go to your Sentry dashboard at [sentry.io](https://sentry.io). Navigate to **Issues** in the left sidebar.

    Your test error should appear within a few seconds. Click it to see:

    * The full stack trace
    * Breadcrumbs leading up to the error
    * Environment and release information
    * Device and browser context (for frontend errors)

    <Note>
      If your event doesn't appear after 30 seconds, check that the DSN in your code matches exactly what's shown in **Settings > Projects > \[your project] > Client Keys (DSN)**.
    </Note>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Account Setup" icon="building" href="/account-setup">
    Configure your organization, invite team members, and set up SSO.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a Project" icon="folder-plus" href="/create-project">
    Learn more about project settings, DSN keys, and environments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDK Reference" icon="code" href="/sdk/overview">
    Explore advanced SDK configuration for your platform.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alerts" icon="bell" href="/concepts/alerts">
    Set up alert rules so you get notified when errors occur.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>