Docs/Getting Started/Creating Your First Project

Creating Your First Project

Set up your workspace and create your first Ilara project with proper configuration.

3 min read

Create Your Account

If you haven't already, create your Ilara account at dashboard.ilara.ai/signup.

Ilara offers a free tier with generous limits to get started. No credit card required.

Create a New Project

Projects in Ilara represent individual games or applications. Each project has its own isolated data, API keys, and configuration.

Open the Dashboard

Click 'New Project'

Click the + New Project button in the top right corner.

Enter Project Details

Fill in your project information:

Field	Description	Example
Project Name	Display name for your game	My Awesome RPG
Project Slug	URL-safe identifier (auto-generated)	my-awesome-rpg
Platform	Primary game platform	Unity, Unreal, Mobile
Genre	Game genre for analytics templates	RPG, Casual, Strategy

Configure Settings

Set your preferred timezone and data retention period. These can be changed later.

Generate API Keys

Ilara uses two types of API keys for different security contexts:

Key Type	Prefix	Usage	Security
Public Key	`pk_`	Client-side SDK, game builds	Safe to embed in game clients
Secret Key	`sk_`	Server-side operations only	Never expose in client code

Keep Secret Keys Safe

Never embed secret keys (sk_) in game clients or client-side code. They grant full access to your project data and should only be used on your backend servers.

Navigate to Settings

Go to Project Settings > API Keys.

Generate Keys

Click Generate New Key and select the key type. Your public key is generated automatically.

Copy and Store Securely

Copy your keys immediately—secret keys are only shown once. Store them in your game's configuration or environment variables.

Unity: Store API Key in ScriptableObject

csharp

class=class="code-string">"code-comment">// Create a config asset: Assets > Create > Ilara > Config
[CreateAssetMenu(fileName = class="code-string">"IlaraConfig", menuName = class="code-string">"Ilara/Config")]
public class IlaraConfig : ScriptableObject
{
    [Header(class="code-string">"API Configuration")]
    public string apiKey = class="code-string">"pk_live_your_key_here";
 
    [Header(class="code-string">"Options")]
    public bool debugMode = false;
    public bool cacheFlags = true;
}

Development vs Production

Ilara supports separate environments for development and production:

Environment	Key Prefix	Purpose
Test	`pk_test_`	Development, staging, QA testing
Live	`pk_live_`	Production game releases

Test keys point to a separate data environment, so your development testing won't pollute production analytics.

Switch Environments Based on Build

csharp

#if UNITY_EDITOR || DEVELOPMENT_BUILD
    private const string API_KEY = class="code-string">"pk_test_development_key";
#else
    private const string API_KEY = class="code-string">"pk_live_production_key";
#endif
 
void Start()
{
    IlaraClient.Instance.Initialize(API_KEY);
}

Project Structure

Once your project is created, you'll have access to these dashboard sections:

Overview — Real-time metrics and health dashboard
Events — Event stream, queries, and analytics
Players — Player profiles, segments, and lifecycle
Feature Flags — Flag management and experiments
Retention — Churn prediction and automated campaigns
Settings — API keys, team members, integrations

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide — Install the SDK and track your first event
Understanding Events — Learn event tracking best practices
Player Identification — Set up player tracking

Quick Start Guide

Understanding Events