New Environment Setup

A new Unqork environment arrives empty. Before Creators can build and before end-users can access anything, an administrator must configure the foundational settings in the correct order. Skipping steps or performing them out of order can leave Creators without access, services broken, or end-users unable to log in.

An Unqork representative typically guides organizations through the initial setup of a new environment. This guide covers the recommended configuration sequence so administrators understand what is involved and can work alongside their Unqork representative or complete setup independently. It assumes the genesis user account is available and that the environment URL is known.

Setup Sequence

1. Sign In as the Genesis User

Unqork creates the genesis user account when provisioning the environment. The genesis user has full administrator access and is the only account that exists before any other setup, making it effectively the environment's first administrator. Use the genesis user credentials to complete the initial configuration, then create a named Creator account for ongoing administrative work.

If the environment uses a custom domain, the root URL loads the Express application and does not provide a Creator login. To access the Creator platform on a custom domain, append -designer to the subdomain — for example, identity.unqork.io becomes identity-designer.unqork.io.

If the genesis user credentials are not available, contact an Unqork representative.

2. Configure Creator Roles

Creator roles define what Creators can access and do in the environment. Setting up roles before adding Creator accounts ensures that every Creator receives the correct permissions from the beginning.

Navigate to Creator Role Administration and create the roles the organization needs. At minimum, create:

• A role with full access to all administration pages (for example, Administrator)
• A role with access to Module Builder, Workflow Builder, and workspace management (for example, Builder)
• Any additional roles for read-only reviewers, QA engineers, or release managers

Role names are defined by the organization; Unqork does not prescribe specific names.

Limit Production promote permissions to a small group. See Promoting Resources for the recommended approach.

3. Add Creator Accounts

After creating roles, add Creator accounts in Creator User Administration. Assign each Creator to the appropriate role from the previous step.

If the organization uses SSO for Creator login, configure SSO in step 5 before adding Creators. Unqork creates SSO-authenticated Creator accounts automatically on first login and assigns the role the SSO configuration specifies.

4. Configure Services

Services define how modules connect to external systems. Configuring services early ensures that modules can reference them as soon as Creators begin building.

Navigate to Services Administration and add the service configurations the organization requires: API endpoints, authentication methods, headers, and connection settings.

Services are environment-specific. A service configured in Staging must be configured separately in QA, UAT, and Production. If the service credentials or endpoints differ between environments, configure each environment independently. See Configuration Management Across Environments for guidance.

5. Configure SSO (if applicable)

If the organization uses SSO for Creator or end-user authentication, configure it before Creators begin building modules that depend on user identity.

Navigate to SSO (Single Sign-On) Management and add an SSO configuration for the appropriate domain: Designer for Creator login, Express for end-user login. Test the configuration by logging in with a representative account before moving on to the next step.

6. Set Global Variables

Global Variables store environment-specific values (API base URLs, feature flags, or configuration identifiers) that modules reference by key. Setting them early means modules built in this environment can reference the correct values immediately.

Navigate to Global Variables Administration and define the key-value pairs the organization needs. Each environment holds its own Global Variables independently; they do not transfer during promotion. Define them separately in each environment.

7. Configure Express Roles and Groups

Express roles control what end-users can access in published applications. Express groups let administrators assign roles to collections of end-users.

Navigate to Express Role Administration and create the roles end-users need to access published applications. If the organization manages end-users in bulk, also navigate to Express Group Administration and create the appropriate groups.

Express roles and groups are promotable between environment levels. Configure them in Staging and promote to higher environments as part of the standard promotion pipeline.

8. Configure Styles

Styles control the visual appearance of Express applications. An environment must have at least one style configured before end-users can access published applications.

Navigate to Style Administration and upload or configure the style the organization uses. Set a default style so all applications in the environment inherit a consistent appearance.

Styles are promotable. Configure the style in Staging and promote it through the pipeline to Production.

9. Configure Environment Security Settings

Each environment has independent security settings for authentication, sessions, file uploads, and network policies. Review and configure the following in Environment Administration:

• Session management: Inactivity timeout, absolute session expiry
• Account lockout: Failed login attempt threshold and lockout duration
• File upload limits: Maximum file size for end-user uploads
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Allowed external resources for Express applications
• Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS): Allowed origins for API requests

These settings do not transfer during promotion. Configure them independently in each environment.

10. Verify the Setup

Before handing the environment off to Creators:

1. Log in as a Creator with the appropriate build role and confirm access to the Module Builder and workspace tools.
2. Open a service in Services Administration and confirm it connects and returns a response from the target system.
3. If SSO is active, log in with a representative Creator account to confirm the SSO flow completes and the correct role is assigned.
4. Create a test module that references each Global Variable and confirm the expected values appear at runtime.
5. Open Express View on a module and confirm the default style renders correctly.

Environment-Specific Configuration Reference