# Log in to the Data Center Designer

1\. Open a web browser and navigate to [<mark style="color:blue;">https://dcd.ionos.com</mark>](https://dcd.ionos.com).

2\. On the top right corner of the login screen, select your preferred language. The DCD supports **German (DE)**, **English (EN)**, **Spanish (ES)**, and **French (FR)** languages.

3\. Enter the **Email Address** with which you signed-up for an IONOS Cloud account and click **Next**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** If your organization is onboarded to IAM Federation and you have linked your user account, you are directed to your organization's Identity Provider (IDP) to log in to the DCD. Skip the next steps and continue with the instructions in [<mark style="color:blue;">Log in to the Data Center Designer with your IDP</mark> ](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/management/identity-access-management/iam-federation/how-tos/log-in-dcd-identity-provider)to complete signing in to the DCD.
{% endhint %}

![IONOS Cloud DCD log in screen](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-15277df66c88c34073139c1bf0c2db8a9d8d14fe%2Flog-in-dcd.png?alt=media)

4\. Enter the **Password** and click **Sign In**.

![IONOS Cloud DCD log in screen](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-529331f24de69344bcabec81191f9e1ff46959ae%2Fget-started-login-dcd-password.png?alt=media)

5\. The screen to enter the code is only visible to users with [<mark style="color:blue;">2-Factor Authentication (2FA)</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/account-management/account-security#set-up-2-factor-authentication) enabled.

| **2FA**      | **Description**                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enabled**  | Enter the six-digit Time-based one-time password (TOTP) from your authenticator app to continue the login process.                                                    |
| **Disabled** | You will not see the additional screen if you have not enabled 2FA. You can navigate to the next step. However, we highly encourage enabling 2FA to enhance security. |

![Authenticate with a Time-based one-time password (TOTP) for enhanced security](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f23f0da99b5e4e782a544eabd15e31981314522e%2Fget-started-login-dcd-2fa.png?alt=media)

5\. Click **Sign In**.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** You are successfully logged in to the DCD application.
{% endhint %}

## DCD application

Once logged in, you will see three primary areas of the DCD application:

* [Log in to the Data Center Designer](#log-in-to-the-data-center-designer)
  * [DCD application](#dcd-application)
    * [The top navigation menu](#the-top-navigation-menu)
    * [The left navigation menu](#the-left-navigation-menu)
    * [The DCD dashboard](#the-dcd-dashboard)
  * [Next steps](#next-steps)

### The top navigation menu

The top navigation menu enables you to create and manage the data center, and view and manage your user account. Additionally, you can view notifications, visit the help section, learn more about DCD, and contact [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Support</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/contact-information) when needed.

![The top navigation menu](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b10b3eb7dd2bbf10e7809680f8275fc9f4c5089c%2Fdcd-header.png?alt=media)

| **Options**                                                                                                                                                                                                             | **Description**                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1. IONOS Cloud logo                                                                                                                                                                                                     | Click the logo to navigate back to the dashboard from any screen within the DCD.                                                                                                                                        |
| 2. ![](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-26265ac414bc17af0b3a28047707a4930dcf2ab3%2Fget-started-icon.png?alt=media) icon | Click the icon to expand or hide the left navigation bar, causing the DCD interface to adjust its width accordingly.                                                                                                    |
| 3. [<mark style="color:blue;">Management</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/management)                                                                                             | Create, view, and manage users and groups; define password policies; and create and manage tokens.                                                                                                                      |
| 4. Notification icon                                                                                                                                                                                                    | View any active notifications.                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| 5. Help icon                                                                                                                                                                                                            | View online help documentation, learn more about the DCD, and contact [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Support</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/contact-information) when needed. |
| 6. [<mark style="color:blue;">Account Management</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/account-management)                                                                             | View and manage your contract, payment details, general account settings, and password and security-related details.                                                                                                    |

### The left navigation menu

The left navigation menu consists Virtual Data Centers (VDCs) and product categories, which you can use to access all the IONOS Cloud services. You can also create new VDCs or manage existing VDCs, access documentation, explore what's new in DCD, and additional details about the DCD.

| **Options**                                                                                                              | **Description**                                                                                                 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Virtual Data Centers                                                                                                     | View the list of data centers and their details or create a new data center.                                    |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">AI</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#ai)                             | Leverage AI functionalities with open source generative models.                                                 |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Containers</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#containers)             | Manage containerized applications.                                                                              |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Databases</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#databases)               | Host and manage your databases with IONOS Cloud database services.                                              |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Storage & Backup</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#storage--backup)  | Manage IONOS Cloud Storage and Backup services.                                                                 |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Observability</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#observability)       | Observe system behavior through logging, activity tracking, and gather insights using metrics.                  |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Network Services</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#network-services) | Manage network connectivity and edge networking functions with improved security and IP management.             |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Data Analytics</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#data-analytics)     | Use data platform services and manage Big Data workloads.                                                       |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Security</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme#security)                 | Manage network security settings, SSH access, and certificates to secure your data center.                      |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Documentation</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/readme)                     | Redirects you to the IONOS Cloud Documentation portal.                                                          |
| [<mark style="color:blue;">Tutorials</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/get-started) | Redirects you to the Tutorials to help you get started with managing your account.                              |
| What's New in DCD                                                                                                        | Discover the new version of the DCD, new product launches, recent enhancements, and feature updates in the DCD. |
| About DCD                                                                                                                | Displays version details, copyright information, and the company logo.                                          |

### The DCD dashboard

The DCD dashboard shows a concise overview of your VDCs in **My Virtual Data Centers**, and **Resource Allocation** shows the current usage of resources across your infrastructure. You will also see options to contact [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS Cloud Support</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/contact-information), **What's new in the DCD**, and **IONOS Cloud Status** details.

To provide feedback about the DCD dashboard, select **Feedback about this page**. You can submit your rating, provide reasons, and share what you liked or could improve.

You need to create your first data center to start seeing data center-relevant details in the dashboard. To do so, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Create a Data Center</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/get-started/create-data-center) and [<mark style="color:blue;">Configure a Data Center</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/get-started/configure-data-center).

![DCD dashboard](https://1737632334-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MifAzdGvKLDTtvJP8sm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f8b18a4a35b14e180bf4fe20a7ae1860b2dc34d6%2Fdcd_dashboard.png?alt=media)

## Next steps

Navigate to the [<mark style="color:blue;">Data Center Designer</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/data-center-designer) to explore the DCD core functionalities and elements or start [<mark style="color:blue;">creating a data center</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/sections-test/guides/set-up-ionos-cloud/get-started/create-data-center).