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

# Create an account

> Sign up with email or GitHub, and what happens to a referral link on the way.

## Two ways in

### Email and password

Go to **Sign up**, provide your email address and choose a password. Your email is stored lowercased and trimmed, so `You@Example.com ` and `you@example.com` are the same account and you cannot accidentally create two.

### GitHub

If GitHub sign-in is enabled on the deployment, the OAuth button appears on both the sign-in and sign-up screens.

<Info>
  An account created through GitHub has **no password**. Signing in with email and password against that account will not work, and will fail identically to a wrong password rather than telling you the account exists — that is deliberate, so the login form cannot be used to discover which email addresses are registered.

  To add a password later, use [Reset credentials](/security/account-recovery#changing-your-password).
</Info>

## If you arrived from a referral link

A referral link looks like `/ref/<code>`. Visiting one stores the code in a cookie for **30 days**, then forwards you to the site.

That window is deliberate. Attribution that only survived a single navigation would credit almost nobody — the usual pattern is that someone reads the landing page, wanders off, and signs up several days later.

When you complete sign-up, the stored code is resolved to the referring account and the link is recorded permanently. It cannot be changed afterwards.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A["Click /ref/abc23xyz"] --> B[Code stored in cookie]
    B --> C[Browse, leave, return]
    C --> D[Sign up]
    D --> E[Referral link recorded]
    E --> F[Commission flows on your purchases]
```

Referral codes are eight characters from an alphabet with `0`, `o`, `1`, `l` and `i` removed, because those get misread when typed off a screen.

## Choosing a password

There is no maximum length and no character-class requirement designed to be annoying. Length is what matters.

| Do                                                 | Don't                                                             |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Use a password manager and a long random string    | Reuse a password from another exchange or wallet service          |
| Use a passphrase of several unrelated words        | Use a variation of a password you use elsewhere                   |
| Store the recovery codes from 2FA setup separately | Keep 2FA codes in the same password manager entry as the password |

## What you get immediately

* An account with a **\$0.00 balance**.
* A **referral code** of your own, usable straight away from the [Referral Hub](/platform/referral-hub).
* A welcome notification in the bell menu.
* Access to the dashboard, with the deposit and plan flows open.

## What is still gated

| Action               | Requires                                                       |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Deposit crypto       | Nothing further                                                |
| Buy a plan or add-on | A funded balance, or crypto checkout                           |
| Withdraw             | [Identity verification](/getting-started/verify-your-identity) |
| Change password      | Emailed reset code                                             |

## Next

Do **not** skip straight to funding. Turn on two-factor authentication first — it takes about two minutes and it is much easier to do on an empty account than after you have a balance.

* [Secure your account](/getting-started/secure-your-account)