First-run wizard

The wizard opens in your browser after the installer has finished in the terminal. It has three steps: Domains («Домены»), Access («Доступ»), Launch («Запуск»). You will need two different domains with DNS records pointing to the server IP, an email address, the access code from the terminal and, if the wizard requires it, a license key — see Server requirements and preparation.

Interface language

The wizard opens in English. Use English or Russian («Русский») at the top to choose a language. It is preserved when moving to HTTPS and used by the panel after installation. You can change it on the login page, in the panel menu or in My profile. Switching reloads the page, so choose before filling in the form. Campaign names and your other data are not translated.

Access by IP and the access code

When it finishes, the installer prints the wizard address http://203.0.113.10/setup/ and a link with a code like http://203.0.113.10/setup/#key=…. The link and the code are also saved on the server in the file /opt/micator/setup-access.txt, readable only by root. If you set a different directory with the --path parameter during installation, the file is in that directory.

Open the link with the code in your browser — the wizard shows step 1 right away.

If you open the address without the code, the Let's set up your server («Настроим ваш сервер») screen appears:

1. Paste the code into the Access code («Код доступа») field.
2. Click Open wizard («Открыть мастер»).

Step 1: domains and HTTPS

The Connect your domains («Подключите домены») screen. The panel and the traffic links use separate addresses. The DNS records of both domains must point to the IP of this server before the check starts.

If the domains are proxied through Cloudflare, choose SSL/TLS → Overview → Full (strict). The wizard issues the certificates on the server. Flexible does not work: the browser opens HTTPS, but Cloudflare passes the request to the server over HTTP, and the wizard rejects it. How to prepare the other settings: Cloudflare before installation.

1. Fill in the three fields.
2. Click Check and continue («Проверить и продолжить»).
3. Wait for the check to finish on the Connecting domains («Подключаем домены») screen. The status changes in order: “Checking domains” («Проверяем домены»), “Enabling HTTPS” («Включаем HTTPS»).

First the wizard checks that both domains respond from this server on port 80. Then it issues HTTPS certificates for both domains. Issuing can take a few minutes.

After the check, the browser opens the wizard on the secure address https://panel.example.com/setup/ by itself. You do not need to enter the access code again. The owner's login and password are set only on this secure page.

Migration from Keitaro

On step 2 you can expand Migrate from Keitaro («Перенести из Keitaro») and choose an archive on another server or a file on this server. The wizard checks the archive, shows its contents and the reasons campaigns are paused, then asks you to confirm the migration. The owner details are filled in separately. After the launch, the history for the last 90 days (UTC) loads in the background.

The steps, limitations and the domain check are described on the Migration from Keitaro page. Restoring a Micator backup and migrating from Keitaro are different options for the initial launch; do not choose both at once.

Step 2: team and logo

The Your team («Ваша команда») screen with the “HTTPS enabled” («HTTPS включён») mark.

1. Enter the Team name («Название команды») — from 1 to 80 characters. It becomes the name of the workspace in the tracker.
2. Optionally, choose a file in the Team logo («Логотип команды») field. PNG, JPG and WebP files up to 2 MB and up to 16 megapixels are accepted.

The wizard fits the image without distortion into the size of the Micator wordmark — 270 × 57 pixels — and shows the result above the field. The panel is dark, so choose a horizontal logo with a transparent background. The Keep Micator («Оставить Micator») button removes the selected file. If you upload nothing, the panel keeps the Micator wordmark.

Step 2: owner login and password

The owner is the account that has access to all tracker settings. Roles are described on the Team and roles page.

1. Check the Owner login («Логин владельца») field. By default it contains admin. Latin letters, digits and the characters _ . + @ - are allowed, up to 200 characters.
2. Come up with a password and enter it in the Password («Пароль») and Repeat password («Повторите пароль») fields. At least 12 characters, at most 72 bytes: that is 72 Latin characters or 36 Cyrillic ones.
3. Write the password down, for example in a password manager.

The wizard does not store the password and never shows it later: only its hash reaches the server, and there is no file with the password. The hint under the fields reminds you of this: “At least 12 characters. The password is not stored anywhere and is never shown later — write it down in a password manager.” («Не менее 12 символов. Пароль нигде не сохраняется и потом не показывается — запишите его в менеджер паролей.») A forgotten password is replaced on the server with the sudo micatorctl owner-password command — see New owner password.

License key

Below the password is the License («Лицензия») block with the License key («Ключ лицензии») field. The key format is XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX: Latin letters and digits from 2 to 7, case-insensitive.

• Marked “Required for panel access” («Для доступа к панели») — the block is expanded, and the form will not submit without a key. After the launch, the tracker activates the key by itself.
• Marked “Optional” («Необязательно») — the block is collapsed, and you can leave the field empty. You enter the key later in the panel: Settings → License («Настройки → Лицензия»).

Where to get a key is described on the Getting a key and activation page.

Step 3: launch

1. Click Launch tracker («Запустить трекер»).
2. Wait for it to finish on the Launching the tracker («Запускаем трекер») screen. The status changes in order: “Preparing the tracker” («Подготавливаем трекер»), “Starting databases and panel” («Запускаем базы и панель»), “Checking readiness” («Проверяем готовность»).

The screen shows Panel («Панель»), Tracking («Трекинг») and Owner («Владелец») — the domains and login the tracker is launched with. The line “Waiting for a connection to the tracker…” («Ожидаем соединение с трекером…») during the launch is not an error; the page continues by itself. You can close the tab: setup continues on the server. To come back, open the link with the code again.

When everything is ready, the Tracker is ready («Трекер готов») screen appears with a reminder of how to log in, for example: “Login — admin, password — the one you set. The wizard did not store it and will not show it.” («Логин — admin, пароль — тот, что вы задали. Мастер его не сохранил и не покажет.») A few seconds later the browser opens the login page by itself; the Go to panel («Перейти в панель») button does the same.

Check

1. Open https://panel.example.com/login.
2. Enter the owner's Login («Логин») and Password.
3. Click Log in («Войти»).

The panel opens. What is where in it is described on the Panel overview page.

If you see the “Tracker access closed” («Доступ к трекеру закрыт») screen instead of the panel, the license is not active. Enter the key in the License key field and click Activate («Активировать») — see Getting a key and activation for details.

After completion

• The wizard is closed and does not open again. The /setup/ address on the panel domain leads to the login page.
• Opening the server IP redirects to https://panel.example.com/login.
• The access code no longer works, and the setup-access.txt file is deleted.
• The owner's password is not in any file on the server. The hash the panel used to create the owner is removed from the installation configuration as soon as the panel has started.

If something went wrong

Enter the access code from the installer («Введите код доступа из установщика.»)

The code was not entered or does not match. Get it on the server:

sudo cat /opt/micator/setup-access.txt

The domain panel.example.com was not found in DNS («Домен panel.example.com не найден в DNS. Добавьте A-запись и повторите проверку.»)

The domain has no DNS record, or the record has not updated yet. Add an A record pointing to the server IP, wait, and click Check and continue again.

The domain panel.example.com does not point to this server yet («Домен panel.example.com пока не ведёт на этот сервер. Проверьте A/AAAA-записи, порт 80 и редиректы прокси, затем повторите.»)

The wizard requested the domain over HTTP on port 80 and did not get a response from this server. Check that:

• the A record points to the IP of this server;
• the AAAA record, if there is one, leads to the same server;
• port 80 is open for incoming connections;
• the proxy in front of the server does not redirect HTTP to HTTPS.

HTTPS is not ready yet («HTTPS пока не готов. Проверьте DNS, порты 80/443 и режим Full (strict) в Cloudflare, затем повторите.»)

The domains passed the check, but the wizard did not get an HTTPS response from both domains in time. The browser moves to https://panel.example.com/setup/, and the message is shown on step 2. Until HTTPS works, this page does not open.

1. Check that the DNS records of both domains lead to this server.
2. Open incoming ports 80 and 443.
3. For a domain behind Cloudflare, enable the Full (strict) encryption mode.
4. Reload the page.
5. Continue from step 2 once the page opens over HTTPS.

At launch, the wizard checks HTTPS of both domains again.

Passwords do not match («Пароли не совпадают.»)

The values in the Password and Repeat password fields differ. Enter the password in both fields again.

Password: at least 12 characters and at most 72 bytes («Пароль: минимум 12 символов и максимум 72 байта.»)

The password is shorter than 12 characters or longer than 72 bytes. A Cyrillic letter takes 2 bytes, so 36 Cyrillic characters fit.

Could not prepare the owner password («Не удалось подготовить пароль владельца. Повторите попытку.»)

The wizard could not get the password hash: to compute it, the server runs the panel image from the release. The wizard returns to step 2 with the password fields empty.

1. Enter the password in both fields again.
2. Click Launch tracker.

If the message repeats, check the Docker service: sudo systemctl status docker.

You need to retry the launch

Step 3 stopped with an error. The settings are saved, and you do not need to enter the owner's login and password again. The screen shows the reason, for example “Not ready: panel and traffic HTTPS (DNS/80/443). Fix the cause and repeat the command; the data is saved.” («Не готовы: HTTPS панели и трафика (DNS/80/443). Исправьте причину и повторите команду; данные сохранены.»)

1. Fix the cause on the server.
2. Click Retry launch («Повторить запуск») — in the wizard, this button replaces “repeat the command” from the error text.

Other messages are covered on the Installation errors and how to fix them page.