Skip to main content
Welcome — this guide walks through signing up for an HCP Terraform account, verifying your email, and configuring the initial organization and security settings. Follow the numbered steps to get your organization ready for workspaces, VCS integration, and remote runs.

​
1) Create your HCP Terraform account

  1. Open app.terraform.io in your browser.
  2. Click Create account and complete the form with a username, email, and a secure password.
  3. Agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then submit to create the account.
The image shows a login page for HCP Terraform, prompting users to enter an email or username to continue, with options for creating an account or signing in with SSO.

​
2) Confirm your email address

After creating the account you’ll receive a confirmation email. Open your inbox and click the confirmation link sent from HCP Terraform to verify your email address.
This image shows an email inbox with a highlighted email from HCP Terraform requesting email address confirmation. The email contains a prompt to confirm the email address by clicking a provided link.

​
3) Complete your account profile

Once verified, finish the account setup in the profile area. Typical profile tasks include:
  • Uploading an avatar
  • Viewing active sessions
  • Changing your password
  • Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Generating personal user tokens for CLI/API access
Personal tokens (user tokens) are created from Account Settings and are useful for terraform login and API automation.

​
4) Create an organization

From the top-left, click HCP Terraform to return to the main console and create a new organization.
  • Choose a type: Personal or Business (the demo uses Personal).
  • Enter an organization name (for example, Krausen HCP).
  • Confirm the organization email and click Create organization.
The image shows a webpage from Terraform where you can create a new organization, with options for "Business" or "Personal" use.

​
5) Organization dashboard — overview

After creating your organization you’ll land on the organization dashboard. The left-hand navigation contains the main features you’ll use:
  • Projects, Stacks, and Workspaces
  • Private Registry
  • Settings (organization configuration)
  • Explorer
  • Plans and billing
Open Settings to view and configure organization-wide details such as the Organization ID, execution defaults, integrations, and more.

​
Organization settings at a glance

Setting areaPurposeExample / Notes
Organization IDUseful for support requests and API usageUse when opening a support ticket
Execution modeSet default run execution: remote, local, or agentChange per-organization or override per-workspace
Stacks / Pre-releasesOpt into Terraform alpha/beta releasesUse with caution in non-production environments
Teams & UsersManage access and roles for organization membersCreate admin/dev teams
Variable setsShare variables across multiple workspacesUseful for common credentials or configuration
Plans & billingView current plan or upgrade from free to paidClick Edit to change plan

​
6) API tokens and security

Within Settings > Security you’ll find API Tokens for both organization-level and user-level access. Organization tokens are created from the Tokens page and can be used for automation, CI/CD, or integrations.
The image shows a webpage from HashiCorp's Terraform app, displaying the API Tokens settings page for managing organization tokens. It includes options to generate and use API tokens for different access levels.
Keep API tokens secure. Treat organization and user tokens like secrets — store them in a secure secret manager and rotate them periodically.

​
7) Additional organization-level options

  • Agent pools — configure and manage agents for agent-based execution.
  • Authentication — enforce 2FA, add SSH keys, and configure single sign-on (SSO).
  • VCS providers — connect GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc., for workspace repository linkage (you can also connect at the workspace level).
  • Events & Providers — review logged events and provider configurations.

​
Next steps

To continue your HCP Terraform setup:
  1. Create one or more Workspaces in your organization.
  2. Connect a Workspace to a VCS repository (the demo uses GitHub) or upload configuration directly.
  3. Run a plan and apply from the workspace or use the CLI with terraform login and an appropriate token.

Watch Video