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

# How Glowply works

> A quick map of Glowply: the account portal where you handle billing, and the site dashboard where you build pages and run your store — and how they fit together.

Glowply gives you two places to work in: your **account portal** for billing and account settings, and your **site dashboard** for building your website and running your store. You open the dashboard from the portal with one click, so you always start from the same place.

This page is a map. It shows what each area is for and the order things happen in — from sign-up to a live site.

## The two areas you'll use

Knowing which area a task lives in makes everything else easier. Almost everything you do in Glowply happens in one of these two places.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Account portal" icon="user" href="/en/account/portal-overview">
    At `/my-account`. Your billing and account home: view your **Subscription**, top up your **Wallet**, update your details in **Account**, and manage your site in **Site management**.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Site dashboard" icon="store" href="/en/site/dashboard-overview">
    Opened from the portal with the **Glowply dashboard** button. Where you build pages with the **Builder** and run your **Store** — products, orders, customers, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Think of it this way: the **account portal** is where you pay and manage your account. The **site dashboard** is where you build and sell.
</Note>

## How the two areas connect

You never have to hunt for your site dashboard. You open it from the portal:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to your account portal">
    Go to `/my-account` and sign in. You land on your portal **Dashboard**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find your site card">
    Your portal Dashboard shows a card for your site with its address, plan, and status.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open your site dashboard">
    Select the **Glowply dashboard** button on that card. Your site dashboard opens in a new tab — you're signed in automatically, with no extra password to enter.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Want to see your live site as visitors do? Use the **Visit site** link instead — it opens your public site at `yourname.myglowply.com`.
</Tip>

## Your Glowply lifecycle

Here's the journey from the moment you sign up to a working website and store.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up">
    Create your account at `glowply.com`. You choose your site address (the part before `.myglowply.com`) and enter your name, email, phone, and a password.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify your phone">
    Glowply sends a 6-digit code to your phone — on WhatsApp first, with SMS as a fallback. Enter the code to confirm it's really you. See [account verification](/en/account-verification) for details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your site is built automatically">
    As soon as your phone is verified, Glowply builds your website and store for you at `yourname.myglowply.com`, with secure HTTPS already switched on. This takes only a moment — there's nothing to set up yourself.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Manage billing in the portal">
    You land in your **account portal**. A **free trial** starts automatically, so your site is live right away. Top up your **Wallet** before the trial ends to keep everything running.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build your site in the dashboard">
    Open the **site dashboard** with the **Glowply dashboard** button and start building — add your pages with the **Builder** and your products in the **Store**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How billing works, in short

Glowply uses a **prepaid Wallet**. You add credit to your **Wallet**, and your monthly **Subscription** renews itself from that balance — there's no card charged at renewal time.

* Every new account begins with a **free trial**, so nothing is charged up front.
* Before the trial ends, top up your Wallet so your first renewal goes through smoothly.
* After that, each monthly renewal is taken from your Wallet balance. Keep enough credit and your site simply stays online.

<Warning>
  If your Wallet balance is too low when a renewal is due, your subscription becomes **past due** and your site can be paused until you top up. Topping up early avoids any interruption.
</Warning>

Learn more about each part of billing:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Subscription" icon="rotate" href="/en/account/subscription">
    How your plan renews, what the statuses mean, and how trials work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Wallet & top-ups" icon="wallet" href="/en/account/wallet">
    Add credit in month bundles and read your transaction history.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create your site" icon="rocket" href="/en/quickstart">
    A step-by-step walkthrough from sign-up to a live site.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tour your account portal" icon="gauge" href="/en/account/portal-overview">
    A guided look at every tab in your billing and account home.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tour your site dashboard" icon="grid-2" href="/en/site/dashboard-overview">
    See where pages, media, the Store, and the Builder live.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build your first pages" icon="pen-ruler" href="/en/site/builder-overview">
    Meet the Builder, the visual editor for your site.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>