Documentation

Getting Started

Overview

This page explains how to log in to the DeDDoS platform, what you see after a successful login, how to move between sections using the navigation bar, how to switch between the dark and light theme, and how your account permissions affect which parts of the application are available to you.

If this is your first time using the platform, read this page before exploring other sections.

Logging In

When you open the application in your browser, the login screen appears.

1 Brand panel - the DeDDoS wordmark, the tagline “DDoS detection and response console”, and the three capabilities of the platform (Detection, Analysis, Response).
2 Continue to operations - the sign-in panel heading. The “Organization-managed access” note reminds you that accounts are created and managed by your administrator.
3 Username field - enter your username or email address here.
4 Password field - enter your account password here. The eye icon on the right side of the field shows or hides the password.
5 Remember me checkbox - keeps you signed in on this browser. The hint “Use only on a trusted workstation.” appears below it.
6 Secure Login button - click this to submit your credentials.

Field	Description
Username	Your username or email address. Both are checked against your account record.
Password	Your account password. Click the eye icon (Show password) to reveal what you typed, and click it again (Hide password) to mask it.
Remember me	Optional. When checked, your session is kept for up to 30 days, even after you close the browser. Leave it unchecked on shared or public computers.

To log in:

Enter your username or email address in the Username field.
Enter your password in the Password field.
Optionally check Remember me.
Click the Secure Login button, or press Enter.

While the request is being processed, the button shows a spinner and the text Signing in…, and it cannot be clicked again.

Validation and Error Messages

The form checks for empty fields before contacting the server. Errors are shown inline, directly below the affected field, and the field is outlined in red.

Username is required - shown below the Username field if you submit the form with the username empty (also when both fields are empty).
Password is required - shown below the Password field if you entered a username but left the password empty.

If the server rejects your credentials, a red message box appears below the Password field, and the password field is focused and its content selected so you can retype it immediately. No dialog has to be dismissed first.

Message	Meaning
Username or password incorrect	The username or password is wrong, or the account has been deactivated by an administrator.
This account is locked after too many failed sign-in attempts. Ask an administrator to unlock it.	The account has been locked after 5 failed sign-in attempts in a row (see Account Lockout).
We could not sign you in. Check your connection and try again.	The server could not be reached. Check your network connection and try again.

Typing in either field clears the error message.

Account Lockout

To protect accounts against password guessing, the platform counts failed sign-in attempts for each account:

After 5 failed attempts in a row, the account is locked. The fifth failed attempt, and every sign-in attempt after it, shows the lock message instead of “Username or password incorrect”.
While the account is locked, sign-in is refused even with the correct password.
A successful sign-in before the limit is reached resets the count to zero.
Only an administrator can unlock the account, on the Users page. The lock does not expire on its own.
Master admin accounts (such as the built-in superadmin account) are never counted or locked.

If your credentials are correct and your account is active, the platform takes you to the Stats page. This is your default landing page after login.

If you were sent to the login screen while opening a specific page (for example, after your session expired, or when you followed a link to a page while signed out), you are returned to that page after you log in instead of the Stats page.

Session Behavior

Without Remember me, your session ends when you close the browser. You need to log in again the next time you open the application.
With Remember me, the session cookie is kept for 30 days, so reopening the browser takes you straight back into the platform.

Your session can also end because of inactivity, because you logged out in another tab, or because an administrator ended it.

Session Expiry

The platform checks your session in the background about every 10 seconds. If your session is no longer active, a Session Expired dialog appears over the current page.

The dialog explains that “Your session is no longer active” and cannot be dismissed with Escape or by clicking outside it. Click Go to Login to return to the login screen. After you log in again, you are taken back to the page you were on when the session expired.

After a successful login you land on the Stats page (titled Statistics). It summarizes recorded attacks, notifications and response actions for one applied time window.

1 Navigation bar - the top bar with the DeDDoS wordmark, the main menu items, the theme toggle, and your account menu. This bar appears on every page.
2 Investigation scope - the filter card where you set the search query, the time range and auto-refresh, then click Apply filters. These filters apply to every chart on the page.
3 Applied window - a summary line showing the time window and query the charts currently display.
4 Dashboard columns - three columns of chart panels: Attacks, Notifications and Response actions. Each column contains a count-over-time chart and a ranking of the top hosts.

For a full guide to using the Stats page, see Stats.

After you log in, a navigation bar appears at the top of every page. It contains the DeDDoS wordmark, the main menu items in the center, and the theme toggle and account menu on the right.

1 DeDDoS wordmark - the product logo.
2 Main menu items - links to each section of the platform (Stats, Actions, Notifications, Attacks, Administration, Docs). The current section is highlighted with an outlined button.
3 Theme toggle - a sun icon (in dark theme) or moon icon (in light theme) that switches between the dark and light theme.
4 Account menu - a button showing your initial in a circle, your username and a chevron. Click it to open the account menu.

The navigation bar displays the following items from left to right:

Menu Item	Icon	Page	Description
Stats	Bar chart	`/stats`	Statistics dashboards summarizing attacks, notifications and response actions over a time window.
Actions	Lightning bolt	`/actions`	Log of automated defensive actions taken by the system.
Notifications	Bell	`/notifications`	Attack notifications received from detection systems.
Attacks	Shield	`/attacks`	Detailed view of individual attacks with attacker information.
Administration	Chalkboard	`/administration`	User, group, list and system configuration panels. Requires permissions.
Docs	Book	`/docs`	This documentation site.

Clicking any menu item navigates directly to that page. When you leave a page, any data requests still in progress on it are cancelled so the next page loads quickly.

Theme Toggle

DeDDoS uses a dark “console” theme by default. Click the theme toggle (the sun icon) to switch to the light theme; in the light theme the icon becomes a moon, which switches back to dark. Hovering the button shows the tooltip Switch to light theme or Switch to dark theme.

The page reloads to apply the new theme. Your choice is stored with your session on the server, so it stays in effect on every page until you change it again or your session ends. The login screen always uses its own dark design.

On desktop screens, click the account button on the right side of the navigation bar to open the account menu.

The menu shows:

Current session - your avatar initial and the username you are logged in as.
Logout - ends your session and returns you to the login screen.

Press Escape or click anywhere outside the menu to close it.

On small screens (narrower than about 992 pixels), the menu items collapse behind a hamburger button. Tap the button to expand the menu. The expanded menu contains:

A Signed in as row with your avatar initial and username, at the top.
All the same menu items as the desktop navigation.
A Light theme / Dark theme row that switches the theme.
A Logout row at the bottom.

Permissions and Visibility

Not every user sees the same menu items. The platform uses a permission system tied to groups. Each user belongs to one or more groups, and each group has a set of permissions. Permissions are assigned to groups on the Groups page.

How Permissions Work

There are three permissions in the system:

Permission	Code	What It Controls
Modify Settings	`modify_settings`	View and change the Allowlist, Blocklist, Internal Networks, AI, Action Manager, DSS and Retention Policies sections within Administration.
View Settings	`view_settings`	Read-only access to the same sections: you can open and review the lists and settings, but the add, edit and delete controls are not available and changes are refused by the server. Useful for operators who need to consult the block/allow lists during an incident without being able to change them.
Users / Groups	`users_groups`	Access to the Users and Groups management pages within Administration.

A user needs at least one of these permissions to see the Administration menu item in the navigation bar. If your account has none of them, the Administration link does not appear at all.

When a group is created or edited, the Add Group / Edit Group dialog describes the effect of the selected permissions, for example “Members of this group will be able to view (but not modify) IP lists and settings under Administration”.

What Each Permission Unlocks

Within the Administration section, individual sub-pages are also permission-gated:

Sub-page	Required Permission
Users	Users / Groups
Groups	Users / Groups
Internal Networks	Modify Settings or View Settings
Allowlist	Modify Settings or View Settings
Blocklist	Modify Settings or View Settings
AI	Modify Settings or View Settings
Action Manager	Modify Settings or View Settings
DSS	Modify Settings or View Settings
Retention Policies	Modify Settings or View Settings

If you have the Users / Groups permission but neither settings permission, you will see the Administration menu item but only the Users and Groups tabs inside it. The reverse is also true: with only Modify Settings or View Settings, you see the configuration tabs but not Users or Groups. Opening Administration takes you to the first tab you are allowed to use.

If you open a page you do not have access to (for example, through a bookmarked link), the server refuses the request and names the permission that section requires.

Pages Visible to All Logged-In Users

The following pages require no special permissions. Every user who can log in can access them:

Logging Out

To log out:

On desktop: Click the account button on the right side of the navigation bar, then click Logout in the menu.
On mobile: Open the hamburger menu and tap Logout at the bottom of the list.

After logging out, you are returned to the login screen, which confirms “You have been signed out.” Your session is cleared from the browser, including a remembered session.

Notes

The login form accepts either a username or an email address in the Username field.
If you cannot log in and believe your credentials are correct, ask an administrator to verify that your account is active. Inactive accounts are rejected with the same “Username or password incorrect” message as a wrong password.
If the login form says your account is locked, wait for an administrator to unlock it before trying again. Further attempts, even with the correct password, are refused until then.
The platform does not offer a self-service password reset. As the login screen states, contact your organization administrator; an administrator can reset your password on the Users page.
Only use Remember me on a workstation you trust. Anyone with access to that browser profile can use your session until it expires or you log out.
The theme toggle changes only your own session; other users keep their own theme.

Stats - the landing page after login, showing attack, notification and response dashboards.
Administration - system configuration, visible only with the right permissions.
Users - where administrators manage user accounts and reset passwords.
Groups - where administrators assign permissions to groups of users.
Glossary - definitions of terms used throughout the platform.

Getting Started

Overview