> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.helodata.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.helodata.com/products/overview/quick-start.md).

# Quick start

Send your first residential proxy request in 5 minutes.

## 1. Create a sub-user

1. Open the [dashboard](https://dashboard.helodata.com) → **Residential → Sub-users**.
2. Click **Create sub-user**, name it (e.g. `acme1`), and pick a password.
3. The dashboard issues a sub-user name like `s1a2b3c4d5e`. Copy both values.

## 2. Build your username

For the simplest case — any US residential IP — your proxy username is:

```
helo_s1a2b3c4d5e-type-res-region-us
```

Substitute your real sub-user where the placeholder shows `s1a2b3c4d5e`. See [Username format](/getting-started/username-format.md) for every available segment.

## 3. Send the request

### curl

```bash
curl -x http://helo_s1a2b3c4d5e-type-res-region-us:PASSWORD@gate.helodata.io:7777 \
     https://ipv4.icanhazip.com
```

### Python (requests)

```python
import requests

USER = "helo_s1a2b3c4d5e-type-res-region-us"
PASS = "PASSWORD"
proxy = f"http://{USER}:{PASS}@gate.helodata.io:7777"

r = requests.get(
    "https://ipv4.icanhazip.com",
    proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy},
    timeout=30,
)
print(r.text.strip())
```

### Node.js (undici)

```js
import { fetch, ProxyAgent } from "undici";

const user = "helo_s1a2b3c4d5e-type-res-region-us";
const pass = "PASSWORD";
const agent = new ProxyAgent(`http://${user}:${pass}@gate.helodata.io:7777`);

const res = await fetch("https://ipv4.icanhazip.com", { dispatcher: agent });
console.log((await res.text()).trim());
```

You should see a US residential IP — not your own.

## 4. Common next steps

| Goal                            | Add to username                        |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Target Germany                  | replace `-region-us` with `-region-de` |
| Drill down to California, LA    | append `-state-ca-city-la`             |
| Keep the same IP for 10 minutes | append `-session-job1-sesstime-10`     |
| Pin a specific ISP              | append `-asn-7922` (Comcast example)   |

Combine freely — order matters; see [Username format](/getting-started/username-format.md).

## 5. Troubleshooting the first call

* **407 Proxy Authentication Required** — wrong username, password, or non-whitelisted source IP. See [407](/troubleshooting/407.md).
* **522 Connection timed out** — upstream IP was unreachable; retry. See [522](/troubleshooting/522.md).
* **SSL handshake errors** — your client may need an updated CA bundle. See [SSL/TLS errors](/troubleshooting/ssl-errors.md).

## What's next

* [Authentication](/products/overview/authentication.md) — switch to IP whitelist for keyless environments
* [Sessions & rotation](/products/overview/sessions-and-rotation.md) — sticky vs rotating strategies
* [Integrations](/integrations/integrations.md) — Selenium, Puppeteer, Scrapy, antidetect browsers


---

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