First-time setup

Complete the first-run steps for a fresh Bonita Process Designer instance: sign in as the default admin, change the password, register the installation, configure AI, activate the license, and optionally opt in to product analytics.

The first time you open a freshly installed instance of Bonita Process Designer, a short setup sequence runs before the application is fully usable. Only an administrator can complete it. Once it is done, you can create users, organize diagrams, and start modelling.

The steps run in order:

  1. Sign in as the default administrator.

  2. Change the default password.

  3. Register the installation (company name and, optionally, AI configuration).

  4. Activate the license.

  5. (Optional) Review the privacy policy and opt in to product analytics.

You complete this sequence once per installation. Subsequent users simply log in and are taken to the home dashboard.

Sign in as the default administrator

A fresh installation creates a single administrator account so you can perform the initial setup. Open the application in your browser and sign in on the login page with the default credentials:

Username: admin
Password: admin
The Bonita Process Designer sign-in page

The default credentials are well known. Change the password immediately (the next step forces this) and never leave a production instance running on the default password.

Change the default password

The default administrator account is flagged to require a password change. As soon as you sign in, Bonita Process Designer shows a Change password dialog that you cannot dismiss until you set a new password.

The new password must be different from the default. After you confirm it, the account is no longer treated as the default admin and you proceed to the next step.

Register the installation

With the password changed, Bonita Process Designer detects that the installation has not yet been registered and shows a registration dialog (visible to administrators only). Registration identifies your deployment and unlocks the rest of the application.

The registration form requires:

  • Company name — the name of your organization. This is required and cannot be changed after registration.

The form also offers optional AI configuration. Providing the AI credentials at this stage enables the AI diagram-generation feature for your installation. You can also leave it empty now and configure it later from the administration panel — see Manage AI quota for the AI quota and usage settings.

The application needs outbound network access to complete registration. If registration fails because of a network problem, the dialog stays open and you can retry — the application cannot proceed until registration succeeds. On a network with no direct internet access, configure an HTTP proxy first (see Configuration reference).

If AI configuration is left empty, the Generate with AI option is hidden until an administrator adds the configuration later.

Activate the license

Bonita Process Designer is gated by a license. An unlicensed or invalid instance prompts an administrator to activate a valid license before the application can be used. Enter your license details when prompted to activate the instance. For day-to-day license operations, see Manage the license.

If you do not have a license key yet, obtain it from the Bonitasoft customer portal.

Review the privacy policy and opt in to product analytics

Registration completes with the company name alone — there is no blocking terms-acceptance step. Data collection is off by default and entirely opt-in, controlled after setup from the administration panel. A one-time banner points an administrator to the relevant settings.

You control two independent opt-ins:

  • Product analytics — anonymized product-usage analytics that help improve the product. Until you enable the Product analytics toggle in the administration settings, no analytics events are sent.

  • AI prompt retention — whether AI generation prompts are retained. This is a separate clause on the AI configuration form.

Both are off until you explicitly enable them. Review the privacy policy linked from the AI configuration section before you opt in.

Product analytics and AI prompt retention are independent settings. Enabling one does not enable the other.

Setup complete

Once the password is changed, the installation is registered, and the license is active, the application is ready. The administrator can now: