# Get started

In order to start scheduling automated & frequent native snapshots of your UpCloud Cloud Storages, you must connect your UpCloud account.

After connecting the account, Weap.io will automatically import all your UpCloud Cloud Storages and you will be able to choose the ones that should be backed-up, configure the backup frequency and finally the retention policy. 

### 1. Open the Weap.io Provider Snapshots page

Open your Weap.io dashboard and click the **`Provider Backups`** button located in the top menu. On the page just opened, click the button **`Connect cloud account`**.

![](/files/-MKFS79za8hO2odyBa8d)

### 2. Create your UpCloud user

The UpCloud API uses your account username and password for authentication. You can use your main user or create a new sub-account for giving Weap.io API access.

 If you choose to create a sub-account, open the UpCloud dashboard in a new tab, click the **`People`** button in the top navigation and click the button **`Add member`**. You will see a page where you must type the details of the new sub-account. Remember that the **`username`** and **`password`** will be used for the API authentication.

{% hint style="warning" %}
In the permissions section you must check the option **`Allow API connection from`** and select the option **`All addresses`**. The option **`Access to control panel`** should not be selected.
{% endhint %}

![](/files/-MKFo6i_6rCud-JQjRx6)

### 3. Select the UpCloud provider, choose a name for the account and provide your  API access credentials

Go back to Weap.io and in the opened modal select the **`UpCloud`** provider. Type an intuitive name that will help you easily recognize the account later. 

Next, paste the API Username & Password of your account (or sub-account created in the previous step).

When done, click the  **`Save`** button.

![](/files/-MKFtE8fWEr9tp0DTf8q)

### 4. Synchronize the account

After clicking the **`Save`** button, the list of your connected accounts will be reloaded and the newly connected account will appear.

The last thing you have to do is clicking the button **`Synchronize account`**. By doing that, Weap.io will import all your UpCloud Cloud Storages. If you don't press the button, Weap.io will automatically run the synchronization after some minutes. 

Once synchronized, all your UpCloud Cloud Storages will be visible and you will be able to configure the backup frequency, retention or even completely pause the backups for some of them.

![](/files/-MKFv4wpwJw-2se05nA9)


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