# Introduction & login

The Celena control panel is the closed part of the site through which you fill it with content, configure its appearance and manage extensions. No programming required — everything is done through forms and visual editors.

This documentation section is for people who work with the site every day: content managers, marketers, administrators. If you're a developer and want to extend the engine, see the [Developer docs](/docs/code/overview).

## How to log in

1. Open `/admin/login` (e.g. `https://your-site/admin/login`).
2. Enter the email and password of your account.
3. After logging in you land on the **dashboard** — the panel's home page.

> If you forgot your password, ask the site administrator: they can change it in the **Users** section.

Passwords are stored encrypted (Argon2id) — even the administrator can't see them in plain text.

## The lay of the land

After logging in, the interface is split into three zones:

| Zone | Where | Purpose |
|------|-------|---------|
| Sidebar | left | panel sections: content, media, settings, plugins |
| Work area | center | record lists and edit forms |
| Top bar | top | notifications (bell), current user, logout |

The sidebar's contents depend on installed plugins: e.g. the forms plugin adds a "Leads" item, the shop plugin — "Shop". The base sections (Pages, News, Media, Settings, Users, Plugins) are always present.

## Roles and permissions

Each user has a **role** that defines the available actions:

- **admin** — full access to everything.
- **editor** — content management (pages, news, media, categories).
- **author** — creating content without access to settings.
- **user** — no panel access.

More — on the [Users & roles](/docs/panel/users) page.

## Where to start

1. Go to **Settings** and fill in the site name, description and contacts.
2. Create a few **Pages** (about, contacts, privacy policy).
3. Add **News** if you run a blog.
4. Check out **Plugins** — see which extensions are available.

From there — follow the sections of this guide on the left.
