---
title: "Choose your Outpost address and region"
description: "Pick the permanent address your team signs in at, the region your Outpost is hosted in, and whether to start with a trial."
url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/account/outpost-address/"
product: "platform"
type: "how-to"
status: "draft"
ai_summary: "The last step of Outpost sign-up. The address name is 8 to 63 lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens, cannot contain \"outpost\" or a reserved word, and cannot be changed later. The region picker appears when more than one region accepts new accounts and is also permanent. Paid plans can subscribe now without a trial. Deploy my Outpost sets it up."
source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/account/outpost-address.md"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Choose your Outpost address and region

Your Outpost address is the web address you and your team sign in at, such as
`yourcompany` followed by the suffix the page shows. You choose it, and the
region your Outpost is hosted in, at the end of sign-up. Neither can be
changed later, so take a moment over both.

## Before you begin

- Finish the steps in [Create your Outpost account](/account/create-account/)
  and choose a plan. The address page opens after **Choose your plan**.
- Decide on a name. Most organizations use their company name.

:::caution
The address and the region are permanent. To change either, you would need a
new Outpost account and would have to move your endpoints to it.
:::

## Address rules

| Rule | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Length | 8 to 63 characters. |
| Characters | Lowercase letters `a` to `z`, digits, and hyphens. Uppercase is changed to lowercase as you type. |
| Edges | Starts and ends with a letter or a digit, not a hyphen. |
| Reserved | Any name containing `outpost`, and a short list of names that could look like an Outpost service, such as `security`, `accounts`, `downloads`, and `registration`. |
| Unique | Nobody else can already have it in the same region. |

## Choose your address and region

1. **If the page shows Region**, select where your Outpost and its data are
   hosted. The field appears only when more than one region accepts new
   accounts. With one region, your Outpost goes there.
2. In **Your address**, enter the name. The page checks it as you type, and
   shows the full address followed by **is available.** when you can have it.
3. **On a paid plan**, decide whether to start with a trial.

   **To start with a free trial**, leave **Subscribe now without a trial. You
   add a payment method next, and billing starts today.** cleared. Nothing is
   charged during the trial. See [Free trials](/account/free-trials/).

   **To subscribe without a trial**, select that checkbox. You add a payment method next,
   and billing starts today.

4. Select **Deploy my Outpost**.

## What happens next

**With a trial or on Home Lab**, Outpost sets up your Outpost straight away.
When it is ready, the Outpost portal takes you into your new console, where you
set your console password. If setup takes longer, the portal dashboard shows
**Deploying your Outpost.** and takes you there when it finishes. If it takes
much longer than usual, the dashboard says **We are still setting up your
Outpost.** and Outpost emails you when it is ready. There is nothing for you to
do.

**Without a trial**, the portal sends you to Stripe to add a card or bank
account. Your Outpost is not set up until a payment method is on file. When
you return, the portal dashboard starts your subscription and sets up your
Outpost. If you leave before adding a method, the dashboard shows **Add a
payment method to start your** followed by your plan name, with an **Add a
payment method** button. See
[Manage payment methods and billing address](/account/payment-methods/).

**If the trial is refused** because your email address or mobile number has
already had one, the page says **This email address or phone number has
already had an Outpost trial. You can subscribe now without a trial.** and
shows a **Subscribe now without a trial** button.

### Self-hosted Outpost

If Outpost invited you to finish setting up an Outpost that runs on your own
infrastructure, the page is titled **Finish setting up your account**. It has
no address or region to choose, because your Outpost lives on your own
servers. Select **Finish setup**. See [Depot](/depot/).

## Verify

Open the Outpost portal dashboard. It shows **Your Outpost is ready.** with a
link to your address. Your team signs in to the console at that address.

## If something goes wrong

| Message | Cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Use at least 8 characters.** | The name is shorter than 8 characters. | Use a longer name. |
| **That address is already in use.** | Someone has that name in this region. | Choose another name. |
| **That name is reserved. Choose a different one.** | The name contains `outpost` or is on the reserved list. | Choose another name. |

Every message on this page is listed in
[Troubleshoot sign-up and sign-in](/account/troubleshoot-signup/#address-step-messages).

## Next steps

- [Get started with Outpost](/get-started/)
- [Free trials](/account/free-trials/)
- [Sign in to the Outpost portal](/account/portal-sign-in/)