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Onboarding Guide

SureStage's onboarding wizard guides new users through setting up their first simulation. The interactive experience helps you understand core concepts and get productive quickly.

First-Run Experience​

When you first sign in to SureStage, the onboarding wizard launches automatically.

The wizard walks you through:

  1. Use case selection - What you're using SureStage for
  2. Interactive tour - Highlights of key features
  3. First simulation setup - Creating your first mock API
  4. Recommended next steps - Personalized guidance based on your use case

The entire flow takes 5-10 minutes. You can skip or exit at any time and resume later.

Use Case Selection​

Choose what you're using SureStage for to get tailored recommendations.

Available Use Cases​

API Mocking for Development

  • Build frontend before backend is ready
  • Develop against APIs you don't control
  • Test edge cases without touching production

Testing & QA

  • Automated test data generation
  • Reproducible test environments
  • State management for complex scenarios

Demos & Sales

  • Showcase product features with realistic data
  • Control demo environment state
  • Share simulations with prospects

API Design & Prototyping

  • Design APIs before implementation
  • Validate API contracts with stakeholders
  • Iterate on response structures quickly

Integration Testing

  • Mock third-party services
  • Test error handling and retry logic
  • Simulate network conditions

Training & Onboarding

  • Safe sandbox for learning
  • Hands-on API exploration
  • Team onboarding environments

Select the use case that best matches your needs. This choice customizes:

  • Example simulations and templates
  • Suggested features to explore
  • Documentation links in the sidebar
  • Recommended workflows

You can change your use case later in Account Settings > Preferences.

Interactive Tours​

Based on your use case, SureStage highlights key features with guided tours.

Tour Features​

Contextual highlights - A pulsing indicator draws attention to relevant UI elements.

Step-by-step explanations - Each highlight includes a description of what the feature does and when to use it.

Progress tracking - See which steps you've completed and how many remain.

Skip or pause - Exit the tour at any time. Resume from Help > Tours.

Available Tours​

Dashboard Tour

  • Navigation overview
  • Creating simulations
  • Finding and organizing resources
  • Activity monitoring

Simulation Setup Tour

  • Creating a simulation
  • Adding routes and responses
  • Testing with the request tester
  • Viewing live request logs

Blueprints Tour

  • What blueprints are
  • Creating and versioning templates
  • Sharing with your team
  • Deploying from the library

Environments Tour

  • Organizing simulations into environments
  • Switching between environments
  • Environment-specific configuration

Advanced Features Tour (for experienced users)

  • State management
  • Response versioning
  • Request validation rules
  • Mock chains and flows

Setting Up Your First Simulation​

The wizard guides you through creating a functional mock API.

Step 1: Name Your Simulation​

Give your simulation a descriptive name.

Examples:

  • "Payment API Sandbox"
  • "User Service Mock"
  • "Stripe Integration Test"

The wizard suggests a name based on your use case. You can accept or customize it.

Step 2: Choose a Template​

Pick a starting point:

Blank Simulation

  • Start from scratch
  • Full control over configuration
  • Best for experienced users or unique APIs

Quick Start Template

  • Pre-configured common routes (users, orders, etc.)
  • Realistic sample data
  • Ideal for trying SureStage features

Import from Spec

  • Upload an OpenAPI, Postman, or HAR file
  • Routes and responses generated automatically
  • Best when you have existing API documentation

Blueprint Library

  • Use a blueprint from your organization
  • Pre-built templates for common APIs (Auth, Payments, etc.)
  • Best for standardized mock patterns

Step 3: Add Your First Route​

If you chose a blank simulation, the wizard helps you create a route.

  1. Select HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH)
  2. Enter the path (e.g., /users)
  3. Define the response:
    • Status code (default: 200)
    • Response body (JSON, XML, or plain text)
    • Optional headers

The wizard provides a sample response based on your route path. For example, /users suggests a user list response.

Step 4: Test Your Mock​

The wizard includes a built-in request tester.

Click Send Test Request to:

  • Verify the route works
  • See the response body
  • Check response time and headers

If the test succeeds, you see a success message and your simulation URL:

https://<simulation-id>.srstg.io

Copy this URL to use in your applications.

Based on your use case, the wizard suggests actions to take next.

For API Mocking:

  • Import your existing API spec
  • Add more routes
  • Configure CORS for frontend access

For Testing:

  • Enable state management
  • Create test flows
  • Schedule automated resets

For Demos:

  • Customize response data
  • Create a prospect portal
  • Save state as a snapshot

For Prototyping:

  • Share simulation with stakeholders
  • Version your responses
  • Export to OpenAPI spec

Re-Triggering Tours​

You can replay tours at any time to refresh your memory or explore features you skipped.

From the Help Menu​

  1. Click Help in the top navigation
  2. Select Interactive Tours
  3. Choose the tour to replay
  4. Click Start Tour

From Settings​

  1. Navigate to Account Settings > Preferences
  2. Scroll to Onboarding
  3. Click Replay Onboarding Wizard

This restarts the full first-run experience, including use case selection.

Onboarding Progress​

Track which features you've explored in the onboarding dashboard.

Access it at Help > Onboarding Progress.

The dashboard shows:

  • Completed tours
  • Features you've used
  • Suggested next steps
  • Links to documentation

You receive a "Getting Started" achievement when you complete:

  • All interactive tours
  • Create 3 simulations
  • Add 10 routes
  • Make 100 requests

Skipping Onboarding​

If you're already familiar with SureStage or prefer to explore independently, you can skip the wizard.

Click Skip Onboarding at any step. You can access tours later via Help > Interactive Tours.

Team Onboarding​

Organization admins can customize the onboarding experience for new team members.

  1. Navigate to Settings > Organization > Onboarding
  2. Choose default use case for new members
  3. Select which tours to auto-start
  4. Add custom welcome message
  5. Pre-provision starter simulations or blueprints

When a new member joins, they see the customized onboarding flow.

Common Issues​

Onboarding not launching - Clear browser cache and refresh. Ensure you're signing in for the first time (not returning users).

Tour highlights not appearing - Disable browser extensions that modify page content (ad blockers, dark mode extensions).

Can't find replay tours option - Check Help > Interactive Tours or Account Settings > Preferences > Onboarding.

Best Practices​

Complete the onboarding - Even if you're experienced, the tour highlights SureStage-specific features you might miss.

Choose your use case carefully - It customizes your experience. Pick the one that matches your primary workflow.

Re-run tours when learning new features - Tours are a quick refresher on features you don't use daily.

Share tours with team members - Send the Help > Interactive Tours link to new teammates.

Next Steps​