Join the community

Welcome! We are glad you are here.

Codetopia Community is a place for builders, learners, and creators figuring it out together. Everyone here started as a beginner, and nobody is expected to know everything. Want to know more about us first? Read About Codetopia Community.

Joining has two parts:

1. Your portal account (this guide). The portal is our member website. Your account there is your membership card: your profile, your teams and your work all live there.
2. Discord (the next guide). Discord is the free chat app where the community talks every day.

This guide takes about ten minutes.

Before you start

You will need three things:

• A working email address that you can open and read right now. If you sign up with an email and password, we send you a verification link, so you need to be able to get to your inbox.
• Your correct personal information. Use your real name and real details.
• To be at least 13 years old. This is the minimum age for a portal account.

Step 1: Open the portal

Open the sign-up page in your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox or similar):

You will see a form with a Create Account button, and under it the Google and GitHub buttons.

Step 2: Create your account

There are two ways to sign up. Both end up in the same place.

Option A: Google or GitHub. The fastest way: one click, no password to invent, no email to wait for. Use it if you have a Google account (you do if you use Gmail or an Android phone) or a GitHub account.

Option B: Email and password. You fill in a short form and confirm your email afterwards.

Option A: click the Google or GitHub button. A Google or GitHub window opens: pick your account, and if it asks whether Codetopia Community can use your name and email, say yes. Then jump straight to Step 4.

Option B: fill in the form:

• First name and Last name, your real ones
• Email address, the one you can open right now
• Username, the short name everyone sees you as, like ama-dev
• Password, then the same password again to confirm it

Then click Create Account.

Choosing a username

Your username is how the rest of the community sees you. It becomes your profile address, like portal.community.codetopia.org/@yourusername.

The rules are simple:

• Lowercase letters, numbers, underscores (_) and hyphens (-) only
• No capital letters, no spaces, no other symbols
• Up to 50 characters

So ama-dev, kofi_92 and zainab all work. Ama Dev, Kofi.92 and zainab! do not.

Choosing a password

Your password must be at least 8 characters and include at least one number, like river-lamp-42. Longer is better. Use something you do not use anywhere else, and save it somewhere safe right now, before you forget it: your phone's password manager, or a notebook you keep at home.

Step 3: Verify your email

Skip this step if you signed up with Google or GitHub.

We send you an email to check the address is really yours. Open your inbox and look for one with the subject Verify your Codetopia account. Open it and click the Verify Email button.

If the email is not there:

• Wait a minute. It is usually quick, but not always instant.
• Check your spam or junk folder. This is where it hides most often. In the Gmail app, tap the menu (three lines) at the top left, then Spam. If you find it there, mark it as "not spam" so future emails reach you.
• Check you typed your email correctly when signing up.
• Ask for a new link. On the portal, click Resend verification email. Use this if your first link has expired.

Step 4: Complete onboarding

Once you are in, the portal walks you through a short onboarding. It is about ten screens, and most of them are just reading. Here is the whole thing up front, so nothing takes you by surprise:

A few things worth knowing as you go through:

• The first five screens are reading. Actually read them. One is the code of conduct (how we treat each other), and you will be asked to agree to it. Agreeing to something you have not read is not a great way to start.
• Your Background, Your Goals and Your Profile ask about you. Your field, your experience level, what you are hoping to get out of the community, and how you found us. There are no wrong answers, and nothing here is a test.
• Answer honestly. Say you are a beginner if you are a beginner. We use these answers to point you at the right teams, projects and people. Overstating your experience only gets you matched with work that is not a good fit.
• Your Team is optional, if you see it. It asks which team you would like to help. Most members skip it. You can pick one later from your profile.
• Your Profile is public. A bio, your skills, and optional links to GitHub, LinkedIn, X or your website. You can leave the optional parts empty and fill them in later.

If something goes wrong

The verification email never arrived. See the checklist in Step 3. Spam folder first, then ask for a new link.

My verification link says it expired. Links last 24 hours. Ask the portal to send a fresh one.

My username was rejected. It probably has a capital letter, a space, or a symbol other than _ or -. It may also already be taken by another member. Try a variation.

I forgot my password. On the login page, click Forgot password?. That reset link is short-lived, so open it as soon as it arrives rather than leaving it for later.

Something else. Once you are on Discord, ask in #channel ask-for-help and someone will help you. If you can't get into Discord yet, email hello@codetopia.org and say what you tried and what you saw.

What's next?

Your portal account is ready. Now it is time to join the community on Discord, where all the conversations, learning, and collaboration happen.

Discord guide