# Get started with the integration
Have you tried it out in sandbox?
We recommend that you test our services with your sandbox account before implementing them in production.
# Access to the ID method
Before you can create a production account in the Dashboard, you need to configure Estonian ID-card access with an onboarding manager. To get help with this, please contact us (opens new window).
# Create a production account
Once you have received the needed permissions, you can create the production account from the Signicat Dashboard:
- Log into the Dashboard (opens new window).
- Click the name of your organisation at the top left of the screen and then select Manage.
- Under Organisation management, click Add Account.
- Enter the name of your account under Account Name.
- Tick the Production account type.
- Click Create to create the new account.
# Add ID method to the Dashboard
- In the Dashboard, navigate to eID Hub > ID Methods (opens new window).
- To enable the ID method, click Add new in the top right.
- Choose the ID method from the list. Then, click Save.
- Now you can see the ID method listed and enabled with status "Active" in the ID methods list.
# Select protocol
To establish a connection between Signicat Estonian ID-card and your application, you need to use a standard authentication protocol.
Supported protocols
Signicat supports the standard OIDC and SAML 2.0 protocols. In addition, we offer the Signicat Authentication REST API.
Choice of protocol depends on what you prefer and what you want to achieve. The Authentication REST API gives you a lot of flexibility and is easy to set up. Between the other two, we recommend using OIDC, since SAML 2.0 is much more complex to implement on your side and usually requires a federation agent already in place. OIDC is industry standard and you do not need to manage user sessions on your own (like with the Authentication REST API).
For more information about the different protocol types, see the general Authentication protocols section.
# Set up the protocol
For information about how to set up the different protocols, see the Quick start guide.