# First Admin GUI utility
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [January 11, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894 "2014-01-11T12:50:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@meglio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/meglio)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/1 "2014-01-11T12:50:51Z")
Now that installation gets more easier with Docker, why don’t we get it even more easier with a GUI utility to create the very first admin right from your browser?
I enjoyed few types and 5 mins installation with Docker over DigitalOcean, but I still have to do some Ruby in cli:
```
u = User.first
u.admin = true
u.save
```
We could make an admin creation page available (e.g /add-first-admin) provided there are zero admins in the database, OR even simpler /make-first-user-admin which will be only available and will execute only if there are zero admins in database.
Another possibility is to have “administrator” checkbox when registering the very first user in a standard registration form.
Anyway, there are different possibilities, why not to make such a micro GUI tool to avoid questions like [this](https://meta.discourse.org/t/dont-work-admin/6559). Personally I’d be happy to use one.
Btw, this makes setting up SSH to Docker-based installation unnecessary, which complements Update button in administration GUI. This is good especially to decrease the setup time - i.e. time period between you buy your VPS and open your forum in web browser.
Hope it makes sense. Would be happy to read your thoughts about it.
---
### Author:  [@trident](https://meta.discourse.org/u/trident)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/2 "2014-01-11T13:36:40Z")
Can’t you just set `DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS` to be any accounts you want to make an admin; sign up as those accounts, then be an admin?
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### Author:  [@meglio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/meglio)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/3 "2014-01-11T14:01:28Z")
Is it a part of Docker deployment for Discourse, or part of Discourse environment itself?
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### Author:  [@trident](https://meta.discourse.org/u/trident)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/4 "2014-01-11T14:27:52Z")
It’s a part of discourse.conf, as `developer_emails`.
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### Author:  [@meglio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/meglio)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/5 "2014-01-11T14:31:32Z")
Btw:
1. Can it be set somehow in app.yml of Docker configuration?
2. Why it says “developers” if it is for administrators?
---
### Author:  [@trident](https://meta.discourse.org/u/trident)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/6 "2014-01-11T14:34:34Z")
To 1, it can be set up as an enviroment variable like all other configuration settings. So, that depends on how you have it configured… for example in @sam 's image it’s located [here](https://github.com/SamSaffron/discourse_docker/blob/master/samples/standalone.yml#L23)
I’m not quite sure why it’s called developers… but I know that it does set any user with that e-mail address as an admin.
---
### Author:  [@chapoi](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chapoi)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/first-admin-gui-utility/11894/7 "2025-12-04T11:09:21Z")