Connect vScan and run your first scan.

Step 1 — Get an API key

If you do not have an API key yet:

1. Go to askarlabs.com/vscan and sign up for a free account.
2. After signing up, your API key will be emailed to you. If you are on a higher plan, you will also receive a separate portal access email where you can manage all of your keys.
3. Copy the key — it is a 64-character string of letters and numbers, for example: c775e7b757ede630cd0aa1113bd102661ab38829ca52a6422ab782862f2686e1

Keep the key safe. It is tied permanently to the first domain it is used on (see API key management for details).

Step 2 — Open the Settings page

In your WordPress admin sidebar, click vScan → Settings.

You will see the API configuration card showing a “Not connected” badge. This is the pre-key state — nothing has been configured yet.

Step 3 — Enter your API key

1. Paste your 64-character API key into the API Key field.
2. Enter the API Base URL from the same email that contained your API key.

Domain binding warning: The first time you save your key it is permanently locked to this site’s domain. Make sure you are on your production site, not a staging or development environment, before saving.

3. Click Connect.

vScan will immediately verify the key against the AskarLabs API. This takes about two seconds.

Step 4 — Wait for verification

The plugin validates your key by contacting the AskarLabs API. It checks:

• That the key is a valid 64-character hexadecimal string.
• That the key exists in the AskarLabs system and has not expired.
• That the domain you are connecting from is not already bound to a different key.

If validation succeeds, the settings card switches to the Connected (green) state and shows “Key validated · 64 chars.”

If validation fails you will see an error message explaining the reason — see Troubleshooting for common causes.

Step 5 — Run your first scan

Once connected, navigate to vScan → Dashboard.

Click the Scan Now button in the top-right corner of the page. The scan collects your full site inventory and sends it to the API. Results appear on the same page within about 20–30 seconds.

After the first scan:

• Your Security Score is calculated.
• The results table shows every inventoried item with its vulnerability status.
• Future scans run automatically on a schedule (see Scanning).