Welcome to TraderLobby. This lesson will help you get into the right account, understand what you’re looking at, and find your way around. You don’t need to place a trade or connect an exchange to complete the learning checks. For now, the goal is to recognize the main parts of the app and know what each one controls.

Let’s start with a distinction that makes everything else easier. Your TraderLobby account and your exchange account have different jobs. Your TraderLobby account identifies you inside this app. It connects you with the features and account settings you’re allowed to use. An exchange account belongs to a service where you can hold assets and carry out supported trades. Signing in to TraderLobby does not, by itself, connect an exchange or give the app permission to trade there.

An exchange connection is the link between those two services. Later, you’ll learn how to create that link and check its permissions. Permissions are the actions a connection is allowed to perform. Reading a balance and placing an order are different actions. A connection should be understood by what it is allowed to do, not simply by whether its name appears on the screen.

Now add one more distinction: your access inside TraderLobby. A customer uses the app’s trading, account, and community features according to the access available to them. A Creator has access to additional tools for developing and managing strategies. A strategy is a set of rules used to guide trading decisions. Creator access is a different responsibility; it does not mean that someone’s results are guaranteed or that their strategy suits every user.

Your plan and account status can also affect which features are available. If a lesson shows a control you cannot see, first check whether it belongs to your role or requires additional access. You do not need to unlock every feature to follow the main learning route. We’ll identify the Creator branch separately when you reach it.

Finally, notice that account identity and trading mode answer different questions. Account identity tells you who is signed in. An exchange selection tells you which connection you are viewing. Paper or Live tells you the trading context. Paper is for simulated trading. Live can involve real assets when the required connection and permissions are in place. Choosing a different screen is not the same as choosing a different mode.

Here’s your first check. Can you explain the difference between signing in to TraderLobby and connecting an exchange? Signing in gives you access to your app account. Connecting an exchange links an outside account with specific permissions. Keep those ideas separate, and the next steps will be much easier to follow.