# Quick Start

### 1. Connect to your Lenses instance

Click the **Lenses.io** icon in the Activity Bar, then click **Connect to Lenses**.

Enter your:

* **URL** (e.g., `https://lenses.your-company.com`)
* **Username**
* **Password**

Or use **Sign in with OAuth (browser)** when your Lenses instance supports OAuth 2.0. Click the welcome link, or run **Lenses: Sign in with OAuth (browser)** from the Command Palette. The extension opens your system browser for authentication and handles the callback automatically. If your server does not support dynamic client registration, set `lenses.oauthClientId` in VS Code settings.

### 2. Explore the tree view

Once connected, you will see your Kafka infrastructure organized in a tree:

* **Environments** — All connected Kafka environments with health status
* **Topics** — Browse topics across all environments
* **IAM** — Users, Groups, Roles, and Service Accounts

### 3. Query your first topic

Right-click any topic and select **Data Snapshot** to open a SQL query.

<figure><img src="https://1777420343-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FH0nrRChSf5lbh0h5q42d%2Fuploads%2F7QiSPzTS2fdJoluOs6yH%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=76e91a58-cc40-44ed-a116-52ce655601b5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

```
SELECT * FROM my-topic LIMIT 100;
```

Press `Cmd+Enter` to run the query. Results appear in a split view below the editor.