> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.idyl.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Authentication and access

> Log in, initialize a realm, and inspect the active CLI identity.

Use `idyl login` for normal interactive authentication.

```bash theme={null}
idyl login
```

The command authenticates the CLI session and saves the context used by future commands.

## Log in with an email address

Use `--email` when you want to provide the email address without a prompt:

```bash theme={null}
idyl login --email <email>
```

## Initialize a realm

Use `idyl init` when you need to configure a realm without completing an interactive login:

```bash theme={null}
idyl init --realm <realm>
```

For most users, `idyl login` is the starting point.

## Check the active identity

Use `idyl whoami` to inspect the active identity and context:

```bash theme={null}
idyl whoami
```

The output shows the account, profile, namespace, subnet, and related context values that commands will use.

For exact flags, use the [command reference](/cli/reference/generated).