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

# Private Projects

> Control who can access your projects

Make your projects private to control access and protect sensitive applications.

## What Are Private Projects?

Private projects are:

* **Access-controlled** - Only authorized users can view
* **Not publicly accessible** - Hidden from the internet
* **Secure** - Perfect for internal tools and work-in-progress
* **Flexible** - Can be published (made public) anytime

## When to Use Private Projects

Use private projects for:

* **Work in progress** - Keep your project hidden until it's ready
* **Internal tools** - Company-specific applications
* **Sensitive data** - Customer information, financial data
* **Testing** - Staging environments before going live
* **Client projects** - Keep client work private until approval

## Making a Project Private

1. Go to **Project Settings**
2. Enable **"Private Project"**
3. Your project is now hidden from public access

<Note>
  Private projects won't be accessible via their URL. The Publish Modal will show "This project is private" with a lock icon.
</Note>

## Publishing a Private Project

When you're ready to make your project public:

1. Click **"Publish"** in your project
2. The Publish Modal shows "This project is private"
3. Click the **"Publish"** button
4. Your project automatically becomes **public** and deploys
5. Share your live URL!

This is a one-click workflow: **Private → Publish → Public & Live**

## Public vs Private

### Public Projects

* **Anyone can access** - No authentication needed
* **Share freely** - Perfect for demos and public apps
* **Indexed** - Can be found by search engines
* **Published** - Has a live URL

### Private Projects

* **Hidden** - Not accessible to the public
* **Work in progress** - Perfect for development
* **Secure** - Only you can see it
* **Not published** - No live URL until you publish

## Managing Project Visibility

### From Project Settings

* Toggle **"Private Project"** on/off
* Changes take effect immediately

### From Publish Modal

* Private projects show a **lock icon** and "This project is private"
* Click **Publish** to make public and deploy
* Already-public projects show the current live URL

## Best Practices

* **Start private** - Keep projects private while developing
* **Publish when ready** - Only make public when ready for users
* **Use for staging** - Test thoroughly before publishing
* **Document status** - Keep track of which projects are public

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Publishing Projects" icon="rocket" href="/features/publishing">
    Learn about publishing
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project Settings" icon="settings" href="/features/project-settings">
    Configure project privacy
  </Card>
</CardGroup>