Getting started

Begin with Lerian — evaluate the platform, choose a deployment model, and run your first double-entry transaction with Midaz to see the ledger in action.

Whether you want to evaluate the platform or start building, this is the place to begin.

New to core banking? If terms like Ledger, debit and credit, or chart of accounts aren’t yet second nature, start with the fundamentals first — they’ll make everything here click into place.

Begin with Core Banking Fundamentals

Evaluating the platform

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Follow these steps to understand the platform’s capabilities, architecture, and deployment options.

1. Understand why Lerian exists

   Learn what problems the platform solves and who we built it for — in business terms.

   Why Lerian →

2. Explore the architecture

   Lerian organizes around four pillars — Ledger, Transactional Services, Governance, and Connectivity — that form a composable financial platform.

   Read the Core Banking vision →

3. Choose a deployment model

   Decide between Lerian Cloud (SaaS), fully managed by Lerian, or self-hosted BYOC based on your compliance requirements and operational maturity.

   Compare deployment models →

4. See it in action

   Explore real-world use cases — digital banking, global portfolios, Pix, marketplace payouts, and more.

   Browse use cases →

Building with Lerian

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Follow these steps to go from zero to your first double-entry transaction. Choose the path that matches your deployment model.

SaaS (Lerian Cloud)

1. Receive your credentials

   Your Lerian onboarding team provides you with API credentials (client ID and secret) and the base URL for your environment.

2. Authenticate and get your token

   Use the Access Manager Auth API to exchange your credentials for a JWT access token. This token contains your tenant context — you don’t need to manage a tenant ID explicitly.

   Learn how to authenticate →

3. Make your first API call

   Include the token as a Bearer token in the Authorization header of every request. Your calls are automatically scoped to your tenant.

   Make your first API call →

4. Create your first organization

   Follow the same API flow as any Midaz deployment — create an organization, a ledger, assets, and accounts. The platform handles tenant isolation transparently.

   Follow the recommended workflow →

The API surface is identical across deployment models. Lerian Cloud and BYOC Multi-Tenant require a Bearer token and scope requests to the authenticated tenant. A permitted non-production BYOC Single-Tenant deployment can have authentication disabled. Learn more about multi-tenancy.

BYOC (self-hosted)

1. Choose your deployment model

   Decide how you want to run the platform. BYOC gives you full control over data, security, and networking — in your own cloud or on-premises.

   Compare deployment models →

2. Understand the architecture

   Lerian organizes around four pillars — Ledger, Transactional Services, Governance, and Connectivity — that form a composable financial platform. Understanding this helps you model integrations correctly from day one.

   Read the Core Banking vision →

3. Install Midaz

   Midaz is Lerian’s double-entry core ledger. Install it when you need to model accounts and record transactions; other products remain modular and can be adopted independently.

   Install Midaz →

4. Create your first resources through the API

   With Midaz running, create the essential building blocks: an organization, a Ledger, assets, and accounts.

   Make your first API call →

5. Follow the recommended workflow

   Move beyond isolated API calls and follow the end-to-end operational workflow — from resource setup to transaction routing and balance management.

   Follow the recommended workflow →

What’s next?

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With your Ledger running and your first transactions created, pick the capability you want to add next.

Reconcile transactions

Run your first automated reconciliation between a bank statement and your Ledger.

Try Matcher

Validate in real time

Set up spending limits and validation rules to evaluate transactions before they proceed and return an ALLOW, DENY, or REVIEW decision for your authorization flow to act on.

Try Tracer

Generate reports

Create a report template and generate your first financial report from a configured data source. For Midaz data, connect Reporter to Midaz first.

Try Reporter