---
title: Quick start
---

Get up and running with Hackatime in under 5 minutes! Start tracking your coding time across 40+ editors with our free, open source time tracker built by Hack Club.

## What is Hackatime?

**Hackatime** is a **free and open source** alternative to WakaTime that automatically tracks your coding time across all your favorite editors and IDEs. It works with **every existing WakaTime editor plugin** by simply configuring your `~/.wakatime.cfg` file to point to Hackatime's servers instead of WakaTime's.

## Step 1: Create your account

Visit [hackatime.hackclub.com](https://hackatime.hackclub.com) and sign up using:

- **Sign in with Hack Club** using your Hack Club Account
- Your Hack Club Slack account
- Email address

## Step 2: Run automated setup

🚀 **Visit the [Hackatime Setup Page](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/setup)** - this will:

1. Auto-detect your operating system
2. Provide a copy-paste command that configures everything
3. Create your `~/.wakatime.cfg` file pointing to Hackatime
4. Send a test <Tooltip tip="A small activity event your editor plugin sends to Hackatime while you code. It carries metadata like the file name and language, never your code." headline="Heartbeat" cta="Read about privacy" href="/docs/configuration/privacy">heartbeat</Tooltip> to verify setup
5. Show you when it's working!

The setup page handles all configuration automatically - no manual editing required!

## Step 3: Install WakaTime plugin

Hackatime works with **any WakaTime plugin**. Visit our [editor documentation](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/docs#editor-guides) for instructions on how to install a WakaTime plugin for your specific editor.

## Step 4: Configure plugin to use Hackatime

**If you used the setup page**: Your `~/.wakatime.cfg` is already configured! The WakaTime plugin will automatically use Hackatime.

**Manual configuration**: Edit `~/.wakatime.cfg`:

```ini
[settings]
api_url = https://hackatime.hackclub.com/api/hackatime/v1
api_key = YOUR_API_KEY_HERE
heartbeat_rate_limit_seconds = 30
```

## Step 5: Start coding!

That's it! Open your editor and start coding. Your time will be automatically tracked and appear on your [Hackatime dashboard](https://hackatime.hackclub.com).

## Verification

Check that it's working:

1. Code for a few minutes in your editor
2. Visit your [dashboard](https://hackatime.hackclub.com)
3. You should see your coding activity appear

## Features you get

- ⏱️ **Automatic time tracking** - no manual timers
- 📊 **Language & project insights** - see what you code most
- 🏆 **Leaderboards** - compare with other Hack Club members
- 🔒 **Privacy-first** - only metadata tracked, never your actual code
- 🆓 **Completely free** - no premium features or paywalls

## Troubleshooting

**Not seeing activity?**

1. Re-run the [setup page](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/setup) to verify configuration
2. Check that your WakaTime plugin is enabled in your editor
3. Make sure you're actively coding (not just viewing files)

**Need help?**

- Visit the [Hackatime Setup Page](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/setup) for guided troubleshooting
- Join [Hack Club Slack](https://hackclub.slack.com) (#hackatime-help channel)
- [Create an issue](https://github.com/hackclub/hackatime/issues) on GitHub

**Migrating from WakaTime?**
Just run the automated setup script on the [Hackatime Setup Page](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/setup) - it will automatically update your `~/.wakatime.cfg` file and all your existing plugins will work immediately!

---

## Frequently asked questions

<Accordion>
  <AccordionItem title="Is Hackatime really free?">
    Yes! Hackatime is completely free with no premium features or paywalls. It's [open source](https://github.com/hackclub/hackatime) and maintained by Hack Club.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Which editors work with Hackatime?">
    All [70+ editors](../#editor-guides) that support WakaTime work with Hackatime, including [VS Code](../editors/vs-code), [IntelliJ IDEA](../editors/intellij-idea), [Sublime Text](../editors/sublime-text), [Vim](../editors/vim), [Neovim](../editors/neovim), [PyCharm](../editors/pycharm), and many more.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="How is Hackatime different from WakaTime?">
    Hackatime is free, open source, privacy-focused, and includes unique features like leaderboards for Hack Club members.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Can I import my existing WakaTime data?">
    Yes! Open [Settings → Imports & Exports](https://hackatime.hackclub.com/my/settings/imports_exports), choose **WakaTime** under **Imports**, and enter your WakaTime API key to request a one-time heartbeat dump. You can follow the import's progress on that page.
  </AccordionItem>
  <AccordionItem title="Is my code data secure?">
    Hackatime only tracks metadata (file names, languages, project names) - never your actual code content. All data is encrypted in transit.
  </AccordionItem>
</Accordion>