# Pinecone authentication

> To be able to create a connection, you need to use the following credentials:

## Prerequisites

To be able to create a connection, you need to use the following credentials:

* an **Environment** which can be selected from a drop-down list in the authentication page
* an **API Key** associated with your account
* an **Index name** associated with your account

## Add the Pinecone connection

To create a connection to your Pinecone instance, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Select Orchestrator from the product launcher.
2. Select a folder, and then navigate to the **Connections** tab.
3. Select **Add connection**.
4. To open the connection creation page, select the connector from the list. You can use the search bar to find the connector.
5. Provide your Environment, API Key, and Index name.

   For any secret-type field, you can select the menu next to the field and choose **Use credential asset** to reference an Orchestrator credential asset linked to an external vault instead of entering the value directly. For more information, see [Use credential assets for connections](credential-store-connections.md).
6. Select **Connect**.