# Unlock

## About Unlock

Unlock is a protocol for memberships as time-bound NFTs. Unlock lets you create exclusive NFT memberships for your community, mintable using your own P00LS ERC-20 token. These memberships, known as **Locks**, can be set to expire, and used to gate Paragraph subscriptions, Telegram group chats, NFT mints, and more.

## How it works

**Step 1: Go to the Unlock App**

Sign in to your Creator Portal. Navigate to the **`Unlock`** page within the **`Apps`** tab.

<figure><img src="https://193270293-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FsHkC8lMYflln9vUAnwZh%2Fuploads%2FsGZPtIIyooFauECgf0Hu%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=fb94beaf-4010-4afb-8df2-33a6a56eab54" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 2: Initialize the Unlock app**

Click on **`Link`** to access the Unlock app and connect the wallet that you used to mint your token.

<figure><img src="https://193270293-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FsHkC8lMYflln9vUAnwZh%2Fuploads%2FYOPiWcIndzG6jiukRmhM%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=539e33bd-f9cb-4fa7-937d-a6e52fced073" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 3: Create your membership contract**

Configure the name, duration, and price of your membership, also known as a **Lock**. In this example, we have opted to create a Telegram membership with an unlimited duration and a price of 20 $DEV tokens. Click on **`Next`**.

<figure><img src="https://193270293-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FsHkC8lMYflln9vUAnwZh%2Fuploads%2FDUVKMhmzEJqbAscucaXO%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=db203dd4-0837-4779-8764-330bdbded3d9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 4: Deploy your membership contract**

Sign the transaction with your wallet and wait for the transaction to be confirmed. Depending on network congestion, this may take up to 10 minutes.

<figure><img src="https://193270293-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FsHkC8lMYflln9vUAnwZh%2Fuploads%2FcJQ34TBtSi8uS35TyOQC%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=c87dc422-6a4c-4c51-8e50-b18b382cad5a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 5: Share and manage your membership contract**

Success! You can now edit, manage, and distribute **Keys** for your membership contract. A **Key** is a membership or ticket NFT created on Unlock Protocol. These can be distributed via airdrop to a wallet or wallets of your choosing, or by sharing a purchase link with your community.

<figure><img src="https://193270293-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FsHkC8lMYflln9vUAnwZh%2Fuploads%2F5lsSP6AaaODv93iBpWKK%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=687ba7e6-4364-4b3b-9044-91b1092056e1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>