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

# Manage sources

> To ingest data into RisingWave, you must first create a source. A source refers to an external data feed that RisingWave can read from. You can connect RisingWave to a variety of external sources like databases and message brokers. After a source is connected, you can create materialized views to perform analysis or sinks for data transformations.

For the complete list of supported sources and formats, see [Supported sources](/ingestion/overview#supported-sources) and [Data formats and encoding options](/ingestion/formats-and-encoding-options).

## Create a source

<Info>
  **Data Security**

  * All data ingested through sources or sinks is encrypted in transit using TLS
  * Data stored within RisingWave is encrypted at rest:
    * AWS S3: Using AWS default encryption keys
    * EBS volumes: Using KMS managed keys with automatic rotation
</Info>

You can create a source with one of the following methods:

### Using guided setup

1. Go to [**Project**](https://cloud.risingwave.com/project/home/).
2. Specify the project and click its **Workspace**.
3. Next to **Source** tab, click **+ Add new**.
4. Select the service you want to connect to.

   <Note>
     More services will be supported in future releases.
   </Note>
5. Configure the connector settings, source details, and schema according to the instructions of the guided setup.
6. Check the generated SQL statement and click **Confirm** to create the source in your database.

### Using SQL command

Refer to [CREATE SOURCE](/sql/commands/sql-create-source) in the RisingWave documentation. Select a connector to see the SQL syntax, options, and sample statement of connecting RisingWave to the connector.

For managed webhook ingestion, see [Ingest data from webhook](/cloud/ingest-data-from-webhook).

## Check a source

Click on a source to view its details, including the connector settings, schema, throughput, errors, and running status.

<Tip>
  When checking throughput and errors, you can click **Last 30 minutes** on the right side to customize your time range.
</Tip>

## Drop a source

If you no longer require data from a source, drop the source connection with one of the following methods to stop data consumption.

### Using guided step

1. Go to **Source**.
2. Click the delete button on the source you want to drop and confirm the deletion.

### Using SQL command

* Use the [DROP SOURCE](/sql/commands/sql-drop-source) command to drop a source from the database.
* Use the [DROP TABLE](/sql/commands/sql-drop-table) command if it's a materialized source.