For the following exercise, you'll need a named user account for ArcGIS Online. This will enable you to create your own map content, save web maps in your own content folder in ArcGIS Online, share content with others, and more. We'll cover two free options to do this. The easiest and quickest way is to create a free ArcGIS developer account, which comes with the service credits required to use some of the capabilities of ArcGIS Online. It's also possible to create a free organizational trial account for ArcGIS Online, which has more options. Both options are covered here.

To create an ArcGIS Developer account, open a browser window and navigate to https://developers.arcgis.com/sign-up. Fill in the fields on the left (First Name, Last Name, and Email):

Next, you'll receive a confirmation email that is sent to the email address you entered online. The email contains a URL that you need to click on to active your account. After that, you can set up your account and choose a username and password. This username and password can be used to log in to ArcGIS Online using the ArcGIS API for Python. You will also be assigned an account URL path, something like http://firstname-lastname.maps.arcgis.com. This URL path is also required for logging into ArcGIS Online using the ArcGIS API for Python.

Next, we'll explain how to create a public ArcGIS account. Navigate to www.arcgis.com and click the orange Free trial -> button:

Next, you will be directed to a new page with a form that needs to be filled in with your personal details. After that, you can create an ArcGIS Online account. The username and password can be used as login details for ArcGIS Online.