Search Console is the only source of data about how Google actually sees your site. Everything else is inference.
Property types
- Domain property, covers every subdomain and both protocols. Requires DNS verification. Prefer this.
- URL prefix property, covers one protocol and one subdomain. Easier to verify, narrower data.
The reports that matter
- Performance, queries, clicks, impressions, position. The core of the tool.
- Page indexing, which URLs are indexed and why others are not.
- URL Inspection, per-URL crawl, index and render status.
- Core Web Vitals, field performance.
- Manual actions and Security issues, check these first when something goes badly wrong.
Data limits
Performance data goes back 16 months. Export regularly if you need longer history. Some queries are withheld for privacy, so totals will not match the query rows exactly.
Alien Road recommends: set up a domain property and export performance data monthly from day one. The 16-month window sounds generous until you need a year-on-year comparison for a period that has just fallen off the edge, and by then it is gone permanently.