License ​
License is where a server becomes usable. It takes a licence key, checks it, and shows what the server currently holds. Until a valid licence is in place, this is the only screen the admin panel will show you.
Overview ​
URL: /admin/settings/license
Open it from Settings > System > License in the sidebar.
A licence is tied to the server's public IP address, so a key that works on one machine does not work on another. Moving a server to a new address means revalidating it there.
Starting without a key ​
A server installed without a licence opens on this page with two ways forward: activate a free trial, or enter a key you already have.
Free trial ​
The trial box takes one thing, your e-mail address, and starts the trial the moment you submit it with Start Free Trial. No card is asked for.
The trial arrives in two stages:
- Immediately, the server is licensed for 24 hours. You can start work at once.
- After you confirm your e-mail address, the trial extends to the full trial period. AdminBolt sends a confirmation message when the trial starts; following the confirmation it contains is what extends the licence.
While the confirmation is outstanding, the page says so and offers Resend the mail in case the first message did not arrive. The page notices the confirmation on its own, so you do not need to reload it or come back later.
The exact end date of a running trial is on this page under Expires On once the licence is active.
Starting the trial at install time ​
The trial can also be started while the server is being installed, which saves visiting this page at all:
sudo ./install.sh [email protected]The installer requests the trial for that address, and the same confirmation message extends it. Without --email the installation finishes unlicensed and waits for you here.
On a server that is already installed, the same request can be made from the command line:
bolt-cli request-trial-license [email protected]Buying a licence ​
Next to the trial box, purchase a license opens billing.adminbolt.com, where licences are bought and managed. The key you receive is then entered on this page.
Entering a key ​
License Key Activation takes the key and Validate License checks it. Keys are case-sensitive and carry no spaces, so paste rather than retype.
If the key is accepted, the page switches to the status view below. If it is not, the page says so and keeps the field so you can correct it.
Licence status ​
Once a licence is active, the page shows:
- License Valid - a banner confirming the licence is active and every feature is unlocked. A licence that has stopped being valid shows Invalid License instead, with the reason.
- Server IP - the address the licence is issued for.
- Expires On - the expiry date, with a plain-language hint such as how many days away it is.
- Active License Key - the key in use, masked apart from its last characters. Reveal shows it in full and Hide masks it again.
Two controls sit next to the key:
- Revalidate License re-checks the licence against AdminBolt's licensing service. Use it after buying an extension, or if the status looks out of date.
- Remove License deletes the stored licence from this server, after a confirmation. The panel is locked to this page again afterwards, so only remove a licence you are replacing.
What an expired licence stops ​
Licence validity applies to every way the server is controlled, not only to the admin panel:
| Surface | With an expired licence |
|---|---|
| Admin panel | Blocked. |
| Client and reseller panels | Replaced with a page telling the user to contact their provider. Signing in is included. |
| REST API (admin, client, and reseller) | Reads (GET, HEAD, OPTIONS) keep working, so monitoring and billing integrations still see data. Every call that changes something is refused with 403 and a message naming the licence. |
| Hosted websites, mail, DNS, and webmail | Never gated. Customer services keep running whatever the licence state. |
The check reads the cached validity, so a slow or unreachable licensing service never blocks requests.
For an operator this means an expired licence stops you managing the server, and stops your customers managing theirs, but it does not take their sites or mail offline.
If validation fails ​
The page's own help list covers the usual causes:
- Enter the key exactly, without spaces. Keys are case-sensitive.
- Keys are tied to the server's IP address, so check you are on the right server.
- Use Revalidate License to re-check the current key rather than re-entering it.
- Licence details are stored as soon as validation succeeds, so a successful check needs no further confirmation.
- Remove License deletes every stored licence detail on this server.
If the key is correct and validation still fails, contact support.
Related pages ​
- First run - what to do on a newly installed server, in order.
- System Updates - the panel version and how updates are applied.