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License file

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Added in eventcatalog@5.0.0

From v5, EventCatalog is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 and every feature is included (on a paid plan, federation is Enterprise only). Your license is a signed file called license.jwt. EventCatalog reads it to show who the catalog is licensed to and when the license expires.

This page covers how the file works. To find out whether you need a commercial license, read the licensing FAQ. For prices, see pricing.

Using v4 license keys?

License keys such as EVENTCATALOG_SCALE_LICENSE_KEY are covered in License Keys (v4).

Get a license file​

Get your license.jwt from EventCatalog Cloud. Free users confirm their eligibility there, and commercial customers get a file with their license. See license keys in the FAQ.

One file covers your whole organization. You don't need a file per catalog or per environment.

Add the file to your catalog​

Put license.jwt in the root of your catalog, next to eventcatalog.config.js.

my-catalog/
├── domains/
├── services/
├── eventcatalog.config.js
└── license.jwt

To keep the file somewhere else, set EC_LICENSE to the path of the file. EC_LICENSE is a file path, not the contents of the file.

.env
EC_LICENSE=/etc/secrets/eventcatalog/license.jwt

EventCatalog loads .env before it checks the license, so you can set EC_LICENSE there or in your shell.

Use the file in CI/CD​

You can commit license.jwt with your catalog. If you prefer not to, store its contents as a CI secret, write it to a file during the job, and point EC_LICENSE at that file:

# LICENSE_JWT is a CI secret that holds the contents of license.jwt
echo "$LICENSE_JWT" > "$RUNNER_TEMP/license.jwt"
export EC_LICENSE="$RUNNER_TEMP/license.jwt"

npx eventcatalog build

How the file is verified​

EventCatalog verifies the file offline, against a public key built into EventCatalog. It checks the signature, the issuer, the audience, and the dates the license is valid from and until.

There are no calls home: the license works air-gapped, and nothing about your catalog is sent to EventCatalog to verify it.

When you change the file, EventCatalog verifies it again.

License status in the terminal​

eventcatalog dev and eventcatalog build print the catalog's license status when they start.

With a valid license, they show who it's licensed to and when it expires:

   ╭────── EventCatalog Commercial License ──────╮
   │                                             │
   │   Licensed to Acme Ltd                      │
   │   Valid until Oct 1, 2027 (359 days left)   │
   │                                             │
   ╰─────────────────────────────────────────────╯
StatusWhat the terminal shows
Valid licenseA green EventCatalog Commercial License box with who it's licensed to and the expiry date.
Expires in fewer than 30 daysA yellow box with the days left and a link to eventcatalog.cloud to renew it.
Expired licenseA yellow EventCatalog License Expired box with the date it expired, a link to renew it, and the trial status.
Invalid licenseA yellow EventCatalog license box with the reason, the trial status, and a link to the licensing FAQ.
No licenseAn EventCatalog trial box with the days left of the trial and when it ends.

A license is invalid when it can't be verified, for example when:

  • the file is empty
  • it is not valid yet
  • its signature is invalid
  • it was not issued by EventCatalog
  • it has no expiry date

License status in the catalog​

Header badge​

While you run eventcatalog dev, the header shows a badge for your license or trial. The badge never appears in built or served catalogs.

StatusBadgeLinks to
No licenseTrial · N days left, counting down the trialLicensing FAQ
No license, trial overTrial endedLicensing FAQ
Valid license, 30 or more days leftNo badge
Valid license, fewer than 30 days leftLicense · N days leftSettings > License
Expired licenseLicense expiredSettings > License

Settings > License​

Settings > License (/settings/license) shows the catalog's license. For a valid license it lists:

  • Licensed to
  • License ID
  • Issued
  • Expires
  • Time left

When the license has fewer than 30 days left, or has expired, the page shows a callout with a Renew license button that opens EventCatalog Cloud. When the file can't be verified, the page shows the reason.

Without a valid license, the page also shows the trial: its length, when it started, when it ends and the time left.

In a static build, the page shows the license as it was when you built the catalog. The days left are counted in the browser, so they stay current.

The trial​

Without a valid license, EventCatalog counts down a trial, starting from when you first ran your catalog.

The trial countdown in EventCatalog is a reminder. The terms of the evaluation, and what to do when it ends, are in the licensing FAQ.

When a trial or license ends​

Your catalog keeps building and running. EventCatalog never fails a build, or turns features off, because a trial ended or a license expired. It shows reminders in the terminal, in the dev header and on Settings > License.

To renew a license, get a new license.jwt from EventCatalog Cloud and replace the file.

v4 license keys​

EventCatalog checks for a license.jwt first. If there isn't a valid one, it still recognizes a Scale or Starter license key (EVENTCATALOG_SCALE_LICENSE_KEY or EVENTCATALOG_STARTER_LICENSE_KEY). With one of those keys, EventCatalog shows no trial, and Settings > License shows the plan as active.

These keys are verified online, as they were in v4. See License Keys (v4).