Licensing
Hawkra self-hosted requires a license file to operate. Licenses are generated through your account on the Hawkra SaaS platform at hawkra.io and uploaded to your local instance through the admin dashboard. The license system uses Ed25519 cryptographic signatures to ensure authenticity and prevent tampering.
Obtaining a License
Step 1: Log In to hawkra.io
Go to hawkra.io and log in to your SaaS account. If you do not have one yet, create a free account — no payment or subscription is required just to generate a self-hosted license.
Step 2: Navigate to Self-Hosted
Click your name in the top-right corner of the navigation bar to open the account menu. Select Self-Hosted from the dropdown. This takes you to the Self-Hosted Licensing page where you can manage your licenses.
Step 3: Choose Your License Type
The Self-Hosted page presents two license options:
7-Day Free Trial
- Full platform features with no restrictions on functionality
- No credit card or payment required
- Includes 3 users and 2 workspaces
- One trial per account
- Ideal for evaluation and proof-of-concept testing
Click Generate Free Trial to create your trial license instantly. The license file becomes available for download immediately.
Annual License
- 25 users and 15 workspaces
- 1-year validity from the date of purchase
- 30-day grace period after expiry (platform remains functional while you renew)
- For continued production use
Click Purchase Annual Licence to proceed to the Stripe checkout page. After payment completes, you are redirected back to the Self-Hosted page where your license file is ready for download.
Step 4: Download the License File
After generating a trial or completing a purchase, your license appears in the Current Licence section at the bottom of the page. Click Download Licence File to save the .lic file to your computer. This file contains your license payload and its Ed25519 signature.
The 7-day free trial includes all features with no restrictions. No credit card required. You can generate one trial per account to evaluate Hawkra before committing to a purchase.
Activating Your License
Step 1: Log In to Your Local Instance
Open your self-hosted Hawkra instance in a browser and log in using the admin credentials that were generated during the installation process. The installation script outputs the admin password at the end of setup.
Step 2: Upload the License File
On first login, Hawkra presents the License screen as part of the first-run setup flow. The admin sidebar shows only the License page until setup is complete.
- In the Upload License section, click the file input and select your downloaded license file (
.lic,.key,.pem, or.txtformats are accepted). - Hawkra verifies the Ed25519 signature and validates the license payload.
- On success, a confirmation message appears and the License Status card updates to show your license details: licensed name, expiry date, and user/workspace limits.
Step 3: Complete Setup
After uploading a valid license, click the Complete Setup button in the setup banner at the top of the page. This finalizes the first-run configuration and unlocks the full admin dashboard and platform. You can now navigate to the main application and begin using Hawkra.
License Status
The License page in the admin dashboard (/admin/license) displays your current license status at all times. The status badge indicates one of five states:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | License is valid with more than 7 days remaining |
| Expiring Soon | License expires within the next 7 days |
| Grace Period | License has expired but is within the 30-day grace period (commercial licenses only) |
| Expired | License has fully expired past the grace period |
| Not Installed | No license file has been uploaded |
The license details card shows:
- Licensed To — the name associated with the license
- Expires — the expiration date
- Max Users — the maximum number of user accounts allowed
Instance ID
Each Hawkra installation generates a unique Instance ID displayed on the License page. You can copy this ID using the Copy button. This identifier may be requested when obtaining support or requesting a license tied to a specific instance.
License Renewal
When your license is approaching expiry or has expired:
- Return to hawkra.io and navigate to Self-Hosted from your account menu.
- Purchase a new annual license or generate a new trial (if you have not used your trial yet).
- Download the new license file.
- On your local Hawkra instance, go to Admin > License and upload the new license file.
- The previous license is replaced and the new expiry date takes effect immediately.
When your license expires, the platform enters read-only mode. You can still view existing data, but creating or modifying data (new assets, vulnerabilities, notes, etc.) is blocked. Your data is fully preserved — upload a new license to restore full functionality. Commercial (annual) licenses include a 30-day grace period after expiry during which the platform continues to function normally, giving you time to renew. Trial licenses do not have a grace period.
License Security
Hawkra licenses use Ed25519 digital signatures to ensure integrity and authenticity. The license file format is:
-----BEGIN HAWKRA LICENSE-----
<base64-encoded payload>.<base64-encoded signature>
-----END HAWKRA LICENSE-----
The server verifies the signature against a compiled-in public key when you upload a license. If the file has been modified or tampered with in any way, the signature verification fails and the license is rejected. This ensures that only genuine licenses issued through hawkra.io are accepted by your instance.
Troubleshooting
"License signature verification failed"
The license file may have been corrupted during download or transfer. Re-download the license file from hawkra.io and try again. Ensure you are downloading the file as-is without any text encoding changes.
"Active license required" errors
This message appears when attempting to create or modify data with an expired license. Navigate to Admin > License to check your license status and upload a renewed license.
License file not accepted
Ensure the file you are uploading is the license file downloaded from hawkra.io (not a receipt or confirmation email). Accepted file extensions are .lic, .key, .pem, and .txt.