---
url: /gst-manager-acellemail/licensing.md
description: >-
  How GST Manager for AcelleMail is licensed — the Leased and Lifetime license
  types, the license-gated GST admin surface, and how to enter, re-activate and
  manage your key.
---

# Licensing

GST Manager is licensed on a per-installation basis. This page details license tiers, access gating, and key management procedures.

## License tiers

| Type | License Scope | Software Updates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Leased** | Active subscription access. | Included continuously during active subscription term. |
| **Lifetime** | Perpetual license for installed version. | Requires active **Support & Updates** plan for newer releases. |

License key prefixes identify license classifications:

* **Perpetual family:** Prefixes starting with `OWNED-` or `LIFETIME-`.
* **Subscription family:** Prefixes starting with `LEASED-`, `MONTHLY-`, `ANNUAL-`, `TRIAL-`, or `FREE-`.

## License-gated admin access

License status determines available administrative features:

* **Inactive license state:** Admin navigation restricts access exclusively to the **License** tab. Direct URLs to Dashboard, Setup, or Reports redirect to the License page.
* **Active license state:** Unlocks the complete administrative suite including Dashboard, Setup, and Reports.
* **Subscriber isolation:** Public and customer checkout paths (invoice PDF downloads, `{Bank_Details}` tag parsing) use cached offline bindings and never block on license server connectivity.

## Managing your license key

Manage license activation under **GST Manager → Plugin Settings → License**:

* **Activate:** Paste license key to validate against server domain, IP, and installation path.
* **Re-activate:** Re-verify bindings following server migration, IP change, or prolonged network disconnection.
* **Deactivate:** Release license binding from current domain to permit reassignment to another instance.
* **Masked display:** For security, stored license keys are masked after successful activation.

![The License page in Plugin Settings](/gst-manager-acellemail/img/gst-licensing-license-page.png)
*GST Manager → Plugin Settings → License*

::: info Background license validation
The plugin verifies license validity locally with periodic background checks:

* **Trigger points:** Refreshes on admin page loads, manual activations, and via the daily AcelleMail scheduler.
* **Fault tolerance:** Accommodates brief server connection dropouts without interrupting operations.
* **Reactivation:** Click **Re-activate** to restore access if license binding falls out of sync.
  :::

## Manual license refresh via CLI

Force an immediate license check from your AcelleMail root directory:

```bash
php artisan gstmanager:license:refresh
```

## Related pages

* [Requirements](/gst-manager-acellemail/requirements) — system dependencies
* [Installation](/gst-manager-acellemail/installation) — initial plugin activation
* [Settings reference](/gst-manager-acellemail/settings) — license field definitions
* [Error reference](/gst-manager-acellemail/errors) — license status and error messages