Licensing & Activation

The commercial edition of SkyView is sold under a "per-device license" model. This chapter covers what to do after buying a license, how to change hardware, and where to check renewals.

Device fingerprint

SkyView binds the license to one machine's hardware fingerprint (a combination of unique identifiers from the motherboard and the system). The fingerprint travels with the hardware and doesn't drift when docker is rebuilt — provided you bind-mounted the hardware-info files as in the Installation chapter.

The data volume isn't part of the fingerprint

Copying the data directory to another machine won't carry the license along — this is intentional anti-abuse design. To change machines, use the "re-binding" flow.

What to do after buying a license

1
Find the activation code in the customer portal
Customer portal → log in → My Licenses → copy the activation code (a long string of characters)
2
Paste it on the SkyView server
Web admin → Settings → License → paste the activation code → Activate
3
Verify
On success a green "Activated" badge appears in the top bar, with the corresponding "streams / expiry date" clear at a glance

Re-binding (changing hardware)

Upgrading the server, a failed motherboard, moving data centers — these scenarios require re-binding to move the license to the new fingerprint.

1
Request it in the customer portal
My Licenses → select the target license → request re-binding. You'll need the new machine's fingerprint (after installing and starting SkyView on the new machine, go to Settings → License to copy it)
2
Wait for review
Manual review takes 30 minutes to 24 hours (to prevent abuse). Once approved, the old machine is automatically invalidated
3
Activate the new machine
Activate on the new machine with the same activation code; takes effect immediately

Re-binding frequency limit

At most once per 30 days (to prevent abuse). For frequent hardware changes, contact support to be whitelisted.

Does the server need internet

During activation a one-time internet connection is needed (curl license.yun-kan.com to complete OAuth + fetch a signature). After activation, the server can go fully offline — the heartbeat is best-effort and a failure to connect won't stop functionality. Event push, TTS announcements, the Home Assistant bridge, and recording playback don't depend on the internet.

Renewal / expiry

The license is an annual subscription; the system sends reminders (push + email) 30 days before expiry. After expiry, functionality is unaffected during a 7-day grace period with a renewal prompt; beyond 7 days, detection stops automatically (recording and live view continue).

Check the expiry date: web admin → Settings → License
Renew: Customer portal → My Orders → Renew
After renewing, it refreshes locally automatically within 1 minute (or click "Refresh license" to pull it immediately)