License
scd-server is licensed with an opaque license key that it exchanges for a short-lived, cryptographically signed lease. The server renews the lease automatically in the background, so licensing keeps working without any files to manage. License status is visible in Admin → Settings → License.
Activating your license
After purchasing at securecodebydesign.com you receive a
license key of the form scd-lic-…. Activate it in one of two ways:
- Dashboard: sign in as an administrator and paste the key under Admin → Settings → License.
- Environment: set
SCD_LICENSE_KEYbefore starting the server (useful for automated or containerised deployments).
On activation scd-server contacts api.securecodebydesign.com, exchanges the key for a signed
lease bound to this machine, and caches it. No license file is involved — the key is all you
need.
License status
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Tier | Your licensed tier |
| Seats | Licensed number of active developers |
| Paid through | The date your subscription is paid until |
| Last renewal | When the lease was last renewed successfully |
| Machine binding | The machine fingerprint this license is bound to |
| Health | Whether the lease is valid and renewing normally |
Automatic renewal
scd-server renews the lease with Activemind's license API about once a day. Each renewal returns
a freshly signed lease; scd-server verifies the signature before accepting it. There is nothing to
do — renewal is automatic while the server can reach api.securecodebydesign.com.
Grace period: if the license API is temporarily unreachable (network issues, firewall), the current lease keeps the server fully operational until the lease's grace window ends. Renewal retries in the background, so short outages are invisible. If renewal keeps failing, the License page shows a warning and a banner appears across the dashboard.
Air-gapped environments: see offline activation below, and contact support@securecodebydesign.com for a lease with an extended grace window.
Offline activation (air-gapped installs)
If scd-server cannot reach the internet, activate and renew by hand under Admin → Settings → License:
- scd-server shows an activation request — a short block of text.
- Copy it to a machine that has internet access and submit it to the licensing portal.
- Paste the signed lease the portal returns back into scd-server.
The pasted lease is verified and cached exactly like an online renewal. Repeat when the lease approaches the end of its grace window.
Machine binding
Your license binds to a specific machine fingerprint on first activation, so one license runs one installation. If you need to move scd-server to a different machine, contact support@securecodebydesign.com to release the binding — the license then re-binds automatically the next time you activate on the new machine.
License health and expiry
When renewal is failing or your subscription is approaching its paid-through date, scd-server raises notifications through every configured channel and surfaces a warning on the License page. Renew at securecodebydesign.com; the updated entitlement takes effect on the next automatic renewal — there is no file to replace.