Licensing model

Understand the VectorAI DB licensing model, key management workflows, compliance enforcement, and API reference for license operations.

Licensing model overview

VectorAI DB licenses capacity by vector count. Instances start in the free tier; installing a license key raises the limit.

System states

Your VectorAI DB instance operates in one of two states.

• Free: The default state, allowing a maximum of 5,000 vectors stored perpetually.
• Licensed: Active when at least one valid license key is installed.

Capacity increments and aggregation

To scale beyond the free tier, install license keys in the following increments. For pricing details, see the VectorAI DB pricing page.

• 1 million, 5 million, or 10 million vector keys.
• Unlimited capacity keys.

Capacity is cumulative across all installed keys. For example, two 1M keys give you a 2M total limit.

License key specifications

• Format: Each license key is a 30-character alphanumeric string (for example, BWRCQ-C34DR-RYXCK-2834D-T3K9G-6BGCG).
• Duration: Trial keys are valid for 30 days, while purchased keys are valid for 1 year.
• Machine identity: Keys are tied to a single installation and validated against machine identifiers. Modifying machine attributes, such as the hostname, can invalidate active licenses.

License key states

The GET /licenses/status endpoint returns a Free or Licensed status. Individual keys have one of three states:

• Active: The key is valid, unexpired, and matches the current system identifiers.
• Expired: The key has passed its 30-day or one-year validity period.
• Non-Compliant: The key is not expired, but the current machine identifiers differ from those present when the key was originally activated.

Key management

The following operations cover the full key lifecycle.

Add and reactivate licenses

You can activate licenses in two ways:

• New activation: Submit a new key to add its capacity to the system.
• Reactivation: Add a previously deleted license again, as long as it has not expired.

Delete a license before maintenance

Use the POST /licenses/delete endpoint to prevent license invalidation during maintenance.

• If you plan system configuration changes (for example, changing hostnames), then delete the license before making the change.
• After the change is complete, reactivate the key to avoid triggering a Non-Compliant state or requiring a repair.

Repair licenses

If an unexpected system change invalidates a key, use the Repair function to restore it to Active. It re-ties the key to the updated machine identifiers.

Compliance and enforcement

A background check periodically compares your total vector count against your licensed capacity. When the count exceeds the limit, API operations are blocked.

• API restrictions: All standard API operations return an error. Delete operations (delete vectors and delete collections) are not blocked, so you can still remove data to bring the count down.
• Automatic recovery: Once over the limit, the check runs more frequently (every 10 minutes, then every 30 seconds). When the count drops back to or below your limit, API access is restored automatically.

API reference summary

Operation	Endpoint	Description
List licenses	GET /licenses	Returns a list of all registered licenses and their individual statuses.
Status summary	GET /licenses/status	Returns the overall system state (Free or Licensed) and cumulative capacity.
Add license	POST /licenses/add	Adds a new key or reactivates a previously deleted, unexpired key.
Delete license	POST /licenses/delete	Removes a key from the system to prevent invalidation during maintenance.
Repair license	POST /licenses/repair	Attempts to restore a Non-Compliant key to Active status.

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Next steps

Activate a license

Apply a trial or purchased key via the Local UI or a direct API call

Licensing & support

Open a support ticket or search the Actian Knowledge Base