> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vectoraidb.actian.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Activating a license

> Upgrade from the Community edition to a licensed instance using the Local UI or a direct API call.

VectorAI DB runs in Community mode by default, with a cap of **5,000 vectors**. A license key increases the cap for the duration of your subscription. Installing multiple keys stacks their capacity; see [Licensing model](/docs/guides/license-and-upgrade#capacity-increments-and-aggregation) for available increments.

| Edition   | Max vectors | Notes                        |
| --------- | ----------- | ---------------------------- |
| Community | 5,000       | Default, no key required     |
| Licensed  | 1,000,000+  | Requires a valid license key |

<Note>
  Your key is emailed when you [start a trial](https://www.actian.com/databases/vectorai-db/community-edition/) or purchase a subscription. If you haven't received your key, contact [Actian support](https://www.actian.com/support).
</Note>

## Activate via the Local UI

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Local UI">
    Navigate to `http://localhost:6575` in your browser. If your instance is running on a remote server, replace `localhost` with the server's IP address. The [Local UI](/docs/guides/gui-interface) is a browser-based console for managing collections, running searches, and configuring VectorAI DB.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the License Manager">
    Click **License Manager** in the navigation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your license key">
    Paste your license key into the input field and click **Activate**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm activation">
    The page updates and displays your new license status: edition, vector cap, and expiry date.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Activate headlessly

Use the license API on port **6575** to activate without a browser. Port 6575 is the Local UI and its API proxy, separate from the REST API on port 6573 and the gRPC server on port 6574. Make sure it is reachable from wherever you run the activation command.

### Check current status

```bash theme={null}
curl http://localhost:6575/api/actian/licenses/status
```

Response on a Community instance:

```json theme={null}
{
  "edition": "community",
  "max_vectors": 5000,
  "expires_at": null
}
```

### Apply a license key

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST http://localhost:6575/api/actian/licenses/add \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"product_key": "YOUR-KEY-HERE"}'
```

On success:

```json theme={null}
{
  "edition": "licensed",
  "max_vectors": 1000000,
  "expires_at": "2026-07-04T00:00:00Z"
}
```

## License persistence

The license state is written to the persistent data volume at `/var/lib/actian-vectorai` and survives container restarts. You only need to activate once per installation.

<Warning>
  Recreating the container without mounting the same volume will clear the license state. You will need to reactivate.
</Warning>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/home/quickstart/quickstart">
    Create your first collection and run a similarity search
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local UI" icon="display" href="/docs/guides/gui-interface">
    Explore the full web interface for managing collections and running searches
  </Card>

  <Card title="Licensing model" icon="rectangle-list" href="/docs/guides/license-and-upgrade">
    Understand capacity increments, key states, compliance enforcement, and the license API
  </Card>

  <Card title="Free trial" icon="gift" href="https://www.actian.com/databases/vectorai-db/community-edition/">
    Start a free 30-day trial, no credit card required
  </Card>
</CardGroup>