Licensing & Activation
One license key controls your edition, features, and limits.
MaestroHub ships in three editions — Core, Foundation, and Enterprise. Your license determines which one is active.
What Your License Controls
Edition Features
SSO, API Clients, and Custom UNS require Foundation. Advanced RBAC and Multi-Tenancy require Enterprise.
Operational Limits
Pipeline executions (5M / 30M / 200M+ per day) and historian retention (3h / 1d / 7d) are set by edition.
Infrastructure
Core and Foundation run as a single node. Enterprise unlocks Kubernetes with external databases and brokers.
For a full comparison, see the Editions page.
Free Trial
Try Foundation edition free — no license key needed.
When you first start MaestroHub without a license, it automatically enters a 2-hour trial of the Foundation edition. During this window you get full access to everything Foundation offers: SSO, API Clients, Custom UNS, and up to 30M pipeline executions per day.
What happens after 2 hours? Automated and scheduled pipelines pause. But nothing is lost — your data, pipelines, dashboards, connections, and user accounts all stay exactly where they are. You can still log in, browse, and review everything you built.
How do I continue? You have two options. Either restart the MaestroHub service to start a fresh 2-hour session (you can do this as many times as you want — your data carries over between sessions), or upload a commercial license key to activate permanently.
License States
Every MaestroHub instance is always in one of three states:
Active
You have a valid license. Everything works — pipelines run on schedule, all edition features are available, no interruptions.
Trial
You started MaestroHub without a license. Foundation features are fully available for 2 hours. After that, you can restart for another session or apply a license.
Expired
The trial ran out or your license is no longer valid. Scheduled pipelines pause, but your data is safe. Apply a license or restart to continue.
You can check the current state on the License page in the sidebar, via the X-License-Status API header, or through the in-app banner that appears when attention is needed.
Applying a License
Single Instance
Upload a license key while MaestroHub is running — no restart required.
- Sign in to the MaestroHub UI.
- Select License from the main sidebar.
- Paste the signed license string and submit.
- The status updates instantly. Automation resumes immediately.
Fleet via Edge Manager
Enterprise customers managing multiple instances use Edge Manager to distribute licenses centrally:
- Upload your master license to Edge Manager.
- Edge Manager automatically splits it into per-instance entitlements.
- Each instance receives its license via the next heartbeat — no manual activation per factory.
One license for your entire fleet, regardless of how many instances you operate.
FAQ
Can I upgrade from Core to Foundation or Enterprise without downtime?
Yes. Go to the License page, paste your new license key, and submit. The edition changes instantly — no restart, no data migration, no downtime. Your pipelines, dashboards, and connections stay exactly as they are.
I forgot to apply a license and my trial expired. Did I lose my work?
No. Everything you built during the trial — pipelines, dashboards, connections, user accounts — is still there. The only thing that stops is automated pipeline execution. Either restart MaestroHub for a fresh 2-hour trial session, or apply a license key to resume permanently.
How does seat counting work with multiple instances?
If you run MaestroHub in multiple factories via Edge Manager, seats are counted by total organizations across all instances. Every organization on every instance counts as one seat. For example, if your Berlin instance has 3 organizations, Munich has 2, and HQ has 5, that is 10 seats total.
Need help? Email support@maestrohub.com.