Activate Fixed Licenses on Headless Machines

Important Notice for ReadyAPI Customers

Starting from ReadyAPI 3.62.0, VirtServer 3.29.0, and TestEngine 1.34.0, SmartBear Product Family has fully deprecated file-based licenses and transitioned to the ID-based SmartBear License Management (SLM) system. Any customers still using file-based licenses must complete their migration to SLM by September 30, 2025.

From October 1, 2025, existing and activated file-based licenses will continue to work for some time. However, SmartBear will no longer generate new file-based licenses or support activation and deactivation of file-based licenses in ReadyAPI, VirtServer, or TestEngine. All new and updated licenses are now issued in SLM only.

All technical support for file-based licenses has now ceased, and SmartBear no longer maintains the file-based licensing system. Any access or service issues will result in service disruptions that we will not be able to restore.

If you have not completed the process of migrating, contact your Account Manager or SmartBear representative today. Our teams are ready to assist with smooth transition strategies. For additional support, log a request with our SmartBear Support, who are standing by to help.

For further information and timelines, refer to the File-Based License End-of-Life Policy page.

You can activate licenses on headless machines by using a command-line license manager.

Download the License Manager packaged application from the SmartBear website.
Note
The License Manager requires Java 12. You can use Java shipped with ReadyAPI or download the required version from https://jdk.java.net/archive/.
Run the License Manager .bat (or .sh on Linux and macOS) file with the -f <license file> option:
- For example, if you use Java shipped with ReadyAPI, perform the following commands:
```
cd <ReadyAPI directory>\jre\bin
<path to license manager>\license-manager.bat -f C:\work\ReadyAPITestLicense.key
```
- If you use Java 12 installed in your operating system, perform the following command:
```
license-manager.bat -f C:\Work\ReadyAPITestLicense.key
```
  Note
  Use license-manager.sh on Linux and macOS.
The License Manager will ask you to choose the activation mode (Online or Offline).
If your computer can access https://activation.smartbear.com, enter 1 to select online activation.
If your computer does not have an Internet connection, enter 2 to select offline activation.

Online activation procedure

If you select online activation, the License Manager will ask you to provide the following credentials:

Title
First name
Last name
Company name
Address
City
State
Country
Zip code
Phone number
E-mail

After you specify your credentials, the License Manager will activate the license.

Offline activation procedure

Offline activation is usually used when the computer you want to activate ReadyAPI on does not have Internet access. When you select offline activation, the License Manager displays text like this one:

License Number: [2023-01-01 00:00:00] SUIP-1Y-SBN-NL - 83262bd2-7e0d-4ae8-bfd3-97d24ef22386 Activation Key: 9DEFC-5NMDE-8U5GJ-KE8F7-G3VQ8

Important

Do not close the License Manager window until you complete the activation.

Please go to the offline activation/deactivation page, choose the ‘Activate License’ action, and fill in the form with the License Number and the Activation Key. The SmartBear license service will activate your license and send you the activation file that you can use to activate your local ReadyAPI copy.

Tip

On Windows, you can right-click and select Mark to select text in the command line. Then, press Enter to copy the selected text. Make sure to remove extra line breaks before sending an email.

When you receive the response, copy the activation.key file to the computer where you want to activate the license and specify the path to it in the License Manager window. This activates the ReadyAPI copy on the computer.