This page is related to the new SmartBear ID-based licenses that we’ve introduced in ReadyAPI 3.8.1.
In this version, we included support for SmartBear-hosted ID-based (online) licenses. Furthermore, from version 3.40.0, we added support for on-premise hosted and offline ID-based licenses.

Since ReadyAPI 3.8.1, we started offering licenses of the new (SmartBear ID-based) type to a limited number of users. This new license type implies that to use the product, you need to specify your SmartBear account (or SmartBear ID). This is an easier and more convenient way of using the product in comparison with downloading and installing license files. The information below describes the specifics of applying the new licenses.

How to create a SmartBear account

We create one for you automatically when you request the product on our website. You will receive a notification message via email about this. We recommend that you follow the link in this email message and set a password for your account.

Note:

We create an account for the email address you specified in the trial request form. Of course, if you already have an account for this email, a new one is not created.

Once you have an account, you can specify it in the product. See below.

Requirements

The new licenses are controlled by SmartBear online License Servers. The computer where you are going to run ReadyAPI must have access to these servers. The proxies and firewalls running in your network should allow a permanent connection to them:

https://manage.smartbear.com:443
https://api.slm.manage.smartbear.com:443
https://login.slm.manage.smartbear.com:443
https://server.manage.smartbear.com:443
https://server.slm.manage.smartbear.com:443
https://profile.id.smartbear.com:443
https://profile-api.id.smartbear.com:443
https://auth.id.smartbear.com:443

This access is needed both at the product start and during the product runtime. The addresses are for API servers and don’t have a user interface visible in browsers. When products call these hosts, they add some specific paths or URLs to the addresses.

Note:

We encrypt all data at rest and over the wire.

Trial license

Option 1 — Requesting a trial from the website

In this case, the ReadyAPI trial doesn’t require any special activation. You can download, install, and run it. The trial installation has all the data needed for the run. It uses the SmartBear account that was created for you when you requested the trial.

You will receive an email message on the created SmartBear account. We recommend that you follow a link in that email and set a password for your account.

If ReadyAPI fails to activate the trial for some reason (for example, if you are working in a private network and have no access to the SmartBear license servers), ReadyAPI will suggest using a file-based trial license. See Activate Trial in Private Networks for details.

Option 2 — Requesting a trial from the application

If you have a commercial license for one of the ReadyAPI modules (Test, Performance, or Virtualization), you can also request a trial for another module:

From the main menu of ReadyAPI, select Help > License Manager. This will invoke the License Manager dialog.
On the left of the dialog, select the ReadyAPI module for which you would like to get a trial, and then click Start Pro Trial.

Follow the instructions you will see on the screen.

Currently, commercial licenses are file-based. So, ReadyAPI will start a new file-based trial license. For information on how to activate it, see Activating File-Based Trial Licenses.

Commercial licenses

ID-based licenses can be Fixed User or Floating (see more on this in the SmartBear License Management documentation). The activation steps listed below work for both Fixed User and Floating licenses.

1. Admin steps — Assign the licenses to end-users

When purchasing a license, you specify the person who will represent the license administrator on your side, that is, who will have permissions to control the license use and assign the license to your teammates.

The license administrator works on the SmartBear Licensing Portal:

https://manage.smartbear.com

For complete information on assigning licenses, see SmartBear License Management Documentation.

If your teammates don’t have SmartBear accounts, the license admin can invite them to the Portal to get the accounts. It is essential to use corporate emails for the invitation, not the personal ones.

If needed, the license administrator can assign the licenses to themselves.

2. User steps

1. Complete account creation

If your license administrator assigns a license to you, and you have no SmartBear account, the Licensing Portal will send an invitation email to you. This email contains a link to the Portal. Follow this link and specify a password for your SmartBear account to complete the account creation. After that, you will be able to download the product installer from the Portal.

Of course, the Portal doesn’t send invitations to those who already have SmartBear accounts. These users receive notifications on assigned licenses.

2. Install ReadyAPI

Download the ReadyAPI installer from the Licensing Portal:

https://manage.smartbear.com
Run the installer and follow the instructions of the installation wizard.

3. Activate ReadyAPI

Make sure your computer has access to the SmartBear License Servers mentioned in Requirements.
Start ReadyAPI.
The License Manager dialog will appear. Select SmartBear login and click Login:

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Tip: To configure a proxy, click .

In the subsequent dialog boxes, enter your account’s email and password.

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ReadyAPI now includes the option for basic authentication during SmartBear ID sign-in. This new feature will prompt a popup if your browser requires a username and password for basic authentication login.

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The License Manager dialog will show the ReadyAPI license available to you (if you have several of them, it will show you all available ReadyAPI-related licenses). Click Finish to consume them:

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That’s all. You can use your ReadyAPI now.

Note: In ReadyAPI 3.42, we added a License Status update for ReadyAPI Performance License holders to show the maximum number of Virtual Users supported in your license.

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ReadyAPI will remember your credentials, so you don’t need to enter them every time you start the product.

Activation on headless machines and automated runs

You can run both trial and commercial licenses of ReadyAPI on headless machines and use these licenses for automated runs. To do this, you need to copy an API key for your license from the SmartBear Licensing Portal and specify it in the ReadyAPI command line. For complete information, see Activate ReadyAPI on Headless Machines and in CI/CD build runs.

Note:

Please note, as outlined here and in our Terms of Use:

Floating licenses are required for scenarios including multiple authorized users, service accounts, and machine combinations including virtual machines and containerized environments. Floating licenses are required for any headless use case with virtual machines and docker.