License and domains

Every DonkeyCMS blog has a license key, including on the Free plan. The key tells your blog which plan it is on, and lets it receive updates. It is already inside every download, so a normal install needs no typing.

The License & Updates page

Open License & Updates in the menu on the left. Only a Master account sees it.

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1. Your license key. Paste another one here and press Save key to change it.

License & Billing shows your Tier (plan), the License key, the Domain it was checked for, when it Renews, and when it was Last checked. Your blog checks the key with donkeycms.com once a day; it sends the key and the domain, nothing about your posts or visitors.

To use another key, paste it into the key field and press Save key. View billing and invoices in your donkeycms.com account opens your account, where you manage payments.

Add your domain

A license works on the domains you list in your donkeycms.com account.

1. Sign in at donkeycms.com and open Domains.
2. Type the domain your blog runs on, for example yoursite.com, and press Add site.
3. In your blog, open License & Updates. It asks again by itself; you can also press Check again.

Staging copies

Each site can have one staging copy, such as staging.yoursite.com, for trying changes before they go live. Press + staging copy under the site and type its address. A staging copy does not use up one of your sites.

Move to another domain

On Domains, press Remove next to the old domain to free its slot, then add the new one. The blog on the old domain stays online and public; its admin panel keeps your paid features for 7 more days, then drops to the Free plan. Adding the old domain again undoes this.

Messages you may see

• This site is not on your license yet: add the domain as above. On a paid plan your features keep working for 7 days while you do. On Free, updates wait until the domain is added.
• Could not reach the license server recently: nothing to do if it is short-lived. Your plan keeps working for 30 days without a successful check; a license bought with a one-time payment keeps working regardless.
• Your license has expired: renew it in your account to get your plan's features back.
• That key looks mistyped or was not recognized: copy the key again from your account.

When a paid plan ends

Your blog stays online, with every post, image and comment. It switches to the Free plan's features: paid-only settings lock and keep their values, extra team accounts are paused, and the look you chose stays as it is. Renew and everything comes back as it was.

Still stuck? Write to us — we read every message.