Licensing

Method 1: License key via environment variables

GateControl works without a license key in Community mode with limited features. To unlock all features of your plan, add your license key as an environment variable.

1. Get your license key

Register at callmetechie.de
Choose a plan on the Pricing page
After purchase, find your license key in Dashboard → Licenses
Click Setup on your license to see the key and signing key

2. Configure environment variables

Add the following variables to your .env file or docker-compose.yml:

GC_LICENSE_KEY=GATE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
GC_LICENSE_SIGNING_KEY=your-signing-key-here

For Docker Compose:

services:
  gatecontrol:
    environment:
      - GC_LICENSE_KEY=GATE-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
      - GC_LICENSE_SIGNING_KEY=your-signing-key-here

3. Restart the container

docker compose down && docker compose up -d

On startup, GateControl validates the license and unlocks your plan features. You will see in the log:

License valid — Plan: pro

Method 2: Enter license key via the web interface

You can also enter the license key directly in GateControl — no container restart needed:

Open GateControl in your browser
Navigate to Settings → License
Enter your License Key and Signing Key
Click Activate

The license activates immediately. Your plan features are available right away — no restart required.

Which method should I use?

Method	Advantage	Restart needed?
Environment variables (.env)	Automatic on every start, ideal for automation	Yes
Settings → License (UI)	Instant activation, no file access needed	No

Both methods are equivalent. Environment variables take priority — if GC_LICENSE_KEY is set, it overrides the key entered in the UI.

Community mode

Without license key (unlicensed mode)

Without a license key, GateControl starts in restricted mode:

Maximum 3 VPN peers
Maximum 1 HTTP route
No L4 routes (TCP/UDP)
No advanced features

A banner prompts you to register for free.

With free Community license

After registration and entering the Community license key, you get:

Maximum 5 VPN peers
Maximum 3 HTTP routes
Compression, traffic history, manual backup
Automatic feature updates from the license server

The advantage over unlicensed mode: feature changes to the Community plan are applied automatically, without updating the container.

Offline operation

GateControl works without internet connection to the license server. On first successful contact, a signed offline token is stored locally. The validity depends on the plan:

Plan	Offline token valid
Community	3 days
Pro	14 days
Lifetime	30 days

After the token expires, GateControl tries to contact the license server again. If unavailable, it falls back to Community mode.

Signing Key

The GC_LICENSE_SIGNING_KEY is used to verify the offline token locally. Find it in the customer dashboard under Licenses → Setup.

Important: The signing key is a secret token. Store it securely as an environment variable — not in code or public repositories.