License
Every 10x Engine runs against a license token (a signed JWT) that the engine verifies locally at startup. The token is bound to one environment and carries the licensed node count. Verification is offline and local verification is the only gate: no call to log10x can stop a pipeline, and an engine with no license configured still runs, on the built-in evaluation license below.
Pricing is per node, with unlimited log volume and every product included. The ladder, trial terms, and node-counting rules live on the pricing page and the pricing FAQ. This page covers the mechanism, not the numbers.
No license: the evaluation license
An engine with no token configured synthesizes its own evaluation license at startup: the full product for 30 days from process start, up to 10 nodes, running air-gapped. Nothing is downloaded, no account exists, and the engine makes no outbound call at all, so an evaluation can be packet-captured and found silent.
The engine logs two lines at startup naming the ceiling and this page. Buying a license removes the ceiling; it does not unlock the binary.
The license token
The token is an ES256-signed JWT minted by the Log10x backend and verified by the engine against an embedded public key. The token carries the environment ID, the licensed node count, and an expiry.
Verification is local and complete: it proves signature, expiry, and shape on its own. When a service endpoint is explicitly configured (none is by default) and the engine is not air-gapped, it also makes one best-effort enrichment call at startup; an endpoint that cannot be reached produces a warning and the engine runs.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | ES256 JWT, signed by KMS |
| Bound to | one environment (one token per environment) |
| Carries | node count, expiry, permission level |
| Where it lives | helm value log10xLicenseJwt, mounted at TENX_LICENSE_FILE in the pod |
| Verified | locally by the engine, offline |
Getting a token
- Evaluation. No token. Download, run, and the engine evaluates on its built-in license.
- MCP. The MCP install advisor mints a token from your signed-in session and writes it straight into the helm values it emits.
- Paid. Token terms follow your subscription, whether it came through Stripe or AWS Marketplace.
Expiry and enforcement
The token's expiry is enforced, with a few hours' leeway for clock skew and renewal. The engine keeps running past the licensed node count, and overage is reconciled against the plan. Node counts are licensed terms reconciled with your account, not metered by the engine; a default deployment reports nothing to log10x.
Renewal re-issues the token. Replace the mounted file or helm value; no engine restart ordering matters beyond picking up the new file.
Troubleshooting
Engine logs an evaluation-license warning
Expected whenever no token is configured. Mount one at
TENX_LICENSE_FILE or set licenseKey to silence it.
Engine will not start
A configured token that fails verification (expired, malformed, wrong key) stops the engine. Check expiry and re-mint; or remove the token to fall back to the evaluation license.
FAQ
A licence request is failing. Is it me or log10x?
status.log10x.com publishes the health of the endpoints an install or purchase needs. A running engine verifies its licence locally and never calls them, so a green board with a failing request points at credentials or network egress on your side.
Does my license hard-block if I go over my node tier?
No. The engine keeps running; overage is reconciled against the plan. The token's expiry, however, is enforced.
What happens when the 30-day evaluation expires?
The evaluation window is measured from process start. A restart begins a new window; the ceiling that matters is the 10-node scope. Production rollouts past that need a token.