Skip to Content
New release 12 available 🎉
LicensingWeb ApplicationRunning Locally

Running Locally Data Center

Starting with 12.0 the web application is delivered encrypted inside the service package and is served only by a Babel Licensing Service with a Data Center license. It cannot be hosted from a separate static web server. To manage a Server edition service, use the Management API, or Babel Desktop on the service machine.

The Babel Licensing Service decrypts the web application scripts in memory at run time, and only when its license includes the web application feature. Copying the files from the service wwwroot folder to another web server, such as an nginx container, does not produce a working web application.

Managing a Remote Service

To browse a remote Babel Licensing Service from your local machine, install Babel Desktop and add a Licensing connection to the service address with an API key. Babel Desktop works with both the Server and the Data Center editions, but profiles of remote services are read-only: creating, editing and deleting records requires a Local test profile with Local management, that is, Babel Desktop running on the service machine. To change the data of a remote service, use the Management API.

If the remote service runs the Data Center edition, you can also open the web application directly in a browser at the service address.

Running the Service as API Only

To run the service as API only, without serving the web application, set EnableWebUI to false in the appsettings.json file:

"Application": {
  "EnableWebApi": true,
  "EnableWebUI": false
}

With EnableWebUI set to false the service does not serve the web application files. The REST API, gRPC and, when enabled, Swagger and the health check endpoint stay available, so Babel Desktop and other API clients keep working.

API Key Generation

The API key must be generated on the remote Babel Licensing Service. To generate an API key:

  1. Open the web application or Babel Desktop
  2. Navigate to the “API Keys” section
  3. Create a new API key with appropriate permissions
  4. Copy the generated key for use in your client configuration

Ensure that the API key has sufficient permissions to perform the operations you need.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues connecting to the remote service:

  1. Check Network Connectivity: Confirm that your local machine can reach the remote server (try using ping or similar tools)
  2. Validate API Key: Ensure the API key is valid and has the necessary permissions
  3. Check SSL/TLS: If using HTTPS, verify that the SSL certificate is valid and trusted
  4. Firewall Settings: Ensure that your firewall allows outbound connections to the remote service port
  5. Check Service Health: Use the health check endpoint (/health) on the remote service to verify it’s operational
  6. Check the Edition: If the browser shows the upgrade page instead of the web application, the service license does not include the web application feature. Replace babel.licenses with a Data Center license and restart the service.

Security Considerations

When connecting to a remote licensing service, consider these security best practices:

  1. Use HTTPS for secure communication
  2. Regularly rotate API keys
  3. Apply the principle of least privilege when assigning permissions to API keys
  4. Do not commit configuration files with API keys to source control

Before 12.0 the web application files could be copied to a separate web server, for example an nginx Docker container, and pointed at a remote service through a config.js file. This procedure does not apply to the 12.0 service package.

Last updated on