DirectAdmin switched to a new licensing model some time ago. Until now, we have supported DirectAdmin installations based on the old Legacy licenses so that existing customers could continue using their current license. However, JBMC, the developer of DirectAdmin, has decided to no longer make software updates available for DirectAdmin legacy licenses, but only for installations based on the newer licensing model.
For this reason, we are giving you the option to replace your DirectAdmin legacy license with a new Standard license. You can do this by sending a message via the TransIP control panel requesting to replace your DirectAdmin license with a newer one. In this article, we explain how to activate the new license on your server.
What are the consequences of using the old licenses?
When logging into DirectAdmin, you may see a message ‘This server is running DirectAdmin legacy codebase, which receives limited development’.
When you try to update software to the latest version in DirectAdmin, for example a new version of MariaDB, the newer version you want to install is probably not available. For example, MariaDB 10.6 is available in our DirectAdmin images (end-of-life as of July 6, 2026), but you might want to install MariaDB 12.3. This is not possible, and given the end-of-life status of MariaDB 10.6, your server is potentially vulnerable to attacks.
Legacy vs regular codebase
DirectAdmin refers to a ‘legacy’ codebase that receives less development. In practice, this does not mean that it is developed less, but simply that there are two limitations:
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Software versions: Software such as Apache and MariaDB cannot use the very latest versions in the legacy codebase. However, the software used in the legacy codebase is still actively supported (incl. security updates).
- Pro Pack: DirectAdmin previously offered a 'Pro Pack'; see this overview of the features. In August 2023, the Pro Pack was discontinued, and its features became part of the new licenses. It is not possible to use these features with the ‘legacy codebase’.
As long as you do not need Pro Pack features, and do not use and disable end-of-life software, the ‘legacy’ licenses are therefore still very suitable for hosting services on a DirectAdmin server.
How do I upgrade my DirectAdmin license?
- Upgrading your license this way is a permanent action and cannot be reversed.
- License prices are monthly.
Step 1
Contact our support department and request a DirectAdmin Standard license along with an agreement to the costs (at the time of writing, this costs €29.00). You will receive a license key that looks like this, for example: bZ3ssos1Po4GW6vw10zgobgsl2o/tcs3DdqQEpIDglw=
Step 2
Connect to your DirectAdmin server, for example via SSH or the VPS console.
Step 3
Execute the command below, replacing LicenseKey with the actual license key you received; see the example in step 1.
./getLicense.sh "LicenseKey"That's it! You can now update the software versions to newer versions as desired in DirectAdmin under CustomBuild.
Adjust installed software versions
Step 1
After updating your license, log in as admin and navigate to Admin > Server Manager > CustomBuild > Options and adjust the versions as desired. The change is implemented in real-time.
Step 2
Next, navigate to Admin > Server Manager > CustomBuild > Updates.
Step 3
Click on ‘Update’ next to the software version you want to update to in order to modify/add the version.
