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Self Host Licensing

This document provides a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring the Bruno Licensing Server on your own infrastructure. The server runs as a Docker container and requires a MongoDB instance for data storage and SMTP credentials for sending email notifications.

Prerequisites

  • Docker installed on your server — Install Docker
  • Access to a MongoDB instance (on-premise or cloud-hosted, e.g., MongoDB Atlas)
  • SMTP credentials from any email provider (SendGrid, Gmail, custom SMTP, etc.)

System Requirements

Component Requirement
MongoDB Community Server v6 or greater
MongoDB Storage 4 GB or greater
Docker Container Memory 2 GB or greater

Architecture Diagram

Architecture Diagram

Setup Methods

The licensing server can be deployed in four ways. Choose the approach that fits your infrastructure:

  1. Running the Docker image directly
  2. Ansible
  3. Docker Compose
  4. Kubernetes

1. Setup by Running the Docker Image

Pull the image:

docker pull public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server

Run the container:

docker run -d \
  -e MONGODB_URI="{{ mongodb_uri }}" \
  -e SMTP_HOST="{{ smtp_host }}" \
  -e SMTP_PORT="{{ smtp_port }}" \
  -e SMTP_USER="{{ smtp_user }}" \
  -e SMTP_PASSWORD="{{ smtp_password }}" \
  -e AUTH_JWT_SECRET="{{ random_uuid }}" \
  -e BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL="https://license-api.usebruno.com" \
  -e PORT="80" \
  -p 8080:80 \
  public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server

2. Setup Using Ansible

- hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Pull Docker image for licensing server
      docker_image:
        name: public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server
        source: pull

    - name: Run the licensing server container
      docker_container:
        name: licensing_server
        image: public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server
        state: started
        restart_policy: always
        ports:
          - "8080:8080"
        env:
          MONGODB_URI: "{{ mongodb_uri }}"
          SMTP_HOST: "{{ smtp_host }}"
          SMTP_PORT: "{{ smtp_port }}"
          SMTP_USER: "{{ smtp_user }}"
          SMTP_PASSWORD: "{{ smtp_pass }}"
          AUTH_JWT_SECRET: "{{ random_uuid }}"
          BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL: "https://license-api.usebruno.com"
          PORT: 80

3. Setup Using Docker Compose

docker-compose.yml:

version: '3'
services:
  licensing-server:
    image: public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      MONGODB_URI: "your_mongodb_uri"
      SMTP_HOST: "your_smtp_host"
      SMTP_PORT: "your_smtp_port"
      SMTP_USER: "your_smtp_user"
      SMTP_PASSWORD: "your_smtp_password"
      AUTH_JWT_SECRET: "{{ random_uuid }}"
      BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL: "https://license-api.usebruno.com"
      PORT: 80

Start the service:

docker-compose up -d

4. Setup Using Kubernetes

Create the secret:

kubectl create secret generic licensing-server-secrets \
  --from-literal=MONGODB_URI="your_mongodb_uri" \
  --from-literal=SMTP_HOST="your_smtp_host" \
  --from-literal=SMTP_PORT="your_smtp_port" \
  --from-literal=SMTP_USER="your_smtp_user" \
  --from-literal=SMTP_PASSWORD="your_smtp_password" \
  --from-literal=BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL="https://license-api.usebruno.com" \
  --from-literal=AUTH_JWT_SECRET="random_uuid"

licensing-server.yaml — Deployment and Service:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: licensing-server
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: licensing-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: licensing-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: licensing-server
        image: usebruno/hosted-licensing-server
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8080
        env:
        - name: PORT
          value: "80"
        - name: MONGODB_URI
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: MONGODB_URI
        - name: SMTP_HOST
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: SMTP_HOST
        - name: SMTP_PORT
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: SMTP_PORT
        - name: SMTP_USER
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: SMTP_USER
        - name: SMTP_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: SMTP_PASS
        - name: BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL
        - name: AUTH_JWT_SECRET
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: licensing-server-secrets
              key: AUTH_JWT_SECRET
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: licensing-server
spec:
  selector:
    app: licensing-server
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 8080
      targetPort: 8080

Apply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f licensing-server.yaml

Network Ports & Firewall Rules

System / URL Port Description
https://license-api.usebruno.com/ 443 Required for the on-premises server to retrieve keys from the Bruno Global Licensing Server.
On-Prem License Server 443 Ensure port 443 is open on the machine hosting the on-premises server.
On-Prem MongoDB Server 27017 The on-premises server must be able to communicate with the MongoDB instance.

Proxy Settings

Pass the following environment variables to configure proxy settings:

Variable Value
PROXY_ENABLED true
HTTP_PROXY HTTP proxy URL
HTTPS_PROXY HTTPS proxy URL

Troubleshooting SSL Issues

The following environment variables disable SSL validation when connecting to the Bruno Global Licensing Server.

Use these settings only to diagnose SSL-related issues. Do not use them in a production environment.

Variable Value
BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_DISABLE_SSL true
NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED 1

SSL Configuration

The licensing server supports SSL using either a self-signed certificate or a CA-signed certificate.

Supported formats: - PFX format (.p12) - CRT + KEY format (.crt and .key)

SSL_KEY_PASSPHRASE is optional and only required if the certificate is encrypted.

Expected file structure:

ssl/
├── certificate.crt
├── certificate.key
└── certificate.p12

Run the container with SSL enabled:

docker run -d \
  -e MONGODB_URI="{{ mongodb_uri }}" \
  -e SMTP_HOST="{{ smtp_host }}" \
  -e SMTP_PORT="{{ smtp_port }}" \
  -e SMTP_USER="{{ smtp_user }}" \
  -e SMTP_PASSWORD="{{ smtp_password }}" \
  -e AUTH_JWT_SECRET="{{ random_uuid }}" \
  -e BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL="https://license-api.usebruno.com" \
  -e PORT="80" \
  -p 8080:80 \
  -v ~/ssl:/opt/license-service/ssl \
  -e SSL_KEY_PASSPHRASE="secret" \
  public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server

Email Configuration

The licensing server supports customizable email templates for license activation, deactivation, and OTP-based login.

Template Format

Templates are written in TOML format with two required fields:

Field Description
subject Email subject line (supports variables)
body Full HTML body of the email (supports variables)

Example template:

subject = "Your Bruno License Key - {{orgName}}"
body = '''
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Bruno License Key</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Welcome to {{orgName}}!</h1>
  <p>Hello {{name}},</p>
  <p>Your Bruno license key is ready:</p>
  <h2>{{licenseKey}}</h2>
  <p>Please keep this license key secure and do not share it with anyone.</p>
  <p>If you have any questions, please contact our support team.</p>
  <hr>
  <p><small>&copy; {{currentYear}} {{orgName}}. Powered by Bruno.</small></p>
</body>
</html>
'''

Available Template Variables

Variable Description Example
{{licenseKey}} The generated license key XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
{{orgName}} Organization name Your Corporation
{{email}} User's email address user@example.com
{{name}} User's name John Doe
{{currentYear}} Current year 2025
{{otp}} One-Time Password for login (OTP emails only) 123456

Template File Structure

Mount your custom templates using the following structure:

templates/
├── license-activation.toml
├── license-deactivation.toml
└── otp-email.toml
Purpose File Name
License Activation license-activation.toml
License Deactivation license-deactivation.toml
OTP Login Email otp-email.toml

Mount templates when starting the container:

docker run -d \
  -e MONGODB_URI="{{ mongodb_uri }}" \
  -e SMTP_HOST="{{ smtp_host }}" \
  -e SMTP_PORT="{{ smtp_port }}" \
  -e SMTP_USER="{{ smtp_user }}" \
  -e SMTP_PASSWORD="{{ smtp_password }}" \
  -e AUTH_JWT_SECRET="{{ random_uuid }}" \
  -e BRUNO_GLOBAL_LICENSE_SERVER_URL="https://license-api.usebruno.com" \
  -e PORT="80" \
  -p 8080:80 \
  -v ~/templates:/opt/license-service/templates \
  public.ecr.aws/e6d0f8t6/bruno-hosted-license-server

Template Fallback Behavior

If a custom template is missing or cannot be parsed, the server automatically falls back to the default Bruno template for that notification type. Template usage and fallback events are logged at startup and runtime.

Built-In Template Examples

subject = "Welcome to {{orgName}} - Your Bruno License Key"
body = '''
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Bruno License Key</title>
  <style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; }
    .container { max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
    .header { background-color: #d97706; color: white; padding: 10px; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 10px; }
    .content { background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; }
    .license-key { font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; margin: 20px 0; letter-spacing: 5px; background-color: #e5e7eb; padding: 15px; border-radius: 5px; text-align: center; }
    .footer { text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; font-size: 12px; color: #777; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="header"><h1>Welcome to {{orgName}}!</h1></div>
    <div class="content">
      <p>Hello {{name}},</p>
      <p>Your Bruno license key is ready:</p>
      <div class="license-key">{{licenseKey}}</div>
      <p>Please keep this license key secure and do not share it with anyone.</p>
      <p>If you have any questions, please contact our support team.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="footer"><p><small>&copy; {{currentYear}} {{orgName}}. Powered by Bruno.</small></p></div>
  </div>
</body>
</html>
'''


subject = "Bruno License Deactivation Notice"
body = '''
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Bruno License Deactivation</title>
  <style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; }
    .container { max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
    .header { background-color: #d97706; color: white; padding: 10px; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 10px; }
    .content { background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; }
    .footer { text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; font-size: 12px; color: #777; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="header"><h1>License Deactivation Notice</h1></div>
    <div class="content">
      <p>Your Bruno license has been deactivated.</p>
      <p>This means you will no longer have access to Bruno's premium features.</p>
      <p>If you believe this was a mistake, please contact your License Administrator or software licensing team.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="footer"><p>&copy; {{currentYear}} Bruno Software Inc. All rights reserved.</p></div>
  </div>
</body>
</html>
'''


subject = "Bruno License Manager - Login OTP"
body = '''
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Bruno Login OTP</title>
  <style>
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; }
    .container { max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; }
    .header { background-color: #d97706; color: white; padding: 10px; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 10px; }
    .content { background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 10px; border-bottom-right-radius: 10px; }
    .otp { font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; margin: 20px 0; letter-spacing: 5px; }
    .footer { text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; font-size: 12px; color: #777; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <div class="header"><h1>Bruno Login OTP</h1></div>
    <div class="content">
      <p>Your One-Time Password (OTP) for logging into Bruno License Manager is:</p>
      <div class="otp">{{otp}}</div>
      <p>This OTP is valid for 10 minutes. Please do not share it with anyone.</p>
      <p>If you didn't request this OTP, please ignore this email.</p>
    </div>
    <div class="footer"><p>&copy; {{currentYear}} Bruno Software Inc. All rights reserved.</p></div>
  </div>
</body>
</html>
'''

Troubleshooting Template Issues

Template not being used: - Verify the file exists at /opt/license-service/templates/[template-name].toml - Check file permissions (must be readable by the container) - Confirm the server logs show the template was loaded

Template rendering errors: - Verify valid TOML syntax - Ensure both subject and body fields are present - Use Mustache-style variables ({{variable}}), not ${variable}

Common issues: - Missing or misspelled subject/body fields - Incorrect variable formatting - Invalid HTML or character encoding - Missing read permissions on the template file

SSO for License Admins

The licensing server supports Single Sign-On (SSO) via SAML, allowing License Administrators to log in through your organization's Identity Provider (IdP).

Environment Variables

Variable Description Example
SERVER_URL The URL where the server is hosted https://bruno.internal
SSO_ENABLED Enable or disable SSO true
SSO_SAML_SELF_ISSUER_ID The SP issuer ID (the server itself acts as the SP) bruno-license-manager
SSO_SAML_IDP_CERTIFICATE IdP certificate to validate the SAMLResponse signature (from IdP metadata) MIICnTCCAYUC...
SSO_SAML_IDP_LOGIN_URL The IdP login URL where AuthNRequest is sent https://idp.internal/realms/testidp/protocol/saml
SSO_ADMIN_ROLES Roles assigned to License Admins in the IdP bruno-license-admin
SSO_USER_ROLES Roles assigned to Users in the IdP bruno-license-user
SSO_SESSION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS Session timeout in seconds (default: 3600) 7200

Domain Discovery

Bruno supports domain discovery, which automatically routes users to your organization's license server based on their email domain. To enable this, send us the following details:

  • Domain — e.g., company.com (as in john@company.com)
  • Internal License Server URL — e.g., https://bruno.internal

User Workflow for License Activation via SSO

  1. Open the Bruno app, select the SSO option, and enter your work email.

Select SSO and enter work email

  1. You will be redirected to the SSO login page. If SSO_ENABLED=true, a Login with SSO button will appear.

SSO login page with Login with SSO button

  1. After logging in through your IdP, users with the bruno-license-user role will be granted access and see the activation confirmation page.

Successful license activation confirmation

Changelog

Release history for the Bruno Self-Hosted Licensing Server.

1.18.0 (19 June 2026)

  • Track user provisioning across the User List, User CSV export, and Audit logs
  • Fixed last active value not populating correctly in user CSV export

1.17.0 (30 March 2026)

  • Display the app version in the admin dashboard

1.16.2 (2 March 2026)

  • Fixed issue where license activation details were not persisted after restarting the app

1.16.1 (19 February 2026)

  • Fixed license activation issue

1.16.0 (6 February 2026)

  • Added user activation logs
  • Added dynamic version logs
  • Fixed issue with Docker image updates for default templates

1.15.2 (16 January 2026)

  • Fixed issue with Docker image updates

1.15.1 (14 January 2026)

  • Fixed session handling for SSO

1.15.0 (9 January 2026)

  • Added refresh option for the license information

1.14.0 (1 January 2026)

  • Added CSV export support for user data

1.13.0 (4 November 2025)

  • Added SCIM support in SSO integration for automated user provisioning and enhanced identity management

1.12.1 (17 October 2025)

  • Fixed duplicate license activation page after successful login

1.12.0 (7 August 2025)

  • Support for customizing License Activation, Deactivation, and OTP emails

1.11.0 (8 July 2025)

  • Support for in-app license activation using SSO
  • Users are now notified via email upon deactivation

1.10.1 (10 June 2025)

  • Parse Group/Role attributes with list of values (SSO)

1.10.0 (29 May 2025)

  • License keys are masked in the UI
  • Seat usage is now displayed in the UI

1.9.3 (22 May 2025)

  • Retrieve role info from Groups attribute and validate accordingly (SAML, SSO)

1.9.2 (9 May 2025)

  • Made Assertion signature non-mandatory (Response signature is required) for SSO

1.9.1 (17 April 2025)

  • Fixed issue related to duplicate user during upload

1.9.0 (4 April 2025)

  • SSO support for License Admins

1.8.0 (28 March 2025)

  • SSL certificate configuration support

1.7.0 (26 November 2024)

  • Status API — /api/v1/status