Quick start: On-Premise

HotKV On-Premise runs the same server as HotKV Cloud, on your own servers or your own cloud account, under a license file. This walks through installing a package, understanding the config file, and installing your license. Contact sales@hotkv.com to get a license. When you buy one, your account team also sends you a private download link for the packages. The server is not available as a public download.

1. Install the package

HotKV Enterprise ships as Linux packages for x86_64 and ARM64. Download the one for your platform from your private link, then install it:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./hotkv-enterprise_*.deb

# RHEL / Rocky / Fedora
sudo dnf install ./hotkv-enterprise-*.rpm

sudo systemctl enable --now hotkv
hotkv-cli PING

The package runs HotKV as a systemd service under its own hotkv user, with data in /var/lib/hotkv. To upgrade, install the newer package over the old one; your edits to /etc/hotkv/hotkv.conf are kept.

2. Configuration file basics

HotKV reads either a traditional hotkv.conf or an equivalent hotkv.toml; use one, not both. The package installs a commented /etc/hotkv/hotkv.conf, which the hotkv service loads, and a TOML example at /etc/hotkv/hotkv.toml.example. Edit hotkv.conf and restart the service to apply your changes:

sudo systemctl restart hotkv

To use TOML instead, copy the example to /etc/hotkv/hotkv.toml, run sudo systemctl edit hotkv, and point the service at the new file:

[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/bin/hotkv --config /etc/hotkv/hotkv.toml

Outside systemd, start the server with the config file as its argument:

hotkv --config /etc/hotkv/hotkv.toml

Any setting can also be given on the command line as --setting value, and wins over the file, as with Redis:

hotkv --config /etc/hotkv/hotkv.conf --port 6380 --maxmemory 4gb --appendonly yes

A minimal TOML config that accepts connections from other hosts sets the network, a password, and persistence; everything else has a default. HotKV refuses connections from other hosts while no password is set, unless you turn protected mode off.

[network]
bind = "0.0.0.0"
port = 6379

[persistence]
dir = "/var/lib/hotkv"
appendonly = true

[security]
requirepass = "your-password-here"

[enterprise]
license_path = "/etc/hotkv/hotkv.license"

Once your license covers them, the AI and LLM commands are available without further configuration. Replication, encryption at rest and the audit log are switched on in their own config sections; see the AI features guide, Replication and Security for the feature-specific settings.

3. Get your hardware ID

Get your machine’s hardware ID before requesting a license:

hotkv --hwid

You can also read it from a running server with LICENSE.HWID. Send the output to your HotKV account team when you request or renew a license.

4. Install your license

1. Save the license file your HotKV account team sent you, for example /etc/hotkv/hotkv.license.

2. Point the server at it, either in hotkv.conf:

   license-path /etc/hotkv/hotkv.license

   or hotkv.toml:

   [enterprise]
   license_path = "/etc/hotkv/hotkv.license"

3. Restart, or if the server is already running, reload without a restart:

   > LICENSE.RELOAD
   +OK

LICENSE.RELOAD re-reads the configured path, or an explicit LICENSE.RELOAD /path/to/hotkv.license; it also runs automatically at startup. If the file cannot be used, the command answers an error.

5. Check your license status

> LICENSE.INFO
...
 5) "features"
 6) "replication, encryption-at-rest, audit-log, ..."
 7) "expires_at"
 8) "<expiry date>"
...

LICENSE.INFO shows the licensed features and the expiry date, and the other fields it returns. RESP3 clients (HELLO 3) get it as a real map instead of a flat array. Check a single feature with LICENSE.CHECK <feature>, for example LICENSE.CHECK replication, which answers 1 or 0.

Enterprise and AI commands whose feature your license does not include reply:

-NOLICENSE <feature> requires a HotKV license. Contact sales@hotkv.com

The core data store never needs a license: GET, SET and every other core command work without one.

Which license type fits

Your HotKV account team will tell you which license type fits your deployment (a single machine, containers, or an air-gapped network) and whether it needs outbound network access. Contact sales@hotkv.com.

Next steps

• AI features guide: enable the AI/LLM feature set your license covers.
• Security: TLS, ACL, encryption at rest, and the audit log.
• Clustering: run more than one node.
• Command reference: the full command list.