Solutions to the most common issues you may run into while installing or running Hostflow.
Symptom: Hostflow fails to start, or you see a database connection error when running php artisan migrate.
Common Causes:
DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, or DB_PASSWORD valuesFix:
docker compose up -d for the database container to finish initializing, then retry the migration.docker ps.Symptom: Usage-based fees aren't being calculated, or your license status seems out of date.
Cause: The cron job that triggers Hostflow's scheduler was never set up on the host.
Fix: Follow the setup steps in Scheduler & Queue Workers to add the required cron entry. This is a manual step — it doesn't run automatically inside the container.
Symptom: Payments go through in Stripe, but Hostflow doesn't reflect them.
Common Causes:
Fix:
See Stripe Integration for the full setup walkthrough.
Symptom: Entering your license key during setup (or later) returns an error instead of activating.
Common Causes:
Fix:
Symptom: Hostflow suddenly becomes read-only and background jobs stop running.
Cause: Your license entered its 7-day grace period (usually due to a lapsed subscription) and wasn't resolved before the grace period ended.
Fix:
See Licensing & Activation for full details on the grace period and lockdown behavior.
If none of the above resolves your issue, visit Contact Support.