Single source of truth for Birkly CMS documentation

Purchase plugins, themes, and template packs from the Birkly Marketplace and install them in your self-hosted Birkly CMS. This guide is for buyers (site owners and admins). Developers publishing offers should see Marketplace — provider publishing guide.

Buyers browse the marketplace catalog and install extensions in the CMS admin under Plugins → Marketplace. Official Birkly plugins (commerce, events, automation, user management) are free: click Install in the CMS — no checkout, email, or manual license key. Paid official and third-party offers require marketplace checkout (Stripe); subscription offers renew monthly/yearly until canceled. A license key (emailed or My purchases / My subscriptions) activates on your site. Licenses bind to an installation (installation_id); seat tiers limit how many CMS installs may use one key. Marketplace accounts are separate from CMS admin accounts.

Beginner

Official free plugins (recommended first)

  1. Log in to your Birkly admin (/admin).
  2. Go to Plugins → Marketplace.
  3. Find an official Birkly offer (Commerce, Events, Automation, User Management) or open marketplace.birkly.io/catalog.
  4. Click Install in the CMS. The marketplace auto-issues a free license — you do not need to copy a license key.
  5. Enable the plugin from the Plugins list if needed.

See Marketplace go-live — installing plugins for the full official-plugins table and fresh-install notes.

Buying a paid or third-party extension

  1. Visit marketplace.birkly.io/catalog.
  2. Open an offer and click Buy (or Get for free community offers that still use checkout).
  3. Enter your email at checkout. You may optionally create a marketplace login later to see My purchases or My subscriptions.
  4. Complete payment (Stripe) for paid offers, or confirm for free checkout offers.
  5. Check your email for the license key and receipt.

Paid official plugins

Some official Birkly extensions (for example SEO Basics) are paid one-time offers on the marketplace. They show a price badge and Purchase CTA in Plugins → Marketplace.

  1. Click Purchase — opens marketplace checkout for that offer.
  2. Complete Stripe payment with your email.
  3. Return to CMS → Plugins → Marketplace → Activate license (or install with emailed key).
  4. Paid official plugins cannot install without a valid license — free official plugins still use one-click Install.

Subscription licenses

Offers with subscription pricing (for example Analytics Pro) bill through Stripe Billing on a monthly or yearly interval.

  1. Buy from the marketplace checkout (subscription mode).
  2. Install in CMS with the issued license key.
  3. While the subscription is active, updates install normally.
  4. If the subscription is canceled or lapses, the CMS blocks plugin updates and shows an admin warning until you renew.
  5. View status at marketplace My subscriptions (email magic link or marketplace login).

Installing in Birkly CMS (paid / license key)

  1. Log in to your Birkly admin (/admin).
  2. Go to Plugins (or Settings → Plugins).
  3. Open the Marketplace tab.
  4. Browse or search the catalog (read-only view of marketplace listings).
  5. Click Install on an offer you own, or use Activate license and paste your license key.
  6. The CMS downloads the artifact, verifies the SHA-256 checksum, runs preflight checks, and extracts the plugin to plugins/.
  7. Enable the plugin from the Plugins list if it is not enabled automatically.

Free vs paid

| Offer type | Checkout on marketplace | License key in CMS | |------------|-------------------------|------------------| | Official Birkly plugins (commerce, events, automation, user management) | No | No — one-click Install | | Paid official (one-time) | Yes (Stripe) | Yes — required before install | | Subscription official / third-party | Yes (Stripe Billing) | Yes — active subscription required for updates | | Free community offers | Often yes (email capture) | Yes — emailed or My purchases | | Paid one-time third-party | Yes (Stripe) | Yes — required before install |

Seat limits

| Tier | Typical use | |------|-------------| | Single site | One Birkly installation | | Multi-site (3 / 10) | Agency or staging + production | | Unlimited | Enterprise tier (as listed on the offer) |

If activation fails with a seat error, deactivate the license on an old installation or purchase a higher tier.

Refunds

  • Request a refund from your My purchases page within the policy window (default 14 days from purchase).
  • Third-party providers approve or deny refund requests; Birkly may auto-approve for official free offers.
  • On full refund approval, payment is reversed via Stripe and the license is revoked — the plugin may stop receiving updates and paid features may be disabled.
  • For disputes, contact the provider’s support email on the offer page; platform admin can escalate.

Marketplace refund and buyer terms: marketplace.birkly.io/legal/refund · Terms of service.

Advanced Users

Installation identity

Each CMS install stores a local installation_id. License activation sends license_key + installation_id to the marketplace API. The same key on a second install counts toward your seat limit. Official free installs use the same activation API internally; the CMS handles it when you click Install.

Settings

Default marketplace URL: https://marketplace.birkly.io. Override via environment variable BIRKLY_MARKETPLACE_URL or settings/marketplace.json (marketplace_url) for staging or self-hosted marketplace instances.

Updates

Installed marketplace plugins store marketplace_slug and version metadata. The Marketplace tab checks the registry API for newer semver releases. When an update is available, use Update to download, verify checksum, and replace files (backup first — see Updates). Subscription licenses: update is blocked when marketplace reports license_inactive or lapsed subscription — renew at My subscriptions first.

Offline / air-gapped installs

Browse and install require network access to the marketplace registry. Already-installed plugins continue to work offline; update checks fail gracefully until connectivity returns.

Manual install (fallback)

If you cannot use the Marketplace tab, download the release zip from your purchase email or My purchases, verify the published SHA-256 from the offer page, and extract manually into plugins/. You still need a valid license for paid offers if the plugin enforces marketplace licensing.

Security

  • Install only from the official marketplace or sources you trust.
  • Review declared capabilities before enabling a plugin.
  • Keep Birkly core and marketplace plugins updated.