Frequently Asked Questions

What is VesselNow?

VesselNow is an advanced marine dashboard and fleet management platform. You run it on your own server (Docker, appliance, or bare metal). It supports multi-vessel data, NMEA, weather, FleetView, and the VesselNow TV app. Licenses, trials, and subscriptions are managed at vesselnow.io.

How does licensing work?

All licensing is managed at vesselnow.io. We offer subscription (monthly, open term, cancel anytime) and perpetual licenses (one-time purchase with 36 months of free updates and online access). You activate your license on your VesselNow instance; we validate it online.

Can I try before I buy?

Yes. On first run, VesselNow shows a license gate: use Open Settings to enter a license key, or Register for a trial (e.g. 7-day demo). We approve or extend trials from Admin; you can then convert to a subscription or perpetual license.

What is FleetView?

FleetView lets you view your fleet from vesselnow.io: customer-scoped vessel list, fleet map, and vessel detail with "View live". You register vessels and optional history upload from your VesselNow instance. FleetView tokens are managed at vesselnow.io; admins can purge old vessels and data.

Where does VesselNow run?

VesselNow runs on your own server. You provide the hardware (Docker-capable server, NAS, or appliance). We do not host your data; we only handle license validation, trials, FleetView data you choose to upload, and optional notifications.

How do I get updates?

For Docker installations, use the in-app update check to install the latest version; your license and data are preserved. Perpetual licenses include 36 months of free software updates; after that you can keep using or optionally renew for continued updates and online services.

Where can I download and run VesselNow with Docker?

You can pull and run the official VesselNow image from Docker Hub: hub.docker.com/r/gmtsgroup/vesselnow. Use the in-app Settings or your own docker-compose to configure ports, volumes, and environment. After starting the container, open the web interface (e.g. http://localhost:8000), then register for a trial or enter a license key. Data is stored in your chosen volume so you can update the image without losing config or history.

More about Docker: install, test, and data

Docker is the recommended way to run VesselNow on a server or NAS. Pull the image, run with a persistent data volume, and set VESSELNOW_LICENSE_SERVER to https://vesselnow.io/wp-json/vesselnow/v1 (or your license server) so the app can validate licenses and trials. Use the in-app update check to pull the latest image and restart; your license and data are preserved. For detailed steps see the Docker Hub page and the project documentation.

How does VesselNow connect to vesselnow.io, NMEA, and my devices?

VesselNow connects to different things for different purposes:

• vesselnow.io (this website): Your VesselNow instance contacts vesselnow.io for license validation, trial registration, and (if you enable it) FleetView reporting. We do not host your dashboards or sensor data; we only handle licensing and optional fleet visibility.
• NMEA and data sources: On your network, VesselNow connects to NMEA 0183/2000, SignalK, UDP/TCP, and serial sources you configure. It can also use device GPS, router GPS (e.g. Starlink, Peplink), and USB–N2K adapters. All of this runs locally on your server; data does not need to go through vesselnow.io.
• FleetView and push: If you register a vessel for FleetView, position and optional history are sent to vesselnow.io so you can see the fleet map and vessel detail when logged in. Schedule and notifications can be pushed from vesselnow.io to your vessel, or from the vessel to the website, depending on how you set them up.