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Service Lifecycle ​

Every billing service follows a defined lifecycle from initial purchase through renewal, and potentially through suspension and termination. Understanding this lifecycle helps you configure your billing settings and manage customer expectations.

Lifecycle Stages ​

A service progresses through the following stages:

Order Placed -> Payment Received -> Active -> Renewal -> Overdue -> Suspended -> Terminated

Order Placed ​

The customer selects a product, completes checkout, and an order is created. An invoice is generated in Pending status.

Payment Received ​

The customer pays the invoice through Stripe, PayPal, or account credits. If auto-activate is enabled in billing settings, the server is provisioned automatically. If auto-activate is disabled, an administrator must manually approve the order.

Active ​

The service is running and the customer has full access to their server. The service remains active until the next billing cycle date.

Renewal ​

When the billing cycle is about to end, a renewal invoice is automatically generated. The customer receives a notification to pay. If the customer has sufficient credits, the renewal may be paid automatically.

Overdue ​

If the renewal invoice is not paid by the due date, it moves to Overdue status. The service remains active during the overdue period, giving the customer time to resolve payment issues.

Suspended ​

After the number of days configured in Auto-Suspend Days has passed since the invoice became overdue, the server is automatically suspended. A suspended server is stopped and the customer cannot start it or access the console. All server files are preserved.

Terminated ​

After the number of days configured in Auto-Terminate Days has passed since the service was suspended, the server is permanently terminated. The server and all its data are deleted. This action is irreversible.

Auto-Suspend ​

Auto-suspend protects your resources by stopping servers that are not being paid for, while giving customers a grace period to resolve payment issues.

  • Configure the grace period in Admin > Billing > Settings > Auto-Suspend Days.
  • The countdown begins when the renewal invoice status changes to Overdue.
  • When suspension triggers, the server is stopped and locked. The customer sees a notice that their service is suspended due to non-payment.
  • Set to 0 to disable auto-suspend entirely (not recommended for production use).

Auto-Terminate ​

Auto-terminate permanently removes servers that have been suspended for an extended period, freeing up node resources.

  • Configure the period in Admin > Billing > Settings > Auto-Terminate Days.
  • The countdown begins when the service enters the Suspended state.
  • When termination triggers, the server and all associated data (files, databases, backups) are permanently deleted.
  • Set to 0 to disable auto-terminate. Suspended servers will remain indefinitely until manually resolved.

Manual Service Management ​

Administrators can manually intervene at any point in the lifecycle:

Activate a Service ​

Manually activate a service that is pending admin approval or was not auto-activated.

  1. Navigate to the order in Admin > Billing > Orders.
  2. Click Activate to provision the server.

Suspend a Service ​

Manually suspend a service regardless of payment status. Useful for policy violations or abuse cases.

  1. Navigate to the server in Admin > Servers.
  2. Click Suspend.

Unsuspend a Service ​

Restore a suspended service after the customer resolves their payment or the issue is cleared.

  1. Navigate to the server in Admin > Servers.
  2. Click Unsuspend.

Terminate a Service ​

Manually terminate a service and delete all associated data.

  1. Navigate to the server in Admin > Servers.
  2. Click Delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Service Cancellation ​

Customers can request cancellation of their service:

  • Immediate cancellation - the service is terminated right away.
  • End-of-cycle cancellation - the service remains active until the current billing cycle ends, then is terminated. No further renewal invoices are generated.

Cancellation requests appear in Admin > Billing > Orders for admin visibility. Administrators can also cancel services directly on behalf of customers.

Next Steps ​

BadgerPanel Documentation

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