Customers FAQ #

Short answers to the questions site owners ask most, each with the page that explains more.

The software #

Do we pay a license fee for Exponential? No. Exponential is free software under the GNU General Public License, and using it under the GPL is free of charge (README.md, "License"). You pay for the work around it: building, hosting, support and upkeep. See What you own.

Who makes Exponential? It is led by the company 7x and operated by the nonprofit Exponential Foundation; see Who is 7x? and Who is the Exponential Foundation?.

Which version should we run? The maintained line is Exponential 6.0; security fixes are published with the next 6.0.x release, and older major lines are not supported (SECURITY.md). See Release line and support.

Our version number has not changed for a long time. Is that a problem? It can be. Fixes reach you only through upgrades, because a published version is never changed (SECURITY.md). Ask your provider for the upgrade calendar (How updates work).

Upkeep #

Who does the upgrades? Usually your host or partner; your part is to agree on the timing, to test and to accept (Upgrades with your provider).

How do we know our backups work? Only by restoring one. Ask for a restore test at least once a year, and after every change of host (Restore test).

The site is down. What do we do first? Follow When the site is down: check from another network, call the contact on your escalation list, and note the time and what you saw.

Whom do we call for what? Content questions: your own team or your partner. Code, templates and features: your partner. Server, mail, certificates and backups: your host. A bug in Exponential itself: the issue tracker. The full table is in When to call whom.

Problems and reports #

We found a bug. Where do we report it? First to your partner, who can tell whether it is in your site's code or in Exponential. Bugs in Exponential go to https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential/issues; the help's report page (/exphelp/report) prepares the report (GitHub issues, The help's report page).

We think we found a security problem. Do not report it in public. Send it by e-mail to [email protected], as SECURITY.md asks, with the version and the steps, and without passwords or personal data (Private security reports).

The site shows an error with a reference. What is it? A reference your administrator can look up in the logs. Copy it into your report (Finding an error by its reference).

Store #

Where do we see how the store is doing? In the Store dashboard, the first entry of the Store tab (doc/eng-us/features/6.0/store-dashboard.md; Store reports).

Does Exponential handle VAT for us? It applies the VAT types and rules you set up. Which rates and rules are right for you is a question for your accountant; the pages describe the software, not the law (VAT types and rules).

A customer asks for all the data we hold about them. See GDPR requests and Data export and erasure. These pages are not legal advice.

Content and growth #

Can editors lay out pages without a developer? Yes, with Exponential Layouts, where your site uses it (Landing pages with Layouts).

Can the site write or translate for us? Exponential Intelligence writes drafts, never publishes on its own, and sends nothing anywhere until a provider key is added (README.md, "Exponential Intelligence"). See Exponential Intelligence for owners.

Can we add a language or a second site later? Yes; both are projects with your partner (Adding a language, Adding a site).

Can an app read our content? Yes, through the REST API (REST API for owners).

Providers #

Can we change our partner or host? Yes. The software is free and any provider can work on it. Prepare with the handover checklist.

What should our support agreement say? See Contracts and SLAs and the SLA template. They are templates, not legal advice.

Related pages #

• Customers glossary
• Customers: start here
• Store FAQ
• Businesses FAQ
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.