Question 1

How is usage calculated?

Accepted Answer

Per-second metering. Monthly bill = base + (active hours x tier active rate) + (stored hours x stored rate). No caps, no rounding, no minimum billable unit. Multiple environments bill independently. Billed in AUD or USD based on your signup country.

Question 2

Pay-As-You-Go vs Starter - which is cheaper?

Accepted Answer

Depends on usage. Below around 93 active hours/month (AUD) or 85 hours (USD), Pay-As-You-Go is cheaper because Starter's base fee outweighs its lower per-hour rate. Above the breakeven, Starter wins. See the calculator on /pricing for your currency.

Question 3

Why no flat fee per environment?

Accepted Answer

Flat fees punished customers who wanted to pause-and-resume occasional envs. Metered storage lets you delete idle envs for free, hibernate cheaply when paused, and only pay for storage proportional to your actual time using the platform.

Question 4

Is there an annual / prepay option?

Accepted Answer

Not at v1 launch - monthly only. An annual / prepay option is on the roadmap; the terms and any discount will be shown on the pricing page when it ships. Existing monthly customers will be able to switch at their option, with no automatic migration.

Question 5

Do prices change?

Accepted Answer

Locked at the price you signed up at, indefinitely. New features that ship into your tier are included automatically at no cost. New tiers above your current tier are optional upgrades. We follow strict grandfathering.

Question 6

Why no cap on the bill?

Accepted Answer

Caps were the old framing - sticker prices that suggested a maximum bill, when in practice real bills were well under the cap for typical use. The new model is metered honest math: you pay for the hours you actually use and the bill scales linearly. The pricing page has a calculator for typical-usage estimates.

Question 7

Can I pause environments to save money?

Accepted Answer

Yes - hibernation. One click in the portal, or via API/CLI. A hibernated env costs only a small flat stored rate per hour (see the pricing page), preserves everything (database, extensions, users, customisations), and resumes in around 15 minutes. Auto-hibernation on idle is on the roadmap.

Question 8

How long does provisioning take?

Accepted Answer

Typically under 15 minutes from click to running BC. A first-time configuration that needs a fresh image build takes longer, and we notify you by email when it is ready.

Question 9

What about manifests and cloning?

Accepted Answer

Coming H2 2026. A manifest is a declarative recipe (bcdock.manifest.yaml) you keep in git: BC version + apps (file, AppSource, GitHub release) + seed data. Run one command and you get a fresh environment with everything installed - free at every tier. Cloning is a separate primitive for when you need an exact copy of an existing environment with all its tinkering preserved.

Question 10

Can I use BCDock from a CLI?

Accepted Answer

Yes - bcdock is the primary tool. Single static binary (mac/Linux/Windows), every verb supports --output json, every async operation has --wait, every error has a documented exit code. The portal and the CLI are both clients of the same Platform API. Full reference at docs.bcdock.io/cli.

Question 11

Can my AI agent use BCDock?

Accepted Answer

Yes - and that's the point. Your agent (Claude, Copilot, or any framework) drives bcdock on your behalf, so you can ship BC demos, run training environments, and iterate on AL extensions without learning the CLI yourself. Under the hood: scoped API keys, JSON output, and exit codes the agent reads from --help.

Question 12

What's the API like?

Accepted Answer

REST + JSON over HTTPS at api.bcdock.io. Auth via long-lived API keys (bdk_...) with explicit scopes (env:read, env:write, billing:write). The bcdock CLI wraps it; the portal consumes it; partner integrations call it directly. No private endpoints - the CLI, portal, and partner integrations all call the same surface.

Question 13

Why is stored the same rate on every tier?

Accepted Answer

Because the underlying cost is the same: blob storage doesn't get cheaper for higher-tier customers. The stored rate funds the resume capability and the storage bytes; nothing else.

Question 14

How does the active env cap work?

Accepted Answer

The cap is on concurrent active envs (running). Hibernated envs don't count toward the cap. Starter's 5 active envs means you can have 5 running plus any number hibernated. Hibernated envs you don't need anymore can be deleted at any time - no penalty.

Question 15

Can I use BCDock for production workloads?

Accepted Answer

No. Microsoft states these container images are for test and development and are not supported in production, and our terms do not allow production use. Production workloads belong on Business Central SaaS.

Question 16

Do I own my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Export via API or CLI anytime. On cancellation, you have 30 days to download; deleted after. BC databases restore into any standard BC container, with no lock-in.

Question 17

Is BCDock a Microsoft product?

Accepted Answer

No - BCDock is independent of Microsoft and is not supported by Microsoft. We run Microsoft's Business Central container images, which Microsoft states are for test and development. For production, go to Microsoft.

Question 18

Is BCDock certified for regulated data?

Accepted Answer

No. Sandbox containers are not in scope for HIPAA, PCI, or similar compliance regimes. Use synthetic or anonymised data only. The security posture page describes what's shipped today and where the boundary sits between what's in the architecture and what's audited by a third party.

Question 19

How do I install the CLI?

Accepted Answer

On macOS / Linux: curl https://get.bcdock.io | sh. On Windows: download the bcdock.exe single binary from the releases page. Once installed, run bcdock auth login to OTP-exchange your first API key. Full install paths: docs.bcdock.io/cli/install.

Question 20

How do I get an API key?

Accepted Answer

Sign in at app.bcdock.io, then Profile -> API keys. Each key has explicit scopes (env:read, env:write, billing:write) and an optional expiry. Keys can be revoked at any time. Set BCDOCK_TOKEN in your shell or CI environment to authenticate the CLI.

Question 21

Which BC versions are available?

Accepted Answer

We track Microsoft's public BC container image releases and add new versions as they reach general availability. You pick the exact version and localization at environment creation; the signup flow marks which configurations are pre-built for a fast start.

Question 22

Which regions can I provision in?

Accepted Answer

US (Iowa) and AU (Sydney) at beta. Each environment stays in the region you create it in. Need another region? It's available on demand - tell us where and we'll provision a pool there.

Question 23

How do I export my data?

Accepted Answer

Two paths. BC databases: bcdock env export <id> writes a .bak you can restore into any standard BC container. Account data (audit logs, invoices, profile): GET /v1/me/export against the API, or use bcdock account export. Both work at any tier, any time, no per-export fees.

Question 24

Is there a founder program?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The first 20 customers get a founder discount on the base + active rate (the current terms are on the pricing page). In exchange: two short feedback interviews and agreement to be a public reference if you're happy.

Question 25

What support do I get on each tier?

Accepted Answer

Pay-As-You-Go and Starter get best-effort support via email. Pro gets a 24-hour business-hours SLA. Business (coming) gets a faster on-call SLA. Enterprise gets a dedicated contact and bespoke SLAs.

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