Exchange Backend Hosting

The Hosting page (Exchange Host in the dashboard sidebar) manages your exchange backend: the API, trading engine and database. Your users' website is managed separately on the Projects page: see Exchange Website Hosting. Setting up for the first time? Follow the Trial Exchange Setup Guide.

Tabs: Domain, Events, Monitoring, Env Vars and Settings.

Who can use Hosting

Owners, admins and tech members can run Hosting actions (go live, restart, stop, start, upgrade, domain, backups, env vars, automatic updates, terminate). Billing and business members can view the page but not make changes. Other members may see the message "Hosting actions are read-only". Ask an owner, admin or tech member to make the change.

Exchange states

State	Hosting badge	Meaning
No exchange	—	You haven't created an exchange yet.
Not set up	NOT SETUP	The exchange exists but hasn't gone live yet.
Running	RUNNING	The exchange is live.
Stopped	STOPPED	The exchange is set up but shut down. It can be started again.
Terminated	TERMINATED	Permanently shut down. It can't be started again.

While a job runs, the badge shows RESTARTING, STARTING, STOPPING or GOING LIVE.

Only one job can run at a time per exchange. Starting another shows "There is a pending job for this exchange". Wait for the current one to finish. A job that doesn't start within an hour is marked failed automatically, and you can then try again.

Creating your exchange

With no exchange yet, Hosting shows Set up your first exchange and Launch your exchange. The setup steps are: name your exchange, pick a region (France or Singapore), choose the plan (Enterprise) and review.

• Each account can have one exchange.
• Names may only contain letters, numbers, dashes and underscores, and must be unique.
• The region can be changed only before the exchange goes live (Settings → Cloud management). After setup it can't be changed.

Going live

1. Configure the backend domain first (Domain tab). Go Live stays disabled until then, with the tooltip "Configure a domain before going live".
2. Click Go Live in the header and confirm.
3. Follow progress under Recent Deployments on the page, or on the Events tab. The page refreshes automatically while a job runs. You'll get an email when it's ready.

The header button changes with the state: Go Live before setup, Start when stopped, Restart when running.

Backend domain (Domain tab)

The backend domain serves your exchange API. It's different from your website's domain: see Backend domain vs website domain.

• Use HollaEx-assigned domain: a free *.hollaex.cloud subdomain with no DNS setup. Click Save.
• Use my own domain: HollaEx Protected, powered by Cloudflare. Choose automatic Cloudflare setup (you approve the records in Cloudflare, and HollaEx never receives your Cloudflare API token) or manual setup at another DNS provider. Add the CNAME and ownership TXT records shown, click Verify, wait for "DNS connected — securing your domain" while the SSL certificate is issued, then click Apply.

Notes:

• Before go-live, the domain is saved and applied when you go live ("Domain saved. Go live to apply it.").
• The Domain tab isn't available while the exchange is stopped ("Start the exchange to manage domain and email settings") or after termination.
• Changing the backend domain affects your websites. If you have website projects, they lose their API connection and must all be republished after the change. The dashboard warns you with "Frontend projects will be affected" first.
• Older exchanges using a split domain (separate API domain) see "Split domain is no longer supported". Switching moves the API to <domain>/api, and this can't be undone.
• Root (apex) domains need CNAME flattening at your DNS provider. Keep the ownership TXT record until Apply completes.

Email sending (Mailgun)

Once the exchange is live, the Domain tab also has Setup email: enter an email domain, click Register domain, add the DNS records shown, click Verify DNS, then Apply email settings. If verification fails, check the DNS records and try again after propagation. For the full steps, your own SMTP provider and testing, see Email (SMTP) Setup.

Restart, stop, start and terminate

• Restart (running only): the exchange is briefly unavailable. Restarting can fix unexpected issues. Note that it does not apply new backend environment variables (see below).
• Stop (Settings → Show danger zone, running only): shuts down all services. You can start it again later.
• Start (stopped only): brings all services back online.
• Terminate (stopped only): permanently terminates cloud services. This cannot be undone. You must first unpublish and delete all website projects, otherwise you'll see "Delete all active projects before terminating the exchange" with a Go to projects button.

Upgrading your exchange version

The version pill in the Hosting header shows Upgrade when a newer HollaEx version is available. The exchange must be running ("Start the exchange before upgrading").

• An upgrade updates the backend and the bundled web. The exchange restarts automatically, so no manual restart is needed.
• If you're already on the latest version, you can still click Proceed anyway. This re-runs the upgrade without changing the version, which is how you apply saved environment variables.
• Operator Controls are unavailable until the upgrade completes.

Automatic updates

The Automatic updates card on Hosting has a switch, Install new HollaEx versions for me, marked Recommended. With it on, you won't need to click Upgrade for each release. Your exchange restarts during each update. More explains what's updated (the API, trading engine and database), that releases go out in stages and stop on their own if one causes problems, and that you're notified when an update starts. Newly created exchanges have it on. Exchanges created before the feature have it off until an owner, admin or tech member turns it on. The switch appears once the exchange is set up; before that the card says "Automatic updates are available once the exchange is set up." Check the switch to confirm your setting.

Updates roll out in groups so a bad release is caught early. Under When you get each release, choose:

• First: as soon as it's out.
• Standard: after the first group runs it without problems. Most exchanges pick this.
• Last: after every other exchange. The most cautious choice.

While a release is rolling out, the card shows a progress bar of the stages (First, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, Last) with a You marker on your stage, and a line such as "v{X} is on its way to your group", "v{X} is reaching your group now" or "Updating to v{X} now". You get a notification when an automatic update starts. If HollaEx stops a release part-way, the card says "HollaEx stopped v{X} to look into a problem. Your exchange wasn't changed." When the switch is off and a newer version is out, the card says "v{X} is available. Upgrade now, or turn this on for future releases."

An exchange that is stopped or busy with another job when its turn comes is retried later. Exchanges that aren't set up, are stopped, or are terminated aren't updated. To opt out, turn the toggle off. If you turn it off before your group's turn, the update won't run.

You can always upgrade manually with the Upgrade button. Release notes are on the Updates page. When a release post exists for the version on offer, the upgrade confirmation links to it.

Backend environment variables (Env Vars tab)

Available to owners, admins and tech members on cloud exchanges that aren't terminated.

• Names must start with a letter or underscore, followed by letters, numbers or underscores, up to 128 characters. Up to 100 variables and 64 KiB in total.
• Save Variables replaces the whole list: rows you remove are deleted.
• Saving does not change the running exchange. Variables are applied on go-live and on every server upgrade, including automatic updates. Restart and Start do not apply them. To apply them now, click Upgrade (use Proceed anyway if you're already on the latest version).
• Variables that match a built-in platform secret keep the platform's value.
• If you see "Unable to decrypt exchange environment variables. Save them again before upgrading.", re-enter and save your variables, then upgrade.

Database backups

Settings → Backup Database emails the latest backup of your exchange database to you. It takes a few minutes. The exchange must be running.

Monitoring and logs

The Monitoring tab shows CPU and memory charts and logs for the API, Stream and Plugins services, over 5m, 1h, 3h or 24h. It's available only while the exchange is running. Use the log search box and press Enter to filter.

An action needs an active plan

If a Hosting action (restart, start, going live, upgrade or backup) is refused because the plan isn't paid, a window such as Restarting needs an active plan appears. Members who can manage billing click Pay to open the unpaid plan invoice (or Go to Billing), then try the action again. Other members need the owner or a billing member to pay.

Opening your exchange admin (Operator Controls)

The Operator Controls button (on Overview, the My Exchange page and the Hosting header) opens Operator Controls, your exchange's admin, in a new tab. You sign in there with your exchange operator account, not your dashboard login. Users, wallets, assets, trading pairs, fees, KYC and plugins are all managed in Operator Controls.

The button is disabled until the exchange is set up and running, and while a restart, start, stop, go-live or upgrade is in progress. Your exchange must allow dash.hollaex.com in its Allowed Domains (if that list is set) and in its Cloudflare Turnstile hostnames (if captcha is on). See Operator Controls for sign-in, navigation and troubleshooting.

Custody (Guveno)

The Custody page introduces Guveno, a separate self-custody wallet provider for the funds your exchange holds. Guveno accounts are separate from your HollaEx account: you sign up and sign in at guveno.com. By default, custody is handled by HollaEx. Moving to your own custody (Guveno is the recommended, fully integrated option) means losing access to HollaEx Network liquidity. See Custody of Exchange Funds for details.