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Chariot supports several licensing options to match how and where you deploya variety of needs.

For step-by-step activation instructions, see the Licensing Procedure Purchasing and Activation page.

Quick Comparison

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Online

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The standard Chariot license. Most customers use this option.

- Node-locked

For environments where the Chariot host has internet access. Online Licenses can have one or many seats.

Purchase a single instance Chariot You purchase a license through the Chariot UI , and receive a license key by email, or reach out to Chariot Support for multiple deployments.

Paste a license key paste it into the Online activation tab, and Chariot validates it against Cirrus Link's license server. The activation Online license is bound to that specific Chariot instance until it is manually deactivated.

Use Online when:

• Your Chariot host has hosts have internet access
• You're running a single, Running one or many long-lived Chariot serverservers
• You expect the The server to will remain in place for the duration of the license

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• unless it is manually deactivated

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Online - Leased

For containerized or auto-scaling Chariot deployments where instances are ephemeral. Containers automatically lease a license seat from Cirrus Link's license server at startup and release it at shutdown with no manual deactivation between deployments.

Leased Cloud license activation looks identical to Online: Paste a license key into the Online activation tab in Chariot. The difference is in how the license is configured behind the scenes where seats are pooled across all running containers rather than node-locked to a specific instance.

Use Cloud Leased Licenses when:

• Deploying Chariot in Kubernetes, ECS, or another container orchestrator
• Using auto-scaling groups where Chariot instance lifecycles follow load
• Using ephemeral containers where there is a risk of losing Online activations when a container is replaced

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Offline - Node-locked

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For environments where the Chariot host has no internet access — for example, air-gapped industrial networks or high-security deployments where outbound internet is prohibited.

Activation is a one-round-trip process with Cirrus Link Support: you generate a Generate Usage Request from the Chariot UI, email it to Support, and receive back a Usage License file that you to upload into Chariot.

Use Offline when:

• Your Chariot host has no outbound internet access
• Your security policy prohibits Security policies prohibit the Chariot host from contacting external services
• You're running Running a single Chariot server

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Self-Hosted

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Floating License Server

For air-gapped and closed-network environments running multiple Chariot instances that share a pool of concurrent license seats. License validation stays entirely inside your the deployed network.

You install Install the License4J Floating License Server (FLS) on a host inside your a network, send Cirrus Link the FLS hostname and fingerprint, and receive a license keyed to your FLSthe Floating License Server. Each Chariot instance is configured with the FLS URL and leases a seat from your the FLS at startup.

Use CustomerSelf-Hosted Floating when:

• You're running Running multiple Chariot instances inside a single closed network
• You want to enforce a Using short-lived deployments based on concurrent seat count rather than buy per-server licenses
• License validation must remain inside your a secure network perimeter (no outbound internet from Chariot or the FLS)

Floating (Cloud)

For containerized or auto-scaling Chariot deployments where instances are ephemeral. Containers automatically lease a license seat from Cirrus Link's license server at startup and release it at shutdown with no manual deactivation between deployments.

From your perspective, activation looks identical to Online: you paste a license key into the Online activation tab in Chariot. The difference is in how the license is configured behind the scenes where seats are pooled across all running containers rather than locked to a specific instance.

Use Cloud Floating when:

• You deploy Chariot in Kubernetes, ECS, or another container orchestrator
• You use auto-scaling groups where Chariot instance lifecycles follow load
• You'd otherwise lose Online activations every time a container is replaced

Important:

• Purchase your seat count to cover your peak number of concurrently running Chariot containers, including any temporary overlap during rolling deployments. If running containers exceed your seat count, additional containers will fail to activate.

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Marketplace (AWS / Azure)

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AWS Marketplace Installation

If you deploy When Chariot is deployed through the AWS Marketplace or Azure Marketplace, your license is   licenses are pre-installed and pre-activated as part of the Marketplace deployment. There are no activation steps to perform, and billing flows through your the cloud provider.

Use Marketplace when:

• You want Need one-click deployment from a cloud marketplace
• You prefer Prefer consolidated cloud billing through AWS or Azure
• You don't Do not want to manage license keys directly

A Note on Terminology

Chariot supports two different floating license options, and it's worth distinguishing them clearly:

• Customer-Hosted Floating — a License4J Floating License Server that you install and run on a physical host inside your network. Best for closed-network multi-instance deployments. In the Chariot UI, this uses the Floating activation tab.
• Cloud Floating — a license configured against Cirrus Link's cloud license server, designed for containerized deployments. In the Chariot UI, this uses the Online activation tab.

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Related Pages

• Licensing Procedure Purchasing and Activation — step-by-step activation, deactivation, and reactivation flows

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