Chariot supports several licensing options to match how and where you deploy.

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

Quick Comparison

Online

The standard Chariot license. Most customers use this option.

You purchase a license through the Chariot UI, receive a license key by email, paste it into the Online activation tab, and Chariot validates it against Cirrus Link's license server. The activation is bound to that specific Chariot instance.

Use Online when:

• Your Chariot host has internet access
• You're running a single, long-lived Chariot server
• You expect the server to remain in place for the duration of the license

Important: If you terminate, delete, or destroy the Chariot server without first clicking Deactivate on the License page, that activation is permanently lost. Each license has a finite number of activations, so always deactivate before decommissioning a server.

Offline

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 Usage Request from the Chariot UI, email it to Support, and receive back a Usage License file that you upload into Chariot.

Use Offline when:

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

Customer-Hosted Floating

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 network.

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

Use Customer-Hosted Floating when:

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

Cloud Floating

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.

Marketplace (AWS / Azure)

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

Use Marketplace when:

• You want one-click deployment from a cloud marketplace
• You prefer consolidated cloud billing through AWS or Azure
• You don't 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.

Related Pages

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

For questions about which license type fits your deployment, contact Cirrus Link Support.