Creating a license key

How to create a GitLab license key

Overview

You will frequently need to generate a new license key due to either user error or system error.

Self-managed licenses are managed in CustomersDot. Access to the application is managed through Okta, in order to request access please open an access request and refer that your role entitles you to access with this link.

License types

An overview of the different licenses types can be seen in this handbook page (internal only).

The type of the License object associated to a subscription version can be identified by using the info below:

License type Turn On Cloud Licensing
Cloud License ‘Yes’
Offline License ‘Offline’
Legacy License ‘No’ or null

Duplicate a license

To re-issue a license:

  1. Log in to the CustomerDot.
  2. Identify the license by searching by customer email or company name.
  3. Click Duplicate license button on the right (looks like the copy symbol). Note: Only Legacy Licenses can be duplicated as of today.
  4. Select the correct license type (see License Type Overview for more info).
  5. Modify the values you need. Be careful not to change the Customer field. Note: Changing the Customer causes the inputs for name, email and company to be overriden on creation with the selected customer’s information. This is a bug that will be addressed in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/customers-gitlab-com/-/issues/3566.
  6. In the Notes field, describe why you’re issuing this license and add a link to the Zendesk ticket or GitLab issue for the request if applicable.
    • If working on a GitLab issue, add the label Manually Generate Trial License (for trials) or Manually Generate License.
  7. Click Save.

The license should be emailed out immediately. Please note that a license should always be sent to the end user. Do not email the license to a GitLab team member or a reseller. Note: If you want to send the license to a different email address use this handbook page instead.

When an existing license isn’t available to duplicate, use the create new license section.

Create a new license

To create a new license, click Add new License then follow the process listed below for creating a Legacy License or Offline Cloud License.

Note:

  • Depending on the selected license type, different fields are required. Please see the required fields section for each license type for more information.
  • When filling in the Zuora subscription ID (depending on the type’s requirement), the subscription’s existence is checked against Zuora and will fail if it’s not found.
  • When the Zuora subscription ID is filled, the subscription name will be automatically set on license creation.

Create a Legacy License

  1. Select Legacy License in the License type drop down.
  2. Fill in the Zuora subscription ID. Note: These fields are not required for Legacy Licenses but should be filled out by Support.
  3. Fill in other fields.
  4. In the Notes field, describe why you’re issuing this license and add a link to the Zendesk ticket or GitLab issue for the request if applicable.
    • If working on a GitLab issue, add the label Manually Generate Trial License (for trials) or Manually Generate License.
  5. Click Save.
Required fields

Currently the following fields are required for a Legacy License:

  • License type
  • Name
  • Company
  • Email
  • Users count
  • Plan code
  • Starts at
  • Expires at

Required to be filled by Support:

  • Customer
  • Zuora subscription ID
  • Notes

Create an Offline Cloud License

When creating an Offline License, the following has to be present beforehand:

  • The filled in Zuora subscription has to be cloud license compatible (the Turn on seat reconciliation field is present).
  • The filled in Zuora subscription has to be an Offline Cloud License or a disabled Cloud License (Turn On Cloud Licensing set to Offline or No).
  • An activation code has to exist for the subscription (usually created via a callback to CustomersDot when the Zuora subscription is created).
  1. Select Offline Cloud in the License type drop down.
  2. Select the customer in the Customer field. Note: This field is required for Offline Cloud Licenses.
  3. Fill in the Zuora subscription ID. Note: These fields are required for Offline Cloud Licenses.
  4. Fill in other fields.
  5. In the Notes field, describe why you’re issuing this license and add a link to the Zendesk ticket or GitLab issue for the request if applicable.
    • If working on a GitLab issue, add the label Manually Generate Trial License (for trials) or Manually Generate License.
  6. Click Save.
Required fields

Currently the following fields are required for an Offline Cloud License:

  • License type
  • Customer
  • Name
  • Company
  • Email
  • Zuora subscription ID
  • Users count
  • Plan code
  • Starts at
  • Expires at

Required to be filled by Support:

  • Notes

Create an Online Cloud License

With Strict Cloud Licensing, Online Cloud Subscriptions only send out an activation code. A license will no longer be supplied. Hence, license creation for this type is not supported.

Last modified June 27, 2024: Fix various vale errors (46417d02)