Adding Your License Key to CI/CD Services

Updated on Oct 1, 2026

This article describes how to set up and activate your Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX license across a few popular CI/CD services by using deployment keys.

Deployment keys are a dedicated type of license key for build pipelines. They're tied to a specific application and the set of products that the application uses. Deployment keys cannot be used for application development.

To activate your license in a CI/CD environment:

1. Navigate to the Deployment Keys page.

2. Click Add Application. In the form that opens:

   1. Add the application name.
   2. Select the type of application—public or private.
   3. Select the set of products used in the application.

3. Copy the key value and store it securely.

4. Create an environment variable named TELERIK_LICENSE and set it to the obtained key value. Alternatively, the key can be stored in a telerik-license.txt file, for example when using the Azure Secure Files approach.

ASP.NET Web Application Build Flow

Use the activation method that matches the project type and package setup:

Project setup	CI activation	Production deployment
Web Application using the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package	Provide TELERIK_LICENSE or TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH before the package restore and build.	Do not deploy telerik-license.txt; the license is consumed during the build.
Web Application without NuGet	Generate the Script key source file from a protected CI secret, compile it with the application, and reference Telerik.Licensing.Runtime.dll.	Do not commit or publish the generated source file or the Script key.
Web Site	Generate the Script key file in App_Code during the build.	Deploy the generated App_Code file as required for Web Site projects.

For a Web Application, keep license activation separate from package-feed authentication. TELERIK_LICENSE activates Telerik licensing; TELERIK_NUGET_KEY authenticates a private Telerik NuGet feed. Configure the feed credentials separately by following NuGet Keys.

The provider-neutral build order is:

1. Make the license secret available to the build process as TELERIK_LICENSE, or download a protected license file and set TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH to its path.
2. Restore the solution or project, including the Telerik.Licensing package when the Web Application uses NuGet.
3. Build the solution or project with the same configuration used for deployment.
4. Publish the application without copying telerik-license.txt, TELERIK_LICENSE, or generated Script key source files into the deployment artifact.
5. Remove downloaded or generated license material from the build workspace when the CI service does not clean it automatically.

For a Web Application without NuGet, use the CI Script key procedure to generate the source file during the build. Do not place a real key in the pipeline definition, source control, or an example.

Creating an Environment Variable

The recommended approach for providing your license key to the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package is to use environment variables. Each CI/CD platform has a different process for setting environment variables and this article lists only some of the most popular examples.

If your CI/CD service is not listed in this article, don't hesitate to contact the Telerik technical support.

GitHub Actions

1. Create a new Repository Secret or an Organization Secret.
2. Set the name of the secret to TELERIK_LICENSE and paste the contents of the license file as a value.
3. Expose the secret to the restore and build steps. The following example uses a Windows runner for an ASP.NET Web Application; replace path/to/solution.sln with the path to your solution:

YAML

name: Build ASP.NET Web Application

on:
    workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
    build:
        runs-on: windows-latest
        env:
            TELERIK_LICENSE: ${{ secrets.TELERIK_LICENSE }}
        steps:
            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
            - uses: microsoft/setup-msbuild@v2
            - name: Restore packages
                run: nuget restore path/to/solution.sln
            - name: Build
                run: msbuild path/to/solution.sln /p:Configuration=Release

The license secret is available only to the build steps in this example. Do not add it to the workflow file or copy telerik-license.txt to the published application.

Azure Pipelines

1. Create a new secret variable named TELERIK_LICENSE.
2. Paste the contents of the license key file as a value.

Always consider the Variable size limit—if you are using a Variable Group, the license key will typically exceed the character limit for the variable values. The only way to have a long value in the Variable Group is to link it from Azure Key Vault. If you cannot use a Key Vault, then use a normal pipeline variable instead (see above) or use the Secure files approach instead.

Using Secure Files on Azure DevOps

Secure files are an alternative approach for sharing the license key file in Azure Pipelines that does not have the size limitations of environment variables.

You have two options for the file-based approach. Set the TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH variable or add a file named telerik-license.txt to the project directory or a parent directory.

Make sure you're referencing Telerik.Licensing v1.4.10 or later.

YAML Pipeline

With a YAML pipeline, you can use the DownloadSecureFile@1 task, then use $(name.secureFilePath) to reference it. For example:

yaml

    - task: DownloadSecureFile@1
        name: DownloadTelerikLicenseFile
        displayName: 'Download Telerik License Key File'
        inputs:
            secureFile: 'telerik-license.txt'

    - task: MSBuild@1
        displayName: 'Build Project'
        inputs:
            solution: 'myapp.csproj'
            platform: Any CPU
            configuration: Release
            msbuildArguments: '/p:RestorePackages=false'
        env:
            TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH: $(DownloadTelerikLicenseFile.secureFilePath)

Classic Pipeline

With a classic pipeline, use the "Download secure file" task and a PowerShell script to set TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH to the secureFilePath property of the output variable.

1. Add a "Download secure file" task and set the output variable's name to telerikLicense.

   

2. Add a PowerShell task and set the TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH variable to the secureFilePath property of the output variable:

   

The script to set the environment variable is quoted below:

powershell

Write-Host "Setting TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH to $(telerikLicense.secureFilePath)"
Write-Host "##vso[task.setvariable variable=TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH;]$(telerikLicense.secureFilePath)"

Alternatively, copy the file into the repository directory:

powershell

echo "Copying $(telerikLicense.secureFilePath) to $(Build.Repository.LocalPath)/telerik-license.txt"
Copy-Item -Path $(telerikLicense.secureFilePath) -Destination "$(Build.Repository.LocalPath)/telerik-license.txt" -Force

See Also

• Setting Up Your License Key
• License Activation Errors and Warnings
• Frequently Asked Questions about Your Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX License Key