Adding Your License Key to CI/CD Services

Updated on Aug 17, 2026

This article describes how to set up and activate your Telerik UI for .NET WinForms license key 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:

   • Add the application name.

   • Select the type of application—public or private.

   • 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.

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.

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. After running npm install or yarn, add a build step to activate the license:

   YML

   	env:
   		TELERIK_LICENSE: ${{ "{{ secrets.TELERIK_LICENSE }}" }}

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 or use the secure files approach.

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 to reference Telerik.Licensing v.1.4.10 or later.

For a walkthrough example and more details, see DevOps Examples - Telerik License with Secure File in Classic Pipeline

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 # defining the 'name' is important
    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:
      # use the name.secureFilePath value to set TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH
      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 secure file path.

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

1. 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 .NET WinForms License Key