Adding the License Key to CI/CD Services

Updated on Aug 18, 2026

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

Deployment keys cannot be used for application development.

When working with CI/CD platforms, always add the Telerik.Licensing NuGet package as a project dependency. This package activates Telerik UI for WinUI at build time by using the provided license key.

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.

Azure Pipelines (YAML)

1. Create a new User-defined Variable named TELERIK_LICENSE.

2. Paste the contents of the license key file as a value.

Azure Pipelines (Classic)

1. Create a new user-defined variable named TELERIK_LICENSE.

2. Paste the contents of the license key file as a value.

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]

C#

		env:
			TELERIK_LICENSE: $

See Also

• License Activation Errors and Warnings
• [Setting Up Your License Key](slug://installing-license-key}
• Frequently Asked Questions about Your UI for WinUI License Key