# Licenses

The runtime packages are MIT licensed. `@elements/app` is MIT licensed, and it
includes the runtime that Elements HTML runs on, which is where most of an
app's code is written. `@elements/style` is MIT licensed too. You own
everything you build, and a built app runs on plain Node.js.

You pay for the tooling: the project server, build, test runner and deploy.
The tooling is a subscription, per machine. The price is predictable per month,
not based on traffic, requests or revenue.

## What Is a License

A license grants one machine permission to run the `elements` tooling. One
license, one machine. Any machine that runs the `elements` command needs one:
your laptop, a CI runner, a deployment box.

An account holds a pool of licenses. A checkout takes a license from the pool
for one machine, which leaves one fewer available. A checkin puts it back, so
another machine can take it.

## Getting a License

Install Elements from [elements.dev/install](https://elements.dev/install).
The install command is tied to your account, so the machine checks out a
license from your account's pool when the install completes. On a new
account, that first checkout starts the trial.

On a machine that already has Elements installed, run
`elements license checkout`.

## License Files

The tooling installs two files next to its binaries, in the elements
directory: `LICENSE.txt`, the license notice with the address of the Elements
License Agreement, and `THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt`, the license of every open
source project linked into the `elements` binaries, including the TypeScript
compiler the tooling is built on.

## `elements license`

Shows the current license on this machine.

```bash Terminal
elements license
```

Use this when you want to confirm a license is in place, or when an `elements`
command mentions the license and you want to see the details.

Alias: `elements l`.

## `elements license checkout`

Takes a license from an account's pool for this machine.

```bash Terminal
elements license checkout
elements license checkout <token>
```

With no arguments, the license comes from the account this machine is already
on. With a token, it comes from the token's account. Your install command
carries your own account's token. To use someone else's account, get a token
from its administrator.

If the pool has no license available, the checkout fails. Check a license in
on another machine, or add licenses from your account.

Deployment handles checkout for you. See `elements man deploy`.

Alias: `elements license c`.

## `elements license checkin`

Puts this machine's license back in the pool, so another machine can take it.

```bash Terminal
elements license checkin
```

Use this when you're retiring a machine, moving development to a new laptop, or
rotating a deployment box. After checkin, this machine has no license.

You can also free a license from the web: your account page at
[elements.dev/account](https://elements.dev/account) lists every machine with
a license, and Checkin puts that machine's license back in the pool. This is
often easier than signing in to the machine.

Aliases: `elements license release`, `elements license r`.

## `elements purchase`

Opens the purchase page in your browser.

```bash Terminal
elements purchase
```

If the browser can't open, the command prints the address so you can visit it
from another machine. After you buy, the licenses are delivered to your
machines automatically.

## Related

- Deploy: `elements man deploy`
- CLI: `elements man cli`