Starting with Coco 7.4.0, Coco will use the Qt License Server (QLS) as its primary license mechanism.
This change brings Coco in line with other Qt products, providing a unified license mechanism across the ecosystem. With QLS you gain:
- Centralized license management
- Runtime usage tracking
- Detailed usage reporting
For an overview, see the Qt License Server documentation.
What changes for Coco users?
With Coco 7.4.0 and newer, the Qt License Server (QLS) replaces the legacy license server as the required licensing mechanism. Your existing legacy setup using cocolicserver and the cocoserver.cfg file will remain valid only until the license in your configuration file expires.
After your key expires, you must transition to QLS. The following sections outline the available QLS deployment options so you can choose the best fit for your environment. Each scenario includes links to setup instructions to help guide your migration.
QLS Usage Scenarios
Depending on your environment, QLS can be used in different ways:
1. Default: Cloud QLS
The default setup uses the Cloud Qt License Server hosted at https://qls.qt.io, in which licenses are acquired directly from the Qt-hosted infrastructure over the internet. License management and usage reports are available in the Qt Customer Portal.
2. On-Premise QLS
If your organization prefers to host licenses internally, you can deploy an on-premise QLS instance.
Licenses are still acquired and managed from the Cloud QLS, but this allows the on-premise server to cache licenses from the cloud. It is ideal if you have a high concurrent usage when compiling your application with Coco. It also reduces network latencies for license requests.
3. Offline QLS
For fully disconnected environments, on-premise QLS can also operate in offline mode:
Instead of acquiring licenses from Cloud QLS, it uses an offline license file (entitlement.json), and license management and reporting are handled manually via the command line.
This setup is useful for air-gapped or high-security installations.
NOTE: For installation of the on-premise and offline QLS, a special permission is needed to download the license management tools. Please get in touch with our Sales and Customer Success teams by creating a customer request in the Qt Customer Portal. For the installation procedures, see our documentation: Install Qt License Server.
Setting up the Qt License Service
Once you have chosen and setupset up a Qt License Server deployment, you would need to install the Qt License Service on the devices where Coco is installed.
For Qt Commercial Users
- If you already have a Qt Commercial setup or have installed other Qt products via the Qt Online Installer, simply upgrade your Qt License Service to at least version 3.5.0 using the Qt Online Installer or Qt Maintenance Tool.
- When a Coco program runs, it will automatically pick up licenses from your Qt Account.
For non-Qt Commercial Users
- Use the bundled Qt License Service included in Coco located in the license-service subdirectory of the Coco installation.
- After installing Coco, run:
- cocolic --setup-qls
- and follow the guided steps.
Legacy System Compatibility
If you need to stay on Coco 7.3.0 or earlier, or if you need to use a legacy Coco package (e.g. CentOS 7 and Debian 9), we provide a special cocolicserver package that can act as a proxy. It converts QLS licenses (from cloud or on-premise servers) into legacy licenses. This ensures compatibility with older Coco versions without changing your license source.
Summary
- From Coco 7.4.0 onward, the existing license setup is phased out and QLS will become the primary licensing mechanism. Default option: Cloud QLS with Qt-hosted infrastructure.
- Alternatives: On-premise QLS for high concurrency and lower network latency, or offline QLS for stricter environments.
- Existing licenses will keep working until expiration, but migration to QLS is needed afterwards.
- A proxy drop-in replacement cocolicserver exists for older Coco versions.
For more details, see the Qt License Server documentation and the Coco Manual.
