Docs Self-Managed Get Started Redpanda Licensing Add License Kubernetes Add an Enterprise Edition License to Redpanda in Kubernetes To enable enterprise features for Redpanda Self-Managed, you must have an Enterprise Edition license. This guide outlines how to apply or update an Enterprise Edition license for Redpanda Self-Managed in a Kubernetes environment. Prerequisites You must have an Enterprise Edition license. To get a trial license key or extend your trial period, generate a new trial license key. To purchase a license, contact Redpanda Sales. Add a new license Redpanda supports the following ways to apply a new license: Use a Kubernetes Secret to store the license. Provide the license string inline in your Helm values or manifest file. Use Redpanda Console to upload the license to Redpanda. Use a Kubernetes Secret You can store the license in a Kubernetes Secret and reference it in your Helm values or manifest file. Download your license file (redpanda.license) and create a Kubernetes Secret: kubectl create secret generic redpanda-license --from-file=license=./redpanda.license --namespace <namespace> This command creates a Kubernetes Secret named redpanda-license in the specified namespace, containing the license file. Reference the Secret: Helm + Operator Helm redpanda-cluster.yaml apiVersion: cluster.redpanda.com/v1alpha2 kind: Redpanda metadata: name: redpanda spec: chartRef: {} clusterSpec: enterprise: licenseSecretRef: name: redpanda-license key: license kubectl apply -f redpanda-cluster.yaml --namespace <namespace> --values --set redpanda-license.yaml enterprise: licenseSecretRef: name: redpanda-license key: license helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda --namespace <namespace> --create-namespace \ --values redpanda-license.yaml --reuse-values helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda \ --namespace <namespace> \ --create-namespace \ --set enterprise.licenseSecretRef.name=redpanda-license \ --set enterprise.licenseSecretRef.key=license Provide the license inline If you prefer to provide the license string directly, you can do so as follows: Helm + Operator Helm redpanda-cluster.yaml apiVersion: cluster.redpanda.com/v1alpha2 kind: Redpanda metadata: name: redpanda spec: chartRef: {} clusterSpec: enterprise: license: <license-key> kubectl apply -f redpanda-cluster.yaml --namespace <namespace> --values --set redpanda-license.yaml enterprise: license: <license-key> helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda --namespace <namespace> --create-namespace \ --values redpanda-license.yaml --reuse-values helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda \ --namespace <namespace> \ --create-namespace \ --set enterprise.license=<license-key> Use Redpanda Console You can upload a license directly through Redpanda Console. See Manage Enterprise Edition Licenses through Redpanda Console. Verify a license After adding or updating a license, you can use rpk to verify that the license was set. kubectl exec <pod-name> --namespace <namespace> -c redpanda -- \ rpk cluster license info This command will display the current license details, including the expiration date and whether any enterprise features are active. For example: LICENSE INFORMATION =================== Organization: redpanda Type: enterprise Expires: Oct 24 2027 Redpanda blocks upgrades to new feature releases if enterprise features are active without a valid license. Ensure compliance by obtaining a license to maintain access to the latest features and updates. Update an existing license The process for updating a license depends on how it was originally applied: Update the Kubernetes Secret. Update the license string inline in your Helm values or manifest file. Use Redpanda Console When a new license is uploaded, enterprise features in Redpanda Self-Managed are unlocked immediately without requiring a cluster restart. However, to unlock enterprise features in Redpanda Console, you must restart the Redpanda Console instance. Update the Kubernetes Secret If the license is provided through a Kubernetes Secret, follow these steps to update it: Download the updated license file and overwrite the existing redpanda.license file. Delete the existing Secret: kubectl delete secret redpanda-license --namespace <namespace> Create a new Secret with the updated license: kubectl create secret generic redpanda-license \ --from-file=license=./redpanda.license \ --namespace <namespace> Check the status of new license to make sure it was successfully applied: rpk cluster license info The output displays the following details: Organization: Organization the license was generated for. Type: Type of license. Expires: Expiration date of the license. Version: License schema version. If you use Redpanda Console, delete the Redpanda Console Pods to force Redpanda Console to reload the updated license: kubectl delete pod $(kubectl get pod --namespace <namespace> | grep redpanda-console | awk '{print $1}') --namespace <namespace> Update the license inline If you applied the license inline, follow these steps to update it: Modify the enterprise.license value with the new license string: Helm + Operator Helm redpanda-cluster.yaml apiVersion: cluster.redpanda.com/v1alpha2 kind: Redpanda metadata: name: redpanda spec: chartRef: {} clusterSpec: enterprise: license: <license-key> kubectl apply -f redpanda-cluster.yaml --namespace <namespace> --values --set redpanda-license.yaml enterprise: license: <license-key> helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda --namespace <namespace> --create-namespace \ --values redpanda-license.yaml --reuse-values helm upgrade --install redpanda redpanda/redpanda \ --namespace <namespace> \ --create-namespace \ --set enterprise.license=<license-key> Check the status of new license to make sure it was successfully applied: rpk cluster license info The output displays the following details: Organization: Organization the license was generated for. Type: Type of license:. Expires: Expiration date of the license. Version: License schema version. If you use Redpanda Console, delete the Redpanda Console Pods to force a reload of the updated license: kubectl delete pod $(kubectl get pod --namespace <namespace> | grep redpanda-console | awk '{print $1}') --namespace <namespace> Next steps Check the Status of an Enterprise Edition License. Back to top × Simple online edits For simple changes, such as fixing a typo, you can edit the content directly on GitHub. Edit on GitHub Or, open an issue to let us know about something that you want us to change. Open an issue Contribution guide For extensive content updates, or if you prefer to work locally, read our contribution guide . Was this helpful? thumb_up thumb_down group Ask in the community mail Share your feedback group_add Make a contribution Linux Redpanda Console