--- title: Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New... description: Six Labors is adding build-time license key enforcement to its libraries, starting with major releases of ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New Subscription Tier | daily.dev og:description: Six Labors is adding build-time license key enforcement to its libraries, starting with major releases of ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/O8qra7RCQ.png og:image:alt: Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New Subscription Tier og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New Subscription Tier **[Six Labors : ImageSharp](https://daily.dev/sources/sixlabors)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Six Labors is adding build-time license key enforcement to its libraries, starting with major releases of ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0, ImageSharp.Web v4.0.0, Fonts v3.0.0, and PolygonClipper v1.0.0. A sixlabors.lic file will be required to compile projects that directly depend on these libraries (transitive dependencies are unaffected). Standard licenses last one year and come with a subscription, trial licenses last 90 days, and a downloadable sample license file valid until 2026-09-04 lets developers test upcoming releases. License terms and entitlements for existing holders remain unchanged. Open source projects, non-profits, charities, and companies under $1M annual revenue can apply for a free license. A new Agency subscription tier is also introduced for teams of 11-20 developers, sitting between the renamed Boutique tier and Enterprise. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Do I need a license key to use ImageSharp in my .NET project? Starting with major releases including ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0, ImageSharp.Web v4.0.0, Fonts v3.0.0, and PolygonClipper v1.0.0, a sixlabors.lic file is required to build projects that directly depend on these libraries. Transitive dependencies through third-party packages do not require a license. Standard licenses last one year, trial licenses last 90 days, and the build fails with a clear error if the license is missing or invalid. _daily.dev helps developers track licensing changes before they break a build._ ### Where do I place the sixlabors.lic file so ImageSharp can find it? By default the build searches from each project directory for sixlabors.lic, so the file should be placed in the directory containing the project file or a subdirectory below it. To store it elsewhere, such as a repository root above the project directory, set the SixLaborsLicenseFile property in the project file or a shared props file, or pass the license string via an environment variable using the full file contents rather than just the Key field. _Developers configuring build pipelines can follow licensing setup guidance like this via daily.dev._ ### Can I use ImageSharp for free if my company is small or nonprofit? Yes, open source and source-available projects, non-profit organizations, registered charities, and for-profit companies with under USD 1M annual gross revenue can apply for a free license through the Six Labors licensing portal. Standard paid licenses are delivered automatically with a subscription purchase and are valid for one year, while trial licenses last 90 days. _daily.dev keeps developers informed on licensing terms that affect which tools they can adopt._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [SkiaSharp 4.0 Establishes Milestone-Aligned Release Cadence](https://daily.dev/posts/skiasharp-4-0-establishes-milestone-aligned-release-cadence-cnqoznuu4) · InfoQ · 4 upvotes · 0 comments - [SkiaSharp 4.0 is here: announcing the first stable release](https://daily.dev/posts/skiasharp-4-0-is-here-announcing-the-first-stable-release-i6cab6h9v) · .NET Blog · 30 upvotes · 4 comments - [License data quality improvements](https://daily.dev/posts/license-data-quality-improvements-sgomxdbmo) · GitHub Changelog · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Explore What’s New in SkiaSharp 4.0](https://daily.dev/posts/explore-what-s-new-in-skiasharp-4-0-pbe3w4yhs) · Uno Platform · 17 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#.net](https://daily.dev/tags/.net), [#licensing](https://daily.dev/tags/licensing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New Subscription Tier","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq"},"datePublished":"2026-08-23T12:21:58.811Z","dateModified":"2026-08-23T12:46:15.623Z","description":"Six Labors is adding build-time license key enforcement to its libraries, starting with major releases of ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0,...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--2-1xRawN--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2011","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--2-1xRawN--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2011","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Six Labors : ImageSharp","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Six Labors : ImageSharp","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/logos/placeholder.jpg","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/sixlabors"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,.net,licensing","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Six Labors : ImageSharp","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/sixlabors"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Six Labors : License Enforcement Changes and a New Subscription Tier"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/six-labors-license-enforcement-changes-and-a-new-subscription-tier-o8qra7rcq#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Do I need a license key to use ImageSharp in my .NET project?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Starting with major releases including ImageSharp v4.0.0, ImageSharp.Drawing v3.0.0, ImageSharp.Web v4.0.0, Fonts v3.0.0, and PolygonClipper v1.0.0, a sixlabors.lic file is required to build projects that directly depend on these libraries. 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