<p>As per an <a href="https://m-square.com.au/docker-for-windows-server-and-image2docker/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">archived Docker blog post</a> about Windows containers, it mentions the following:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For production, licensing is at the host level, i.e. each machine or
VM which is running Docker. Your Windows license on the host allows
you to run any number of Windows Docker containers on that host. With
Windows Server 2016 you get the commercially supported version of
Docker included in the license costs, with support from Microsoft and
Docker, Inc.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is supported by the fact that <a href="https://www.docker.com/partners/microsoft/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microsoft and Docker are documented partners</a>, which is in turn supported by Microsoft team member <a href="https://social.technet.microsoft.com/profile/myles%20keating/?ws=usercard-mini" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Myles Keating</a> in a <a href="https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/1883e69a-1a58-44e9-a2f8-de89b01f8300/understanding-of-license-for-using-docker-on-windows-server-2016" rel="nofollow noreferrer">separate thread</a> on a similar topic who appears to have <a href="https://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2015/04/02/stanford_graduates_get_fought_over_by_tech_companies_like_snapchat_and_have.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">joined Microsoft shortly after an internship</a>. The archived post is also mentioned in a <a href="https://forums.docker.com/t/microsoft-windowsservercore-license/25983" rel="nofollow noreferrer">similar thread in the Docker forums</a>.</p>
<p>As a more general tip, to decide if <a href="https://hub.docker.com/_/microsoft-windows-servercore" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>Windows Server Core</code></a> is really the image you'd like to use, check out the other available <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/manage-containers/container-base-images" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microsoft container images</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-29T21:40:29.590Z
2022-08-30T05:15:39.183Z
2022-08-30T05:15:39.183Z
T145
<p>I’m using <code>Windows Server Core</code> as part of an image I’m working on. When it's deployed to production, how do I supply a license to it?</p>
<p>Besides that, is this license needed to be bought for each image it's mounted on?</p>
<p>I've already mounted an image without an issue, so is simply having the license enough to avoid trouble?</p>

<docker><containers><windows>
How do I supply a professional license to a Docker image?
Mol
# How do I supply a professional license to a Docker image?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-08-28)

I’m using `Windows Server Core` as part of an image I’m working on. When it's deployed to production, how do I supply a license to it?

Besides that, is this license needed to be bought for each image it's mounted on?

I've already mounted an image without an issue, so is simply having the license enough to avoid trouble?

**Tags:** docker, containers, windows


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-08-29. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

As per an [archived Docker blog post](https://m-square.com.au/docker-for-windows-server-and-image2docker/) about Windows containers, it mentions the following:

> For production, licensing is at the host level, i.e. each machine or
> VM which is running Docker. Your Windows license on the host allows
> you to run any number of Windows Docker containers on that host. With
> Windows Server 2016 you get the commercially supported version of
> Docker included in the license costs, with support from Microsoft and
> Docker, Inc.

This is supported by the fact that [Microsoft and Docker are documented partners](https://www.docker.com/partners/microsoft/), which is in turn supported by Microsoft team member [Myles Keating](https://social.technet.microsoft.com/profile/myles%20keating/?ws=usercard-mini) in a [separate thread](https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/1883e69a-1a58-44e9-a2f8-de89b01f8300/understanding-of-license-for-using-docker-on-windows-server-2016) on a similar topic who appears to have [joined Microsoft shortly after an internship](https://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2015/04/02/stanford_graduates_get_fought_over_by_tech_companies_like_snapchat_and_have.html). The archived post is also mentioned in a [similar thread in the Docker forums](https://forums.docker.com/t/microsoft-windowsservercore-license/25983).

As a more general tip, to decide if [`Windows Server Core`](https://hub.docker.com/_/microsoft-windows-servercore) is really the image you'd like to use, check out the other available [Microsoft container images](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/manage-containers/container-base-images).


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