# Setting Up User Based Licensing

User-based licensing allows software or service assigned to **license users**. Unlike traditional licensing protected with a license key, this approach focuses on the users themselves, making it ideal for tracking, activation limits, and management.

{% hint style="success" %}
This guide walks you through **creating a user-based product, issuing licenses, and assigning users** in LicenseSpring.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
User-Based Licenses can still be node-locked, since LicenseSpring still supports
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{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Create a User-Based Product

* Navigate to the **Products** tab in the dashboard.
* Click **Add New Product** (top-right corner).

![](/files/4129d8f6ee5536d776c160b5c28328c22044e03c)

![](/files/a986d86b7903d6f19cc83448a9b7f5b506b152e6)

Complete the required fields:

* **Product Name**
* **Product Code**

Optional configurations:

* **Floating Timeout** (minutes): for floating licenses, determines how often the end-user app checks the license to remain registered.
* Product has trial period (You can set the trial period)
* Product has file
* Click **Next** to confirm.

{% hint style="danger" %}
Set the **Authorization Method** to **User:** This ensures that licenses for this product will be managed on a per-user basis, which is required for user-based licensing.
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* Your product will now appear in the list with **Authorization Method: USER**, indicating it’s a user-based product.

![](/files/ca97191d60d514f645078be86aaae10771cdba7a)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Issue a User-Based License

* Go to the **Licenses** page and click **Issue Licenses**.
* Fill in required fields:
  * **Order ID**
  * **Order Reference**

![](/files/d83ea0815840fffceda626101eae47566cf88003)

Optional:

* Assign a **License Manager** for the order
* Add a customer to the order
* Link the order to a customer account
* Click **Next**.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Add Products to the License

In this step you add the product to the license.

![](/files/420531cab12281c1a5f3b9b64749eccdf562fd12)

![](/files/d524153ec749442ae9d9aa9e0528832bbeee2783)

* Select the **user-based product** you created earlier.

Optional settings:

* **License Policy**
* **Air-Gapped Option**
* **Custom License Values**
* Click **Confirm** (top-right) to finalize.
* The newly created product will appear in the product list:

![](/files/6c10936a69047ec5c4ded232b56f65f1d7218191)

* Click **Next** to review all order information, then select **Confirm** to complete the steps.

![](/files/bb00dc420412a97cc022971fd1759860f52d316b)

{% hint style="warning" %}
At this point, the license exists but **no user is assigned yet**. Under **License Key / User**, it will show **Not Assigned** as illustrated in the screenshot above.
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{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Assign a User to the License

* Navigate to the **Licenses** section.
* Select the **user-based license** you want to assign.
* Click **Assign License User**.

![](/files/bbeb3aa9cfed9eea25e818cb4fd255b025d28437)

Either:

* Select an existing user, or
* Create a new user

Once completed, the license will show the assigned user (e.g. <testuser@licensespring.com>). Please note that only users with **License Manager permissions** can assign licenses to other users.

![](/files/88a3e3f8460f15a0e4217014a45fba5352fb234e)

{% hint style="success" %}
Users with License Manager permissions can refer to the [**License Manager Guide**](/license-entitlements/portal/end-user-portal/license-manager-guide.md) for instructions on assigning users and managing the User Portal.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}


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```
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```

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