License options

In this topic

Product licensing

The ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit is a single-use license product and a license must be dedicated for each computer that has access to the software. With the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit, you can develop an unlimited number of applications on a single computer and deliver the applications to others. It is illegal to redistribute the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit registration number or authorization file.
The ArcGIS Engine Runtime is also a single-use license and it is intended for dedicated ArcGIS Desktop computers. Each machine running a custom application developed with the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit requires an ArcGIS Engine Runtime license or an ArcGIS Desktop license. The ArcGIS Engine Runtime license does not permit the ArcGIS Engine Runtime to be used for development purposes, nor can it be deployed on a server machine. The ArcGIS Engine Runtime setup can be redistributed, but the license and registration number cannot without authorization from ESRI. Any number of applications can use the same ArcGIS Engine Runtime license, as long as they are all installed on the same machine.
When installing the ArcGIS Engine Developer Kit and ArcGIS Engine Runtime, you need to read and agree to the ESRI Master License Agreement (MLA). The MLA defines the permitted use of the software. For more information about the license agreement, see  Licensing Terms on the ESRI Web site.

Runtime licensing

There are two types of ArcGIS Engine Runtime licenses—product licenses and extension licenses. Product licenses include core ESRI software, such as ArcGIS Engine Runtime, ArcGIS Desktop licenses (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo), and ArcGIS Server. Extension licenses include additional ESRI products that build on those core licenses, such as the Spatial extension for ArcGIS Engine, the 3D Analyst extension, and the Network extension. This topic deals solely with ArcGIS Engine-based development; therefore, ArcGIS Server product and extension licensing will be ignored. Since ArcGIS Engine Runtime is the platform on which ArcGIS Desktop is built, ArcGIS Desktop licensing can factor into your application development, which is discussed in this topic.
Licensing and deployment considerations for ArcGIS Server-based development are discussed in the ArcGIS Server help system.
Custom applications that utilize core ArcGIS Engine features can be built to run against any or all of the following product runtime licenses:
Applications that utilize extended ArcGIS Engine features require extension licenses that correspond to the ArcGIS product providing the core license. If your application initializes with an ArcGIS Engine Runtime license, any required extension licenses must be ArcGIS Engine Runtime extensions, not ArcGIS Desktop extensions.
The ArcGIS Engine controls also follow this runtime licensing model. MapControl, PageLayoutControl, TOCControl, ToolbarControl, and SymbologyControl applications can utilize an ArcGIS Engine Runtime, ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo product license. Since the GlobeControl and SceneControl extend core ArcGIS Engine functionality, they require a corresponding 3D extension license in addition to the core product license.

ArcGIS Engine features and extension runtime licenses

The following are the extended ArcGIS Engine features and the extension runtime licenses that can be used to initialize the features:
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Network extension can do the following:
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase Update and Network extension can do the following:
All editing of datasets is subject to the standard editing restrictions in core ESRI products.

ArcGIS Engine and ArcGIS Desktop licensing

ArcGIS Engine is the platform used for ArcGIS Desktop applications, which allows more flexibility in the licensing of your application. You may want to deploy an ArcGIS Engine software-based application that can utilize the core ArcGIS Engine Runtime product and extension licenses or the equivalent ArcGIS Desktop product and extension licenses.
For more information about the methods for leveraging multiple levels of licensing, see Application development and license initialization.
The following table lists the ArcGIS Engine product or extension license and its equivalent ArcGIS Desktop license:
ArcGIS Engine
ArcGIS Desktop
License comparison
ArcGIS Engine Runtime
ArcView
ArcGIS Engine Runtime is functionally equivalent to ArcView at the ArcObjects level. ArcGIS Engine Runtime does not include any of the ArcGIS Desktop applications, such as ArcMap, but it does include the same core geographic information sysmtem (GIS) ArcObjects.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Geodatabase Update extension
ArcEditor
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase Update extension is functionally equivalent to ArcEditor at the ArcObjects level. The Geodatabase Update extension does not include any of the advanced editing tools available in ArcMap, but it does provide complete access to the Geodatabase application programming interface (API) for creating, editing, and managing an enterprise geodatabase.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with 3D extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with 3D Analyst
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the 3D extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the 3D Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The 3D extension for ArcGIS Engine does not include the ArcScene or ArcGlobe applications, but it does provide access to the GlobeControl and SceneControl for embedding 3D visualization in custom applications.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Spatial extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Spatial Analyst
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Spatial extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Spatial Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The Spatial extension for ArcGIS Engine does not include the ArcGIS Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for raster cell analysis.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Network extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Network Analyst
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Network extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Network Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Network extension includes commands and ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that solve on any network.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Data Interoperability extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Data Interoperability
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Data Interoperability extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Data Interoperability extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Data Interoperability extension does not include the ArcGIS Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that read, transform, and export published data formats.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Maplex extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Maplex
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Maplex extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Maplex extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Maplex extension does not include the ArcGIS Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that provide high-quality cartographic text placement and labelling.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Schematics extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Schematics
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Schematics extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Schematics extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Schematics extension includes commands and ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that view network datasets as schematic representations.
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with Tracking extension
ArcGIS Desktop (ArcVIew, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo) with Tracking Analyst
ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Tracking extension is functionally equivalent to ArcGIS Desktop with the Tracking Analyst extension at the ArcObjects level. The ArcGIS Engine Tracking extension does not include the ArcGIS Desktop toolbars or commands, but it does provide the ArcObjects components necessary for creating custom applications that play and analyze time series data.