Quick reference
You have two main options when it comes to distributing classroom licenses for JetBrains tools in your educational institution:
License Vault – a JetBrains-hosted solution that requires students to log in every time they start an IDE.
JetBrains Floating License Server – a Java app that runs on a computer in the school's network and does not require students to log in.
Both issue licenses per seat, meaning they provide the licenses to specific computers at the time of use. They do not provide licenses individually to specific users.
Compare Floating License Server and License Vault
Feature | Floating License Server | License Vault |
|---|---|---|
IDE login required | ❌ | ✅ |
Anonymous access | ✅ | ❌ |
Hosted by JetBrains | ❌ | ✅ |
Can be used both in classrooms and at home | ❌ | ✅ |
IDEs can always be offline | ✅ | ❌ |
AI can be disabled | ✅ | ✅ |
Which option should my institution choose?
If your institution has strict needs regarding the protection of users’ personal data, or if anonymous access is essential, then the Floating License Server is the better option for you.
Floating License Server is also the better choice if your students need to be able to work offline in class.
If the considerations above do not apply, and you do not want to be responsible for maintaining a license server, then License Vault is likely the better option for you, since it is hosted by JetBrains.
Are any other options available?
If you have fewer than 30 licenses, you can also assign licenses manually, which means you’ll assign each license to a specific student. In this case, you assign licenses to people, not computers, so you need as many licenses as you have students. Technically, you can also use this option for more than 30 licenses, but we do not recommend it because it requires more effort to ensure the licenses are being used properly.
How many classroom licenses do you need?
The number of licenses you need depends on how you set up license distribution. There are two ways of assigning classroom licenses:
Per user
On this model, licenses are linked to the users – individual students and teachers – by their email addresses. This approach requires you to manage each individual license assignment and revocation, which is only really manageable if you have a small number of licenses. We recommend using this method only if you have fewer than 30 students and teachers who need licenses. Beyond that, manual assignment becomes difficult and error-prone.If you distribute the licenses to individuals using their email addresses, you need as many licenses as you have users. For example, if you have 10 teachers and 20 students, you need 30 licenses.
Per seat
With this model, licenses are linked to computers (including virtual machines) when IDEs are in use. When the IDE starts, it requests a license from your Floating License Server or License Vault, and when the IDE stops running, it releases the license, making it available for others.
If you use per-seat licensing, you need licenses equal to the maximum number of users who will ever work simultaneously. This number usually matches the number of students taking exams or participating in labs at the same time, and it should not exceed the total number of classroom computers. For example, if you have a total of 200 computers and up to 180 students will use JetBrains IDEs at once, you need 180 licenses – even if you have 1,500 students in total.