Applying License Keys in IronPDF for Java

How Do You Get an IronPDF License Key?

IronPDF for Java is free to evaluate in development. In trial mode, every PDF produced carries an IronPDF watermark. To remove the watermark and deploy to production, a paid or trial license key is required.

Two options are available:

• Purchase a license — visit the IronPDF Java licensing page to choose a plan that fits your deployment needs.
• Start a free 30-day trial — request a trial license key to evaluate IronPDF without restrictions in a live environment.

Once the key arrives by email, keep it available for the steps below. The same key works for code-based and file-based application methods.

How Do You Add IronPDF as a Java Dependency?

Before applying a license key, IronPDF must be on the classpath. There are two ways to achieve this: declare it as a Maven dependency or add the .jar file manually.

//:path=pom.xml
<dependencies>

    <dependency>
        <groupId>com.ironsoftware</groupId>
        <artifactId>ironpdf</artifactId>
        <version>20xx.xx.xxxx</version>
    </dependency>

    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
        <artifactId>slf4j-simple</artifactId>
        <version>2.0.3</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

//:path=pom.xml
<dependencies>

    <dependency>
        <groupId>com.ironsoftware</groupId>
        <artifactId>ironpdf</artifactId>
        <version>20xx.xx.xxxx</version>
    </dependency>

    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
        <artifactId>slf4j-simple</artifactId>
        <version>2.0.3</version>
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

How Do You Apply a License Key in Java Code?

The most direct method is to call License.setLicenseKey() at the very beginning of application startup — before any PDF operation runs. Placing the call in the main method is the safest approach.

//:path=MyApplication.java
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.License;

public class MyApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Apply your license key before using any IronPDF feature
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // IronPDF is now fully licensed — no watermarks on output PDFs
        System.out.println("IronPDF license applied.");
    }
}

//:path=MyApplication.java
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.License;

public class MyApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Apply your license key before using any IronPDF feature
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // IronPDF is now fully licensed — no watermarks on output PDFs
        System.out.println("IronPDF license applied.");
    }
}

This approach works in all Java project types: standalone applications, Spring Boot services, Jakarta EE applications, and Android projects. The key is stored in memory for the lifetime of the JVM process; no file system writes occur.

How Do You Apply a License Key Through a Config File?

For projects that separate configuration from code — such as twelve-factor applications or deployments that rotate keys without a redeploy — the config.properties file method is preferable.

Add one line to config.properties:

//:path=config.properties
IRONPDF_LICENSE_KEY=IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01

Place the file in the working directory of the running application or on the classpath root. IronPDF reads this property automatically at startup. No code changes are required when the key changes — update the file and restart the process.

How Do You Verify That the License Key Is Active?

After applying a key by either method, License.isValidLicense() confirms whether IronPDF recognizes it as valid. Add this check to a startup routine or a health-check endpoint.

//:path=LicenseVerification.java
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.License;

public class LicenseVerification {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String licenseKey = "IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01";

        // Returns true if the key is valid and the license is active
        boolean isValid = License.isValidLicense(licenseKey);

        if (isValid) {
            System.out.println("License is valid — watermarks are disabled.");
        } else {
            System.out.println("License is invalid or expired. PDFs will include a trial watermark.");
        }
    }
}

//:path=LicenseVerification.java
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.License;

public class LicenseVerification {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String licenseKey = "IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01";

        // Returns true if the key is valid and the license is active
        boolean isValid = License.isValidLicense(licenseKey);

        if (isValid) {
            System.out.println("License is valid — watermarks are disabled.");
        } else {
            System.out.println("License is invalid or expired. PDFs will include a trial watermark.");
        }
    }
}

License.isValidLicense() returns true when the key format is correct, the license has not expired, and the key matches the product. It returns false for malformed keys, expired trial keys, or keys issued for a different Iron Software product. After any license change, clean and rebuild the project before running this check to avoid stale class data affecting the result.

What Are the Next Steps?

With a valid license key applied, IronPDF for Java is ready for production use. The following resources help move from setup to implementation:

• Get Started with IronPDF for Java — the official getting-started tutorial covering HTML-to-PDF rendering, PDF reading, and common document operations.
• IronPDF Java Code Examples — a library of runnable examples covering PDF creation, editing, stamping, form filling, and more.
• IronPDF Java API Reference — full method and class documentation for the com.ironsoftware.ironpdf package.
• Purchase or upgrade a license — scale from a single developer license to an enterprise or OEM deployment as the project grows. Start a free trial if evaluation is still ongoing.

For technical questions, the IronPDF support team is available via live chat and email.