If you are moving an ASP.NET site to shared Windows hosting, you may wonder whether you need to buy a Windows Server licence, CALs or a SQL Server licence. On shared hosting you don't: the hosting price covers the server software, and licensing it is the hosting company's job. This guide explains what is included, what you still license yourself, and how Windows Server licensing works if you ever run your own server.
On Domain India shared Windows hosting you do not buy or activate any Windows Server licence, CAL or Plesk licence: they are part of the hosting service. You still need licences for anything you add yourself, such as commercial components, fonts or paid development tools. Windows Server licensing (per core, plus CALs, or a monthly provider licence) only becomes your concern if you run your own Windows server.
1. The short answer for shared hosting
Shared hosting is a service, not a software purchase. You rent space on a server that the hosting company runs, licenses and maintains. On Domain India Windows hosting that means:
- no Windows Server licence to buy, enter or renew;
- no Client Access Licences (CALs) for your website's visitors;
- no Plesk licence: the control panel is included with every Windows plan;
- no licence audit or core counting on your side.
For the server software, your only cost is the hosting plan itself, plus 18% GST.
2. What the hosting plan covers
| Software | Who licenses it on shared hosting |
|---|---|
| Windows Server operating system | Domain India |
| IIS web server | Part of Windows Server |
| Plesk control panel | Domain India |
| Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL) | Domain India; the plans list SQL Server Express |
| .NET and ASP.NET Core runtimes | Free from Microsoft; installed by Domain India |
| Your application code | You |
SQL Server Express is Microsoft's free edition. Its main limit is database size: each database can hold up to 10 GB of data. That is plenty for most business sites; if you expect more, plan your data model or ask support before ordering.
3. What you still license yourself
Being on shared hosting doesn't cover the software you bring:
- Commercial libraries and components, such as paid UI control suites, PDF or reporting libraries, and their per-developer or per-server terms.
- Fonts, images and themes you use on the site.
- Development tools. Visual Studio Community is free for individual developers and small teams under Microsoft's terms; larger organisations need a paid edition. Visual Studio Code and the .NET SDK are free.
- Your own SQL Server on your computer for development, if you use one. The free Developer and Express editions are the usual choice.
Check each component's licence for the words "server", "deployment" or "production": some free tiers cover development only.
4. How Windows Server licensing works
This matters only when you run your own server, but it explains why shared hosting is simpler. Current Windows Server versions, 2019 and later, use the same model:
- Per-core licences. Every physical core in the server must be licensed, with a minimum of 8 cores per processor and 16 per server. Licences are sold in 2-core packs.
- Editions. Standard covers two virtual machines per fully licensed server. Datacenter covers unlimited virtual machines on that server. Essentials is a small-business edition with user and device caps, not a hosting edition.
- CALs. Users or devices that access the server need a Client Access Licence. Anonymous visitors to a public website don't; other external-access cases have their own licence types in Microsoft's terms.
- Remote Desktop. Beyond the two administrative sessions every server allows, users who work through Remote Desktop Services need an RDS licence on top.
5. How hosting companies license Windows
A hosting company can't sell perpetual licences to its customers, so Microsoft offers service providers a separate route: the Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA). Under it, the provider reports usage every month and pays per core, or per user for some products. SQL Server has a Web edition that is sold only through this programme, for public websites.
The practical result for you: the licence cost is built into the hosting price, and compliance is the provider's responsibility, not yours.
6. Shared hosting or your own Windows server
| Question | Shared Windows hosting | Your own Windows server |
|---|---|---|
| Buy a Windows licence? | No | Yes, per core, or monthly through a provider |
| CALs for your users? | No | Depends on how users access the server |
| Install your own software? | No | Yes |
| Remote Desktop? | No | Yes, with RDS licences |
| Server updates and patches | Handled by the host | Your job, or a managed service |
If your application needs Remote Desktop, custom Windows services or software installed on the server, it needs its own server, and its licensing becomes part of that decision.
7. Windows Server versions and support dates
Microsoft supports each Windows Server version for a fixed period. Windows Server 2019 left mainstream support on 9 January 2024 and gets security updates until 9 January 2029; newer versions run for longer. On shared hosting the server version is the host's responsibility, and your app runs on whatever .NET versions Plesk lists for your domain. Build against a supported .NET release and you are covered.
8. Where Domain India fits
Domain India Windows hosting includes the Windows Server, IIS, Plesk and MSSQL licensing in the plan price. The cards show live prices, excluding 18% GST.
- 10 GB Storage
- 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 1 Website
- 10 Email Accounts
- 30 GB Storage
- 150 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 5 Websites
- 50 Email Accounts
- 100 GB Storage
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- 15 Websites
- 100 Email Accounts
Domain India's VPS plans list Linux operating systems. If you need your own Windows server, ask support before ordering. New shared hosting purchases, Windows included, can be refunded in full within 30 days under our refund policy. The whole account is explained in the Plesk Windows hosting guide.
Do I need to buy a Windows Server licence for shared ASP.NET hosting?
No. On Domain India shared Windows hosting, the Windows Server, IIS and Plesk licensing is included in the hosting plan. You never buy, enter or renew a Windows licence yourself.
Do my website visitors need Client Access Licences (CALs)?
No. Anonymous visitors to a public website don't need CALs, and on shared hosting server licensing is the hosting company's responsibility in any case.
Is SQL Server included with Windows hosting?
Yes. Every Domain India Windows plan includes MSSQL databases; the plan listings name SQL Server Express, Microsoft's free edition, which allows up to 10 GB of data per database.
What licences do I still need?
Licences for anything you add: commercial libraries and components, fonts and themes, and paid development tools if your organisation doesn't qualify for the free Visual Studio Community edition.
How is Windows Server licensed on my own server?
Per physical core, with a minimum of 16 core licences per server, in Standard or Datacenter edition, plus CALs for users or devices that access it. Hosting providers use Microsoft's monthly service provider agreement instead.
Can I get Remote Desktop on shared Windows hosting?
No. Shared Windows hosting is managed through Plesk only. Remote Desktop needs your own server and its own Remote Desktop licences.
Ready to host ASP.NET without licence paperwork? Compare the Windows hosting plans or the ASP.NET hosting page, or open a ticket with a licensing question. Support is on 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes.
Windows Server, IIS, Plesk and MSSQL licensing are part of every Domain India Windows plan.
See Windows hosting plans