Unlike previous versions, ESXi 9.0 is no longer available under perpetual licenses.

ESXi 9.0 is designed for modern, data-intensive workloads such as AI and machine learning. Announcing VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 - VMware Blogs

Broadcom has discontinued the "Free" edition of ESXi for version 9.0.

Because ESXi 9.0 uses a subscription-file validation system rather than a standalone alphanumeric key, traditional "keys" found on platforms like GitHub typically do not work for this version. Key Features and Changes in Version 9.0

New installations include a 90-day trial mode , allowing full functionality before a subscription is required.

Users searching for "VMware ESXi 9 license key GitHub updated" should exercise extreme caution.

Third-party keys or activation tools hosted on public repositories may contain malicious code or scripts that compromise your virtualization environment.

Instead of entering a key directly on the host, licenses are now applied as subscription files via VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Operations . The State of GitHub License Keys

GitHub repositories and Gists claiming to offer ESXi 9.0 "keys" are often out-of-date or violate GitHub's Terms of Service regarding the distribution of activation files.