File Format

An RSL document, also called a license, must conform to the XML 1.0 specification and may be implemented in one of three formats:

• Standalone license file
• License feed that integrates with RSS
• Embedded license within an HTML web page

All formats share the same core XML structure and use the <rsl> root element with the required RSL namespace.

License Files

RSL license files are standalone .xml XML documents hosted on a website or license server. Each file must begin with an <rsl> root element that declares the RSL namespace:

<rsl xmlns="https://rslstandard.org/rsl">
  ...
</rsl>

See also Adding RSL to robots.txt.

License Feeds

RSL license feeds are RSS documents that include the RSL module to define licensing terms for content in <item> elements. This enables licensing to be integrated with existing content discovery and syndication workflows.

RSL feeds must declare the RSL namespace on the root <rss> element and use the rsl: prefix to reference RSL elements (e.g., <rsl:content>).

<rss xmlns:rsl="https://rslstandard.org/rsl" version="2.0">
  ...
</rss>

See also Adding RSL to RSS Feeds.

Embedded Licenses

RSL licenses may also be embedded directly in an HTML page in two ways: with a <script> tag (type="application/rsl+xml") to include the full license inline, or with a <link> tag (type="application/rsl+xml") to reference an external license file.

See also Adding RSL Web Pages.