Novel tools and techniques for an IoT shell are provided. A system includes an internet of things (IoT) device, a database, and a license manager. The database may include one or more sets of authorized licenses, each set of authorized licenses associated with a respective vendor software. The license manager may be in communication with the IoT device and the database, and further include a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by the processor. The license manager may be configured to receive a request to reserve a license for a first vendor software, determine an availability of the license associated with the first vendor software, register a unique identifier of the IoT device in association with the license, and grant the license to the IoT device.