If you are looking for a legitimate way to use ESXi 9 without a full corporate budget: 90-Day Trial
: Starting with version 9.0, VMware has largely removed traditional license key activation. It has transitioned to an online activation process managed via VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Operations. Subscription Only
For users looking for "working" keys on GitHub, the technical reality of ESXi 9.0 presents several hurdles: hegdepavankumar/VMware-ESXi-License-Keys ... - GitHub
VMware ESXi 9 is a robust virtualization platform that enables you to create and manage virtual machines (VMs) with ease. However, to access its full range of features, a valid license key is required. VMware offers various licensing options, including:
: Starting with version 9.x, VMware has largely phased out traditional license key activation.