diff --git a/docs/config/build-options.md b/docs/config/build-options.md
index 3419070bd..b7f2f6c8c 100644
--- a/docs/config/build-options.md
+++ b/docs/config/build-options.md
@@ -185,6 +185,34 @@ export default defineConfig({
 })
 ```
 
+## build.license
+
+- **Type:** `boolean | string`
+- **Default:** `false`
+
+When set to `true`, the build will also generate a `.vite/license.md` file that includes all bundled dependencies' licenses. It can be hosted to display and acknowledge the dependencies used by the app. When the value is a string, it will be used as the license file name.
+
+If a string is passed that ends with `.json`, a raw JSON file will be generated instead. For example:
+
+```json
+[
+  {
+    "name": "dep-1",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "identifier": "CC0-1.0",
+    "text": "CC0 1.0 Universal ..."
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "dep-2",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "identifier": "MIT",
+    "text": "MIT License ..."
+  }
+]
+```
+
+It can be used for further processing to output as a different format.
+
 ## build.manifest
 
 - **Type:** `boolean | string`
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/__snapshots__/license.spec.ts.snap b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/__snapshots__/license.spec.ts.snap
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..149e15653
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/__snapshots__/license.spec.ts.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// Vitest Snapshot v1, https://vitest.dev/guide/snapshot.html
+
+exports[`json 1`] = `
+"[
+  {
+    "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "identifier": "CC0-1.0",
+    "text": "CC0 1.0 Universal\\n\\n..."
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "identifier": "MIT",
+    "text": "MIT License\\n\\nCopyright (c) ..."
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc",
+    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "identifier": "ISC",
+    "text": "Copyright (c) ..."
+  }
+]"
+`;
+
+exports[`markdown 1`] = `
+"# Licenses
+
+The app bundles dependencies which contains the following licenses:
+
+## @vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0 - 0.0.0 (CC0-1.0)
+
+CC0 1.0 Universal
+
+...
+
+## @vitejs/test-dep-license-mit - 0.0.0 (MIT)
+
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) ...
+
+## @vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc - 0.0.0 (ISC)
+
+Copyright (c) ...
+"
+`;
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/index.js b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60c71f346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export default 'ok'
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/licence b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/licence
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7837407e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/licence
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+CC0 1.0 Universal
+
+...
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/package.json b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e4c8b22a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0",
+  "private": true,
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "type": "module",
+  "license": "CC0-1.0"
+}
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/index.js b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9da0ff4a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+import nestedDep from '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-licence-isc'
+
+export default 'ok' + nestedDep
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/license b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/license
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1732da241
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/license
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) ...
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/package.json b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..73594817c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+  "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit",
+  "private": true,
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "type": "module",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@vitejs/test-dep-nested-licence-isc": "file:../dep-nested-license-isc"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/LICENSE b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..40ce705e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Copyright (c) ...
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/index.js b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60c71f346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export default 'ok'
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/package.json b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70b3745d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "name": "@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc",
+  "private": true,
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "type": "module",
+  "license": "ISC"
+}
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/index.html b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/index.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b0825ecb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/index.html
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<script type="module">
+  import dep1 from '@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0'
+  import dep2 from '@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit'
+  console.log(dep1, dep2)
+</script>
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/package.json b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e06638e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+  "name": "@vitejs/test-license",
+  "private": true,
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "type": "module",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit": "file:./dep-license-mit",
+    "@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0": "file:./dep-licence-cc0"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/license.spec.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/license.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0b410c29f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/license.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import type { OutputAsset, RollupOutput } from 'rollup'
+import { expect, test } from 'vitest'
+import { build } from '../../build'
+
+test('markdown', async () => {
+  const result = (await build({
+    root: fileURLToPath(new URL('./fixtures/license', import.meta.url)),
+    logLevel: 'silent',
+    build: {
+      write: false,
+      license: true,
+    },
+  })) as RollupOutput
+  const licenseAsset = result.output.find(
+    (asset) => asset.fileName === '.vite/license.md',
+  ) as OutputAsset | undefined
+  expect(licenseAsset).toBeDefined()
+  expect(licenseAsset?.source).toMatchSnapshot()
+})
+
+test('json', async () => {
+  const result = (await build({
+    root: fileURLToPath(new URL('./fixtures/license', import.meta.url)),
+    logLevel: 'silent',
+    build: {
+      write: false,
+      license: '.vite/license.json',
+    },
+  })) as RollupOutput
+  const licenseAsset = result.output.find(
+    (asset) => asset.fileName === '.vite/license.json',
+  ) as OutputAsset | undefined
+  expect(licenseAsset).toBeDefined()
+  expect(licenseAsset?.source).toMatchSnapshot()
+})
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/build.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/build.ts
index 4564beead..cd4730067 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/build.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/build.ts
@@ -201,8 +201,8 @@ export interface BuildEnvironmentOptions {
    */
   copyPublicDir?: boolean
   /**
-   * Whether to emit a .vite/license.md that includes all bundled dependencies'
-   * licenses. Specify a path that ends with `.json` to generate a raw JSON.entry.
+   * Whether to emit a `.vite/license.md` file that includes all bundled dependencies'
+   * licenses. Specify a path that ends with `.json` to generate a raw JSON entry.
    * @default false
    */
   license?: boolean | string
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index a8236b1c7..b7175d02a 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -429,6 +429,25 @@ importers:
 
   packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/packages/noname: {}
 
+  packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license:
+    dependencies:
+      '@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0':
+        specifier: file:./dep-licence-cc0
+        version: file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0
+      '@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit':
+        specifier: file:./dep-license-mit
+        version: file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit
+
+  packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0: {}
+
+  packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit:
+    dependencies:
+      '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-licence-isc':
+        specifier: file:../dep-nested-license-isc
+        version: '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc'
+
+  packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc: {}
+
   packages/vite/src/node/server/__tests__/fixtures/lerna/nested: {}
 
   packages/vite/src/node/server/__tests__/fixtures/none/nested: {}
@@ -3242,6 +3261,15 @@ packages:
   '@vitejs/test-dep-incompatible@file:playground/optimize-deps/dep-incompatible':
     resolution: {directory: playground/optimize-deps/dep-incompatible, type: directory}
 
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0':
+    resolution: {directory: packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0, type: directory}
+
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit':
+    resolution: {directory: packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit, type: directory}
+
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc':
+    resolution: {directory: packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc, type: directory}
+
   '@vitejs/test-dep-no-discovery@file:playground/optimize-deps-no-discovery/dep-no-discovery':
     resolution: {directory: playground/optimize-deps-no-discovery/dep-no-discovery, type: directory}
 
@@ -8706,6 +8734,14 @@ snapshots:
 
   '@vitejs/test-dep-incompatible@file:playground/optimize-deps/dep-incompatible': {}
 
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-licence-cc0@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-licence-cc0': {}
+
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-license-mit@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-license-mit':
+    dependencies:
+      '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-licence-isc': '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc'
+
+  '@vitejs/test-dep-nested-license-isc@file:packages/vite/src/node/__tests__/plugins/fixtures/license/dep-nested-license-isc': {}
+
   '@vitejs/test-dep-no-discovery@file:playground/optimize-deps-no-discovery/dep-no-discovery': {}
 
   '@vitejs/test-dep-node-env@file:playground/optimize-deps/dep-node-env': {}