How to distribute license keys

[ArgonautDrums]

Folks that sell plugins, how are you all managing the distribution of license keys? I get that it doesn't provide much protection.

[QuietMusic]

I don't use any license key

[hector rivera 93]

Folks that sell plugins, how are you all managing the distribution of license keys? I get that it doesn't provide much protection.

Don't use it, it doesn't give any protection.

I'm using Inno Setup and I investigated that you can manage passwords in the installation process, you must do this through the Script designer but I haven't managed it yet, does anyone know anything about it? Or is there another way to protect our plugins?

[gjunk]

Just don’t use ilok

[dannytaurus]

+1 for not using the license key feature. It seems trivially easy to crack so you're gaining no protection and just increasing the odds of your plugin appearing on those sites.

But to answer your question - there are 2 options I would consider if I was using license keys:

1. The easiest way - use a single license key for everyone. That way you get the façade of protection and authorization but in reality you can just add the license key to your download email, or however you deliver the product to the customer.

2. If I wanted to use one key per customer I would use an ecommerce platform that supports uploading a list of keys that are automatically distributed with the plugin download. I use Gumroad to sell my plugins but unfortunately they don't offer the ability to upload a list of keys. Other platforms do and it's easy to set up. Just copy the list of keys from Maize and paste them into the ecommerce product listing. Then each time a product is sold one of the keys is sent to the customer. As the list gets smaller you can add more keys.

[Plugworx]

The thing I remember about keys ( havent checked in awhile ), is the key had to be entered on every single instrument in your folder. It didnt unlock them all as a bundle. So if your vst had 50 instruments you had to enter the key on all 50 instruments.

[dannytaurus]

The thing I remember about keys ( havent checked in awhile ), is the key had to be entered on every single instrument in your folder. It didnt unlock them all as a bundle. So if your vst had 50 instruments you had to enter the key on all 50 instruments.

Same here, that's what I heard. It used to work fine when we made plugins as one consolidated file where the presets were groups. But now the presets are separate MSE instrument files they each need to be validated, which makes the license key method unusable.

[Ghost4388]

+1 for not using the license key feature. It seems trivially easy to crack so you're gaining no protection and just increasing the odds of your plugin appearing on those sites.

But to answer your question - there are 2 options I would consider if I was using license keys:

1. The easiest way - use a single license key for everyone. That way you get the façade of protection and authorization but in reality you can just add the license key to your download email, or however you deliver the product to the customer.

2. If I wanted to use one key per customer I would use an ecommerce platform that supports uploading a list of keys that are automatically distributed with the plugin download. I use Gumroad to sell my plugins but unfortunately they don't offer the ability to upload a list of keys. Other platforms do and it's easy to set up. Just copy the list of keys from Maize and paste them into the ecommerce product listing. Then each time a product is sold one of the keys is sent to the customer. As the list gets smaller you can add more keys.

+1 on the platforms that supports a list keys that are auto distributed with the plugin download. Payhip allows you to generate a unique license key for each sale and its free.

[dannytaurus]

+1 on the platforms that supports a list keys that are auto distributed with the plugin download. Payhip allows you to generate a unique license key for each sale and its free.

Gumroad also has a feature to generate a unique license key per sale but neither Gumroad or Payhip will work for Maize license keys.

To use the Maize license key system you need to able to upload your own list of license keys to the ecommerce system.

I've seem some that do this, for instance SendOwl, but Gumroad and Payhip don't allow this.

So you would generate your own list of license keys, then add them to your plugin in the Maize interface. Then finally upload that same list of license keys to your ecommerce product.

The license keys are hard-coded into the plugin when you publish it.

[Ghost4388]

+1 on the platforms that supports a list keys that are auto distributed with the plugin download. Payhip allows you to generate a unique license key for each sale and its free.

Gumroad also has a feature to generate a unique license key per sale but neither Gumroad or Payhip will work for Maize license keys.

To use the Maize license key system you need to able to upload your own list of license keys to the ecommerce system.

I've seem some that do this, for instance SendOwl, but Gumroad and Payhip don't allow this.

So you would generate your own list of license keys, then add them to your plugin in the Maize interface. Then finally upload that same list of license keys to your ecommerce product.

The license keys are hard-coded into the plugin when you publish it.

You are absolutely Correct.