Using CryptoAPI to implement a license key system

[FoxPRO01]

Hi, I'm writing a program and have recently taken a look at crypto and wondered if there was a way that I could use crypto API to use a license key system. Any Ideas?

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Surely, that's the base for signed applications, ssl, etc. It's nevertheless not unbinding you of much work, I'd suggest to buy a commercial addon to protect your application and provide licenses, eg

http://www.softwarekey.com/protection-plus/

But is your special concern? Do you want to activate your product online by a product key as Microsoft does? Do you want to limit usage to certain users? Or a number of users?

Bye, Olaf.

 

[FoxPRO01]

I would LOVE to implement an online product licensing system, I just have no idea how I would connect to an online database to do such. But I would still would like to just write the crypto part in myself. If you know how to use an online activation system, please do share with me how to do it! Thanks!

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I have no experience with Protection PLUS, but you simply buy it, create the setup process with it or more generally speaking follow the instructions and it will generate product keys and check them. You don't need to add this to your programming, this is done on the final executable. Such add ons are not language specific at all. And they know how to check, whether offline or online.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[FoxPRO01]

Yes, but I do not expect this to be a very widely used program. I would just rather write the activation into it myself. And about your idea on the online activation. I would also like to use that because I have written expiration dates into the program and would need to be able to validate that through the internet. So is there some kind of way that I can set up a type of client on the customer's computer Like: customer accesses database (indirectly, program accesses it), and I could have a sort of admin module where I could do things while connected to the online database like: view codes, modify codes, etc.. I would really like a way to implement an online system, if you know how please share. Thanks!
Ty G.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

> idea on the online activation

I never proposed the idea of online activation. That's what the third party tool vendors have included in their protection software, so they have the servers needed and do maintain them and guarantee their uptime and run them. You have to harden such servers against hacker attacks, which by the way is the harder part of the job than how to encrypt something with CryptoAPI or verify a signature or product key.

If the price of such tools is too high for you, we may answer detail questions you have about how to generate multiple keys and still verify them in a simple routine, how to setup an online database and how to connect to it, etc. But creating a license check system is not something you do in an hour and answer in a forum post.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[rob444]

Perhaps you should have a look at thislink for SoftwarePassport Armadillo which can be very useful.