Licensing

Licensing lets you sell protected software to customers. A licensed file is tied to a specific domain and an expiry, so it only runs where — and for as long as — you permit. It’s independent of access: you can license a public file, a private file, or neither.

How it works, end to end

Licensing happens in two places — once when you encode, and once when you issue the license:

1. Mark the file as Licensed (in the Encoder)

In the Configuration panel, turn on Licensed and choose a license key for the file. This is the key that will pair the file with its license later. (You manage license keys on the Keys page.)

Encode and download the protected file as usual.

2. Generate the license (in the License Manager)

A licensed file needs a matching license file (.lic) to run. You create it in the License Manager using:

• The same license key you chose when encoding,
• The customer’s domain, and
• An expiry — perpetual, a period (e.g. 1 year), or a specific date.

You then ship the .lic file to your customer alongside the protected file.

What the Loader enforces

On the customer’s server, the Loader pairs the .lic to the protected file by the license key, and then enforces the rules at runtime:

• The file runs only on the licensed domain — it’s rejected on any other.
• The file stops running once the license expires.

This is what lets you sell software that runs on your customer’s domain, for the period you agreed, and nowhere else.

Note

The license key in the License Manager must match the one you selected as Licensed when encoding. That pairing is how the Loader connects a .lic to its file.

Licensing is available on paid plans — see Plans & limits.