License System

Overview

Authon's license system provides flexible key-based access control for your software:

License Lifecycle

A license key goes through these statuses:

Duration Types

When generating licenses, set the durationType to control how long the key is valid after activation:

Generating License Keys

Via Dashboard

Navigate to your app → Licenses → "Generate Keys". Configure the count, duration, level, and optional prefix.

Via Admin API

curl -X POST https://api.authon.pro/v1/admin/apps/YOUR_APP_ID/licenses \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "count": 10,
    "durationType": "30d",
    "level": 1,
    "maxDevices": 1,
    "prefix": "PRO",
    "note": "June batch"
  }'

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "lic_abc123",
      "key": "PRO-A8F2-K9D1-M3B7",
      "appId": "app_xyz",
      "status": "UNUSED",
      "durationType": "30d",
      "level": 1,
      "maxDevices": 1,
      "prefix": "PRO",
      "note": "June batch",
      "createdAt": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

Key Format

License keys are generated in a 4-segment format. If a prefix is specified, it replaces the first segment:

Access Levels

Levels let you create tiered access within a single application. Higher levels can access more features or files.

When a user requests a file download, Authon checks that user.level >= file.minLevel. Use this to gate premium content.

auto user = auth.getUser();
if (user.level >= 2) {
    // Show premium features
    loadPremiumModule();
} else {
    std::cout << "Upgrade to Premium for this feature!" << std::endl;
}

HWID Locking

Hardware ID (HWID) locking prevents license sharing by binding a user to a specific machine:

Device Limits (maxDevices)

Control how many devices can be logged in simultaneously with the same account:

{
  "count": 5,
  "durationType": "30d",
  "level": 1,
  "maxDevices": 3  // User can be logged in on 3 devices at once
}

When the limit is reached, the oldest session is automatically terminated to allow the new login. This ensures users can always access their account without manual session management.

Managing Licenses

List & Filter

curl -X GET "https://api.authon.pro/v1/admin/apps/APP_ID/licenses?status=UNUSED&page=1&limit=50" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Ban a License

Banning a license immediately prevents it from being used for login or activation:

curl -X POST https://api.authon.pro/v1/admin/apps/APP_ID/licenses/LICENSE_ID/ban \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Delete a License

curl -X DELETE https://api.authon.pro/v1/admin/apps/APP_ID/licenses/LICENSE_ID \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Extend Subscription

Add days to a user's expiration (not the license directly, but the user linked to it):

curl -X POST https://api.authon.pro/v1/admin/apps/APP_ID/users/USER_ID/extend \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{ "days": 30 }'

Reseller Integration

Allow trusted resellers to generate keys using a credit-based system:

1. Create a reseller account (Admin API or dashboard)
2. Add balance/credits to the reseller
3. Reseller logs in via Reseller API and generates keys
4. Each key generated deducts 1 credit from their balance

See the Reseller API documentation for endpoint details.

Best Practices