Announcing: Cryptographic License Files
Monday, April 4th 2022
Since 2016, Keygen's support for licensing offline devices has evolved quite a few times. In the beginning of our story, we didn't do much for offline licensing and we focused exclusively on licensing internet-connected applications.
(Very much to our early customer's dismay!)
Then, we added the ability to sign and encrypt license keys. This was (and still is) a big hit! Customers were now able to transfer data to offline devices and cryptographically verify the integrity of their license keys.
Next, we added the ability to generate activation "proofs." These proofs allowed a customer to cryptographically sign a "proof of activation" for a given device, which was typically activated elsewhere on behalf of the offline device.
And although these have worked great, the embedded datasets within cryptographic keys are immutable. This means that changing the datasets, e.g. extending a license expiration or updating entitlements, requires generating a brand new license, dividing the license's history across many resources.
We wanted something easier, something more standardized, and something that was able to provide the same up-to-date resource data that our API can provide, only to offline and air-gapped environments.
Enter, license files —
Starting today, you can "check-out" a license or machine resource, using their check-out action, and in return, we'll send you a cryptographically signed license file "certificate" that ends up looking something like this:
-----BEGIN LICENSE FILE-----eyJlbmMiOiJsSTc4N0QwcGZua1RvRDVOSjFpRXlaU093Q09QQ0NOdktKZHpC MlpSYlZBQzVsQUhjdzJSUi8xTEhrcXc0ZG5rUEl3TFVYRzhmUzk1R0JWTmtzd2JDTmllWm1uOElHeGpkbUY2T1RmNjRzOHlpbFRpL3FlUzJSTlhBdGJBWjUw
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 TlJWWGp6Ym5DRkF6V3lOU3NUeG9xZm9MV2FlWlhITEZnR21Ub2VBdz09IiwiYWxnIjoiYWVzLTI1Ni1nY20rZWQyNTUxOSJ9 -----END LICENSE FILE-----License file certificates can be decoded (and decrypted), giving you an up-to-date "snapshot" of a machine, a license, and even their entitlement data. They have a digitally signed expiration embedded in the dataset, so you can know exactly when your customer's next check-out should be.
License file certificates can be downloaded with a .lic file extension and can be
distributed to offline or air-gapped devices using email, USB flash drive, or even
license dongles, if that's your thing. (But we don't recommend inputting them by-hand.)
License files work great alongside, or as a replacement for, signed license keys. And we believe they're a great overall replacement for machine proofs, so please check them out if you're utilizing offline machine proofs.
To showcase, we've put together an example of activating air-gapped devices using license files, a mobile device and QR codes. Check it out on our GitHub.
There's a lot more coming up that we're excited to share.
Until next time.