The latest blog posts from Keygen on software licensing, software engineering, and running a SaaS business. https://keygen.sh/blog/ Mon, 11 May 2026 14:55:55 GMT How I used a Rake task to replace Baremetrics and ChartMogul for business analytics. Tue, 05 Jan 2021 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-i-replaced-baremetrics-and-chartmogul-with-rake/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-i-replaced-baremetrics-and-chartmogul-with-rake/ Contrary to popular belief, you don't need Devise to implement API key authentication in a Ruby on Rails app. Fri, 16 Apr 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-implement-api-key-authentication-in-rails-without-devise/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-implement-api-key-authentication-in-rails-without-devise/ Software vendors should move away from legacy license key algorithms such as partial key verification to generating secure license keys using modern algorithms like elliptic-curve and RSA cryptography. Wed, 02 Jun 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-generate-license-keys/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-generate-license-keys/ It's the heyday of SaaS and webhooks are all the rage. Learn how to build a webhook system for your service using Rails and Sidekiq. Wed, 16 Jun 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-build-a-webhook-system-in-rails-using-sidekiq/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-build-a-webhook-system-in-rails-using-sidekiq/ Learn how to license and distribute private Node.js packages using Keygen's software licensing and distribution API. Wed, 04 Aug 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-commercial-node-modules/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-commercial-node-modules/ Learn how to license and distribute a commercial Electron app using Keygen's software licensing and distribution API. Tue, 07 Sep 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-an-electron-app/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-an-electron-app/ It was midnight on May 22nd, 2016 that I pushed my first commit to GitHub for a new idea. Little did I know what would happen next. Tue, 21 Sep 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/that-time-i-told-my-wife-i-wanted-to-quit-my-job/ https://keygen.sh/blog/that-time-i-told-my-wife-i-wanted-to-quit-my-job/ I've learned a lot going from a side project to a full-time business. Read on to learn the 5 things that have stuck with me. Tue, 28 Sep 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/5-things-ive-learned-in-5-years/ https://keygen.sh/blog/5-things-ive-learned-in-5-years/ Learn how to implement OTP second factor authentication in a Ruby on Rails app using the ROTP gem. Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-implement-totp-2fa-in-rails-using-rotp/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-implement-totp-2fa-in-rails-using-rotp/ Reusable, composable, single responsibility — these are all things good SaaS products have in common with UNIX command line tools. Fri, 12 Nov 2021 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/good-saas-products-are-like-unix-tools/ https://keygen.sh/blog/good-saas-products-are-like-unix-tools/ Learn how to license and distribute commercial Docker images using Keygen's software licensing and distribution API. Mon, 13 Dec 2021 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-a-private-docker-image/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-a-private-docker-image/ Learn how to license and distribute commercial Ruby gems with Keygen's software licensing and distribution API. Thu, 16 Dec 2021 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-a-private-rubygem/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-license-and-distribute-a-private-rubygem/ When faced with the choice of a subscription-based or perpetual license, should businesses prefer one over the other? Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/what-is-a-perpetual-software-license/ https://keygen.sh/blog/what-is-a-perpetual-software-license/ Enough is enough. Mon, 10 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/i-quit/ https://keygen.sh/blog/i-quit/ Introducing a new, even easier way, to authenticate with our software licensing API. Tue, 25 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-license-key-authentication/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-license-key-authentication/ Learn how to safely change a Sidekiq job's argument signature. Fri, 28 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-change-the-signature-of-a-sidekiq-job/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-change-the-signature-of-a-sidekiq-job/ Learn how to use hexadecimal Ed25519 keys with Node's crypto module. Fri, 28 Jan 2022 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-use-hexadecimal-ed25519-keys-in-node/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-use-hexadecimal-ed25519-keys-in-node/ Freemium pricing is a business model that has seen a lot of success within startups. But why is that? Mon, 07 Feb 2022 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/why-freemium-pricing-is-so-popular/ https://keygen.sh/blog/why-freemium-pricing-is-so-popular/ Introducing a new, even easier way, to handle offline and air-gapped licensing with Keygen. Mon, 04 Apr 2022 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-cryptographic-license-files/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-cryptographic-license-files/ Learn how to safely upgrade your licensing integration from v1.0 to v1.1 of Keygen's API. Wed, 01 Jun 2022 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/upgrading-from-v1-0-to-v1-1/ https://keygen.sh/blog/upgrading-from-v1-0-to-v1-1/ API design is hard. Learn how Keygen handles API versioning, and how we make changes even when that means breaking things. Mon, 27 Jun 2022 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/breaking-things-without-breaking-things/ https://keygen.sh/blog/breaking-things-without-breaking-things/ Learn how to bulk insert nested attributes in Rails, rather than sequentially. Tue, 02 Aug 2022 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-bulk-insert-nested-attributes-in-rails/ https://keygen.sh/blog/how-to-bulk-insert-nested-attributes-in-rails/ Introducing a new way for enterprises to secure their Keygen integrations. Tue, 11 Oct 2022 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-advanced-roles-and-permissions/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-advanced-roles-and-permissions/ Keygen, a software licensing and distribution API, goes open source. Thu, 01 Jun 2023 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/all-your-licensing-are-belong-to-you/ https://keygen.sh/blog/all-your-licensing-are-belong-to-you/ A postmortem of the dashboard and API outage that occurred on February 5th and 6th, 2024. Wed, 21 Feb 2024 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/that-one-time-keygen-went-down-for-5-hours-twice/ https://keygen.sh/blog/that-one-time-keygen-went-down-for-5-hours-twice/ Introducing support for multi-user licenses in our software licensing API. Mon, 29 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-multi-user-licenses/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-multi-user-licenses/ Ramblings about common free trial lengths and time-to-convert. Fri, 03 May 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/your-14-day-free-trial-aint-gonna-cut-it/ https://keygen.sh/blog/your-14-day-free-trial-aint-gonna-cut-it/ Keygen relicenses from ELv2 to the Fair Core License. Tue, 06 Aug 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-is-now-fair-source/ https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-is-now-fair-source/ On the first- and second-order effects of software licensing. Mon, 02 Sep 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/licensing-is-packaging/ https://keygen.sh/blog/licensing-is-packaging/ Keygen is joining the Open Source Pledge, committing to donate at least $2,000 per-developer annually to support Open Source. Mon, 09 Sep 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-joins-osspledge/ https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-joins-osspledge/ What does Open Core actually mean, and is it Open Source? Tue, 17 Sep 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-problem-with-open-core/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-problem-with-open-core/ Is Open Core really open, or is it abandonware? Wed, 18 Sep 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-real-problem-with-open-core/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-real-problem-with-open-core/ On the inherent risks of exploitation in commercial open source. Tue, 01 Oct 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/you-cant-rely-on-people-being-good/ https://keygen.sh/blog/you-cant-rely-on-people-being-good/ On the multifaceted dishonesty in commercial open source. Wed, 02 Oct 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/source-available-is-meaningless/ https://keygen.sh/blog/source-available-is-meaningless/ As a customer of an open core product, is the promise of longevity for you, or somebody else? Wed, 30 Oct 2024 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/longevity-or-abandonware/ https://keygen.sh/blog/longevity-or-abandonware/ On the most important rule in SaaS: don't die. Sun, 12 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/dont-die/ https://keygen.sh/blog/dont-die/ Enterprise sales don't have to be crazy. Thu, 16 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/no-calls/ https://keygen.sh/blog/no-calls/ On the impacts of technology and culture in startups and small business. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/trailblazing/ https://keygen.sh/blog/trailblazing/ On the risks of vendor lock-in and how to escape it. Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/locked-in/ https://keygen.sh/blog/locked-in/ On the mistakes new founders make when it comes to self-promotion online. Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/self-promotion/ https://keygen.sh/blog/self-promotion/ On what matters — and taking time away as a founder. Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/time-away/ https://keygen.sh/blog/time-away/ A short story on bootstrapping and startups. Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-space-elevator/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-space-elevator/ On pushing through imposter syndrome and overcoming self-doubt as a founder. Fri, 07 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/imposter-syndrome/ https://keygen.sh/blog/imposter-syndrome/ People seek certainty before they act, but becoming an outlier requires acting without it. Tue, 11 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-outlier-paradox/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-outlier-paradox/ On the best-kept secret of VC-backed "open source" startups. Thu, 13 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/weaponized-open-source/ https://keygen.sh/blog/weaponized-open-source/ On commercial open source and the future. Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/whither-open-source/ https://keygen.sh/blog/whither-open-source/ The internet is full of companies run by people who simply don't care. Wed, 19 Feb 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-lost-art-of-giving-a-sh-t/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-lost-art-of-giving-a-sh-t/ What open source can learn from the climate change movement. Mon, 03 Mar 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/capitalism-philanthropy/ https://keygen.sh/blog/capitalism-philanthropy/ On daydreaming of unicorns and rocket ships. Wed, 07 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/unicorn-dreams/ https://keygen.sh/blog/unicorn-dreams/ On nearly exiting the elevator and losing sight of everything. Tue, 13 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/in-defense-of-linear/ https://keygen.sh/blog/in-defense-of-linear/ On building for users, not obeying them. Fri, 16 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/steering-the-ship/ https://keygen.sh/blog/steering-the-ship/ On borrowed time vs earned time. Mon, 19 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/give-it-time/ https://keygen.sh/blog/give-it-time/ On selfishly building a business around you. Tue, 20 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/its-okay-to-be-selfish/ https://keygen.sh/blog/its-okay-to-be-selfish/ On the illusion that making it will be enough. Thu, 05 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/the-arrival-fallacy/ https://keygen.sh/blog/the-arrival-fallacy/ On the dark and chaotic road to understanding burnout Thu, 07 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/burnout/ https://keygen.sh/blog/burnout/ On the tension between self-preservation and self-sabotage Tue, 12 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/self-sabotage/ https://keygen.sh/blog/self-sabotage/ On the beauty and artistry of code Tue, 02 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/beautiful-code/ https://keygen.sh/blog/beautiful-code/ On aligning price with value, and product with market. Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/price-so-its-interesting/ https://keygen.sh/blog/price-so-its-interesting/ On changing tools, and why human expression will endure. Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/expressions/ https://keygen.sh/blog/expressions/ Introducing support for ECDSA P-256, a NIST-approved algorithm offering smaller signatures, faster verification, and FIPS 140-3 compliance. Wed, 24 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-ecdsa-p256/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-ecdsa-p256/ Introducing support for machine memory and disk consumption and enforcement. Thu, 25 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-memory-and-disk-consumption/ https://keygen.sh/blog/announcing-memory-and-disk-consumption/ On Games of Luck, Games of Skill, and the Game of Life. Fri, 07 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/luck-is-a-harsh-mistress/ https://keygen.sh/blog/luck-is-a-harsh-mistress/ On the meaning of "open source" and a path forward. Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/why-fair-source-matters/ https://keygen.sh/blog/why-fair-source-matters/ On the discipline of thinking, debating, and reconsidering before committing. Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/reconsider/ https://keygen.sh/blog/reconsider/ On escapism and the endless burnout-crash loop. Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/escapism/ https://keygen.sh/blog/escapism/ Keygen continues their commitment to the Open Source Pledge, committing to donate at least $2,000 per-developer annually to support Open Source. Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-continues-osspledge/ https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-continues-osspledge/ On the allure of luck and the myth of virality. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/catapults-dont-build-castles/ https://keygen.sh/blog/catapults-dont-build-castles/ On success, agency, and how we misattribute luck. Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/is-success-just-luck/ https://keygen.sh/blog/is-success-just-luck/ On the fundamentals of build vs buy. Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/saas-is-not-dead/ https://keygen.sh/blog/saas-is-not-dead/ On golden tickets, shortcuts, and sustainable business growth. Fri, 16 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/golden-tickets/ https://keygen.sh/blog/golden-tickets/ On escaping burnout in The New Age. Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/ai-helped-me-through-burnout/ https://keygen.sh/blog/ai-helped-me-through-burnout/ Announcing SOC 2 Type II compliance for Keygen Cloud. Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-is-now-soc2-compliant/ https://keygen.sh/blog/keygen-is-now-soc2-compliant/ On the irreplaceability of system tests. Mon, 09 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/system-tests/ https://keygen.sh/blog/system-tests/ On doom-peddlers and the Gold Rush of the New Age. Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT https://keygen.sh/blog/value-extraction/ https://keygen.sh/blog/value-extraction/