license-keys

Dodo Payments License Keys

License keys authorize access to your digital products. Use them for software licensing, per-seat controls, and gating premium features.

When to use this skill

• Implementing end-user license activation and validation flows
• Building merchant dashboards to manage customer license keys
• Handling license expiry, activation limits, and subscription-linked revocation
• Integrating license checks into desktop apps, CLIs, or web services
• Reacting to license lifecycle webhooks

Core concepts

License Key Entitlements deliver keys when a product is purchased. The entitlement config supplies activation limits, optional duration, and fulfillment mode (auto or manual).

Three distinct resources:

1. client.licenses.* — end-user activation flow (public, no API key required)

   • activate() — activate a key on a device
   • validate() — check if a key is valid
   • deactivate() — free an activation slot

2. client.licenseKeys.* — merchant-side key management (requires API key)

   • list(), retrieve(), create(), update() — manage keys for your customers

3. client.licenseKeyInstances.* — per-device activation instances (requires API key)

   • list(), retrieve(), update() — track active devices per key

Activation limits: blank/null means unlimited; otherwise it's the maximum concurrent activations. Attempting to activate beyond the limit returns 422.

Expiry semantics:

• One-time-payment keys honor the entitlement duration.
• Subscription-issued keys have no independent expiry; validity follows subscription state. On hold disables them temporarily. An immediate cancellation disables them permanently, but when cancel_at_next_billing_date is set, keep them active until the subscription reaches the end of its term.
• Imported keys use nullable expires_at; null means perpetual.

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End-User Activation Flow

Activate a license key

import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';

// No API key needed for public endpoints
const client = new DodoPayments();

async function activateLicense(licenseKey: string, deviceName: string) {
  try {
    const response = await client.licenses.activate({
      license_key: licenseKey,
      name: deviceName, // e.g., "John's MacBook Pro"
    });

    return {
      success: true,
      instanceId: response.id,
      customerId: response.customer.customer_id,
      productId: response.product.product_id,
    };
  } catch (error: any) {
    if (error.status === 422) {
      return { success: false, error: 'Activation limit reached' };
    }
    return { success: false, error: error.message || 'Activation failed' };
  }
}