Hi Guys,

How do you make it so that a script needs a license code to work?? Exactly like vb or ipb....Any ideas?? Do you need to purchase something or can it be done by code??

you could do it if you have some good php skills. Theres also some software you can buy:
phpaudit is a good solution.http://phpaudit.us/

Thanks for your reply.

I was considering using PHPAudit (I had been on it before, but then I forgot the link). I still don't understand how it works. Does it get the license and connect to a server to try and find a match or something??

If I chose to do it with php, how could I do it?? Would it be the same as connecting to the server to see if the licenses match??

well i've done a bit of programing for pc software, so what i say might not make sense for online scripts. but ohh well here it goes.
If you want the script to work on a certain domain then maybe you can have a encrypted key(based on the licensed domain) within the script, and if the script is being run from a different domain then it can just stop.

I'm confused tho, wouldn't anyone who can script in the language your script is in, be able to edit the script????

They could get a hacked copy, without the need for a license, but then, they wouldn't get the support and upgrades that come with it.

I would make the license work on a domain name, and make it check for the domain name, and if its not on the correct domain name, it doesnt work.

No way to completely protect a script. Just offer support if they purchase it and you should be fine.

^ yeah thats what i though!

Is there still any way of coding a system where the registration key must match the one I have for that domain name its on?? Even though somebody could edit out the license code.

What you're trying to do is make a test on a book that people can't pass, when they're able to use the book as a reference.

You can limit the amount of illegal scripts/warez....but you will never be able to stop people using your software illegally.

You could lease your software and then inside an encypted php file it connects to a server you run and if that somehow doesnt match up with the domain then it wont run. I think thats how cpanel and modernbill do it. Not completly sure though. :)

Originally posted by unlucky1
No way to completely protect a script. Just offer support if they purchase it and you should be fine.

Don't be so sure... :) Programs like IonCube do an excellent job of encrypting PHP, preventing people from viewing the source, which then allows developers to protect their work from those who might try to work around things like license keys.

What you're trying to do is make a test on a book that people can't pass, when they're able to use the book as a reference.

Not a bad analogy. However, consider that the 'book' itself does not have to be read by the end user, but by a machine, which in turn, translates all that is required for the user to successfully 'read the book' and 'pass the test'. This only means that the developer would need a translator in order to publish this kind of book. (ie: IonCube).


It is possible to setup a licensing system using php code. It can be done by having the program in question encrypt the 'key data' required (ie: domain name or perhaps a license key provided at purchase time), form it into a URL, and submit it to the home server for authentication. If authentic, the server sends back an encrypted response, which the program recognizes as a 'green light', so to speak.

Note that without code protection/pre-compilation like IonCube or Zend, any form of encryption like this will be easily worked around by anyone who knows their way around PHP.

:)

If you are talking about PHP scripts you could use something like IonCube / SourceGuardian / Zend Encoder to protect your scripts or even set which domains are allowed or build scripts that expire.

We have developed many sites with the IonCube loader and never had any licensing issues yet.

Maybe worth a try