Guidance Needed: Best Practices for Integrating Cryptlex Licensing in a Multi-Platform Desktop Application

[EmiliaS]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a commercial desktop application that needs to support both Windows and macOS platforms. After reviewing a few licensing solutions, we decided to move forward with Cryptlex due to its flexibility and feature set. However, I’d really appreciate some community input and guidance on best practices for setting it up efficiently across multiple platforms.

Our main goals are:

• Ensure a smooth license activation experience for end-users.
• Handle offline activations and floating licenses if needed.
• Secure the implementation as much as possible against tampering.
• Minimize friction during product updates and license checks.

I’ve already gone through the official documentation and have started implementing LexActivator in our codebase. However, I’d love to hear how others have approached this—especially in terms of:

1. Structuring the license activation logic (e.g., during install vs. first run).
2. How to best store and secure the license data on the client side.
3. Managing multiple versions of the same product (e.g., standard vs. pro).
4. Lessons learned or common pitfalls to avoid.

Single application installation with multiple licenses

Scenario: Web application running on a server User A authenticates and checks his/her license (key, features, consumtion feature, …) User B authenticates and checks his/her license (key, features, consumtion feature, …) User C … How can I implement such a scenario (single software instance with multiple licenses)? Thanks Andrea

If anyone has experience deploying Cryptlex in a cross-platform desktop environment and wouldn’t mind sharing insights or even code structure suggestions, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m currently integrating license management while working on a project that also involves building analytics dashboards. So any tips on managing licensing smoothly across Windows, macOS, and Linux—especially in a data-driven desktop application context—would be extremely helpful.

Looking forward to learning from your experiences and refining our implementation with some real-world advice!

Thanks in advance

[AneesKhan]

Hi @EmiliaS,

I am Anees from Cryptlex.

Thank you for sharing your detailed goals and context. It is great to hear that you have chosen Cryptlex for your licensing needs. I will share some best practices and implementation insights using LexActivator in cross-platform desktop environments.

1. Ensure a smooth license activation experience for end-users.

To ensure a smooth license activation experience for end-users, we recommend following the best practices outlined in our documentation. The activation process typically involves calling just a few functions within your application. You can refer to our recommended flow here:
https://docs.cryptlex.com/node-locked-licenses/using-lexactivator
Additionally, GitHub sample projects are available for each supported language to help you implement licensing seamlessly.

2. Handle offline activations and floating licenses if needed.

Offline activations are fully supported, whether you are implementing node-locked licenses in an offline environment or using hosted floating licenses in an offline setup. Our documentation outlines the steps for both scenarios to help you set up licensing in environments without internet access.

3. Secure the implementation as much as possible against tampering.

Our SDKs are digitally signed, which allows you to verify the integrity and authenticity of the DLLs used in your application. You can leverage this digital signature to ensure that the SDK components are legitimate and have not been tampered with.
Additionally, time tampering is automatically handled by our SDK. If any tampering is detected on the end user’s system, the SDK will return specific error codes.

4. Minimize friction during product updates and license checks.

I would like to clarify that backward compatibility is always supported in our system, and any changes are communicated in advance. However, please note that license checks are performed in a client-server manner, which involves network communication depending on your license configuration.

5. Structuring the license activation logic (e.g., during install vs. first run).

For guidance on structuring the license activation logic, I recommend referring to our GitHub sample projects available for each supported programming language: Cryptlex · GitHub. These examples outline the recommended approach for implementing licensing within your application and can help you choose the flow that best suits your product.

6. How to best store and secure the license data on the client side.

Cryptlex securely stores license data in an encrypted format in OS-specific locations to prevent tampering and unauthorized access. For more details on where this data is stored across different platforms, please refer to the following article: Where does Crytplex store data locally?

7. Managing multiple versions of the same product (e.g., standard vs. pro).

To manage multiple versions of your product, such as Standard vs. Pro editions, you can use Entitlements to control feature-level access within your application. This allows you to enable or restrict specific features. For more details, please refer to our documentation here: Feature Management | Cryptlex Documentation

8. Lessons learned or common pitfalls to avoid.

I would recommend exploring our GitHub sample projects, as they demonstrate the recommended approach for implementing licensing in your application. These samples are designed to help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a smooth integration. If you follow the suggested structure and best practices outlined there, you should not encounter any issues.

For any additional assistance, please feel free to get in touch with us with via support@cryptlex.com