License Keys

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What are License Keys?

• Software licensing: Desktop apps, plugins, and CLIs
• Per-seat controls: Limit activations per user or device
• Digital goods: Gate downloads, updates, or premium features

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Create a License Key Entitlement

1

Open Entitlements

Go to Entitlements in your Dodo Payments dashboard and click + to create a new entitlement.

2

Choose License Key

Select License Key as the integration. Configure how each issued key behaves:

• Activations Limit: Maximum concurrent activations per key (e.g., 1 for single-user, 5 for team licenses, leave blank for unlimited).
• Duration: How long the key stays valid after issuance (e.g., 30 days, 1 year). For subscription-issued keys, leave blank; keys remain valid as long as the subscription is active.
• Activation Instructions: Customer-facing instructions emailed with the key. Examples: Paste the key in Settings → License or Run: mycli activate <key>.

3

Save the entitlement

Save. The entitlement is now available to attach to any product.

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Attach to Products

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How Keys Are Issued

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Quantity behavior

• Subscription products issue one key per seat (subscriptions.quantity).
• One-time products issue one key per cart line item (product_cart.quantity).
• Manual API grants issue exactly one key.

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Fulfillment mode

• auto (default): Dodo Payments generates and emails the key automatically on payment or subscription. This is the behavior described above and applies when fulfillment_mode is omitted.
• manual: The purchase creates a Pending grant with no key, and you supply each key value yourself. See Manual Fulfillment below.

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Manual Fulfillment

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When to use it

• Bring-your-own-keys: The key is generated by your application, a desktop product, or your own license server.
• Third-party vendors: You resell keys issued by an upstream provider (a game key, an API credential, a partner platform).
• Finite inventory: You hand out codes from a pre-allocated pool and want to assign them one at a time.
• Human review: You want to vet a purchase before releasing access.

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Enable manual fulfillment

const entitlement = await client.entitlements.create({
  name: 'Pro License (Manual)',
  integration_type: 'license_key',
  integration_config: {
    fulfillment_mode: 'manual',
    activations_limit: 5,
    duration_count: 1,
    duration_interval: 'Year',
  },
});

curl -X POST https://test.dodopayments.com/entitlements \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Pro License (Manual)",
    "integration_type": "license_key",
    "integration_config": {
      "fulfillment_mode": "manual",
      "activations_limit": 5,
      "duration_count": 1,
      "duration_interval": "Year"
    }
  }'

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Find grants awaiting fulfillment

const pending = await client.customers.listEntitlementGrants('customer_id', {
  integration_type: 'license_key',
  status: 'Pending',
});

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Deliver the key

curl -X POST https://test.dodopayments.com/grants/grant_8VbC6JDZ/license-key \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DODO_PAYMENTS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "key": "PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD",
    "activations_limit": 5,
    "expires_at": "2027-05-01T00:00:00Z"
  }'

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Activation, Validation, Deactivation

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Activate a license

import DodoPayments from 'dodopayments';

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

const response = await client.licenses.activate({
  license_key: 'PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD',
  name: 'Device Name',
});

console.log(response.id);

client.licenses.activate(
    license_key="PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD",
    name="Device Name",
)

curl -X POST https://test.dodopayments.com/licenses/activate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "license_key": "PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD",
    "name": "Device Name"
  }'

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Validate a license

const response = await client.licenses.validate({
  license_key: 'PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD',
});

console.log(response.valid);

curl -X POST https://test.dodopayments.com/licenses/validate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "license_key": "PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD" }'

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Deactivate an activation instance

await client.licenses.deactivate({
  license_key: 'PRO-AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DDDD',
  license_key_instance_id: 'instance_abc123',
});

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Manage Keys

const grants = await client.entitlements.grants.list('ent_license_key_id', {
  status: 'Delivered',
});

for (const grant of grants.items) {
  console.log(grant.license_key.key, grant.license_key.activations_used);
}

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Import Existing License Keys via API

const licenseKey = await client.licenseKeys.create({
  customer_id: 'cus_abc123',
  product_id: 'pdt_456',
  key: 'YOUR-EXISTING-LICENSE-KEY',
  activations_limit: 5,
  expires_at: '2026-12-31T23:59:59Z',
});

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How keys differ by source

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License Keys in Return URL

https://yoursite.com/return?payment_id=pay_xxx&status=succeeded&license_key=LK-001&email=customer%40example.com

https://yoursite.com/return?payment_id=pay_xxx&status=succeeded&license_key=LK-001,LK-002&email=customer%40example.com

https://yoursite.com/return?subscription_id=sub_xxx&status=active&license_key=LK-001&email=customer%40example.com

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API Management

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Webhook

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License Key legacy

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Best practice

• Mantieni chiari i limiti di attivazione: scegli valori predefiniti appropriati (1 per le app per singolo utente, 3–5 per le licenze di team) e documentali.
• Fornisci istruzioni precise per l’attivazione: i clienti le copiano dalla loro email, quindi percorsi e comandi esatti riducono le richieste all’assistenza.
• Convalida le chiavi lato server: per i prodotti connessi alla rete, convalida tramite /licenses/validate invece di memorizzare localmente nella cache l’attivazione.
• Usa i webhook per la revoca: ascolta entitlement_grant.revoked per disabilitare immediatamente le funzionalità in-app quando un cliente annulla o richiede un rimborso.
• Esegui test con sottoscrizioni e acquisti una tantum: il comportamento delle license key differisce leggermente tra i due casi, quindi testali entrambi prima di andare in produzione.