Decide who can use your app, and which parts of it.
People sign in once, with their email. Your app gets a short, signed lease that says what they may run, and checks it before the work starts. You change the rules in one place, and every copy of your app follows them.
For desktop, command-line and scientific apps. Licensing and access only; payments stay with your team.
- Product
- edgewise
- Issued to
- ada@example.org
- Machine
- ada-thinkpad key 7f3a…c21e
- May run
- core, print, export (trial, 9 days left)
- Expires
- tomorrow, 09:41
How sign-in works
If you have used gh auth login, you know the shape of it. Your app stays in charge of what people see; licensebox makes the decision and signs it.
The app shows a code
On first use it prints a short code and a link. The link opens on any device, so a headless server or a lab machine without a browser is fine.
They confirm by email
They enter their email, then the six-digit code we send them, and accept your terms. There are no passwords to store or reset.
The app keeps a lease
Each run renews it in a few seconds at most. Without a network, the saved lease holds until it expires: 24 hours, unless you choose otherwise.
Change the rules without shipping a build.
Free features, trials, grants for one person, machine seats and where the app may run all live with your product in licensebox. A grant reaches the app the next time it runs; revoking someone takes effect within one lease.
Read the admin guideFrom Go to COBOL
Forty languages, one access model. The catalog lists each client's requirements and how far it has been tested.
Application languages
Go
Python
JavaScript
TypeScript
Dart
Ruby
PHPNative & systems
C
C++
Rust
Zig
Nim
Swift
Objective-CJVM & .NET
Java
Kotlin
Scala
Clojure
C#
F#
Visual Basic .NETScientific & numerical
Julia
Fortran
R
MATLAB
Wolfram LanguageFunctional & BEAM
Haskell
OCaml
Elixir
ErlangScripting & legacy
Lua
Perl
PowerShell
COBOLCLI & WebAssembly
Shell / application CLI
WebAssembly / WASIWorking with an agent?
Your selected SDK, its requirements and the public guide, in one focused integration prompt.
Linux is the validated native profile. Other operating systems require their own runtime validation. Wolfram Language is a source preview. WebAssembly uses a trusted native host. See each client's current status in the catalog.
Where to start
I'm building an app
Find the client for your language, add a check before the work you want to protect, and show the sign-in code in your own UI.
Find an SDKI look after a product
Set up modules and trials, answer requests for access, and see who is signed in on which machines.
Open the admin consoleAn app sent me here
Type the code your app showed you, and we'll take it from there.
Questions people ask
Can I take payments with licensebox?
No. licensebox decides who can use your app and which parts of it. Charging people is up to you, with whatever payment tool you already use. Once someone has paid, you give them access in licensebox.
Will my app still work without internet?
Yes, for a while. Each time your app connects, it gets permission to keep working offline for a set time: 24 hours unless you change it. After that, it needs to connect once to carry on. If you've blocked someone, going offline won't get them around it.
My app runs in a terminal or on a server with no screen. Does sign-in still work?
Yes. Your app shows a short code and a web address. The person opens that address on their phone or laptop, signs in there, and your app carries on by itself.
What does my app send to you?
Only what's needed to check access: who signed in, which app and version, and a code that tells their computers apart. If you turn on usage counts, it also sends how often each command was run. It never sends people's files, file names or anything they type.
If a job runs for hours, does licensebox keep checking?
Not on its own. Your app checks when a task starts. If you want it to check again partway through a long task, your app can ask at points that suit it.
Can someone crack my app to skip the check?
A determined person can, as with any software that runs on their own computer. licensebox stops the everyday problems, like copying the app to another machine or sharing one sign-in around. Your terms of use cover the rest.