A Key List is a series of pre-generated keys that you upload to the Commerce Assistant. You generate the list with key generation software and then upload the keys as a spreadsheet or text file. You can set up notifications that alert you when the key list is running low.
A License Key Generator allows you to create customized licensing information for customers at the time of purchase
An order made by a customer and the records associated with it.. Unlike license key lists, these licenses are not pre-generated. Rather, when the customer An individual or business purchasing your product or service by placing an order through Cleverbridge. The customer is the end user of this product, as they are not allowed to resell the purchased products or services.
A customer is unique per client. If a customer purchases products or services from two different clients, there are 2 separate records of said customer. clicks 'Buy', the Cleverbridge platform calls your license key generator, submits the purchase details, and requests the license information back as a response.
This offers you the following advantages:
- Manual effort is not required any longer to regularly upload additional license key lists.
- The license can include information about the customer. This helps reduce software piracy because customers are less likely to pass this information on to someone else.
The following table summarizes the differences between key lists and key generation.
| Key list | Key generation |
|---|---|
| Is static | Is dynamic |
| Pre-generated keys | Generated at time of purchase |
| You manually upload list of keys | Keys are automatically generated |
| Keys can run out | Keys won’t run out |
| No risk of a server going down, so no errors | If the server is down, an error is reported. The Error Log is available in the Cleverbridge platform. For more information, see Error Types . |
| Can’t include personalized information | Can include personalized information about the customer, such as their name and email address, to reduce piracy |
| Can include static delivery text that is the same for every customer | Can include dynamic, personalized delivery text from the key generator |
Tip
Before you go live, create a test key list or test key generator to test orders.
Implement License Key Generator
For information on how you can implement a simple license key generator in PHP, see Implement License Key Generator.
Simulate a License Key Generator Call
You can simulate what happens when Cleverbridge calls your web key generator. For more information, see Simulate a License Key Generator Call.