What AuthForge does
- License key authentication — Generate keys in the dashboard or via the Developer API. End users enter a key, and the SDK validates it against the AuthForge server.
- Hardware binding (HWID) — Each license is bound to the user’s machine fingerprint (CPU, MAC address, disk serial). Configure how many devices a single key can activate.
- Background heartbeats — After login, the SDK periodically verifies the license is still valid. Revoke a key from the dashboard and it takes effect on the next heartbeat.
- Cryptographic verification — Every server response is HMAC-SHA256 signed with a key derived from your app secret and a per-request nonce. The SDK verifies signatures automatically to prevent replay and MITM attacks.
How licensing works
- Create an app in the AuthForge dashboard. You get an App ID and App Secret.
- Generate license keys — one per customer, or in bulk via the Developer API.
- Integrate the SDK into your application. Pass your App ID and App Secret to the client constructor.
- End users authenticate by entering their license key. The SDK collects a hardware fingerprint, sends it to the API, and the server binds the key to that machine.
- Heartbeats run in the background to keep the session alive and catch revocations.
Credit model
AuthForge uses a credit-based billing model:| Action | Credit cost |
|---|---|
Successful license validation (/auth/validate) | 1 credit |
| 100 successful heartbeats | 1 credit |
Next steps
Quick Start
Get your first app protected in 5 minutes.
SDKs
Download the SDK for Python, C#, or C++.
Developer API
Automate license management from your backend.
Core Concepts
Understand how AuthForge works under the hood.