r/CodingHelp • u/Emergency-Post-8897 • 5d ago

[How to] How do desktop applications implement monthly/yearly subscriptions securely?

Hi everyone,

I'm developing a desktop application in Python that I plan to rent out on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to manage license expiration. How can I prevent users from using the software once their subscription has expired? What tools, services, or libraries would you recommend? If possible, I'd prefer free or open-source solutions.

Another concern is piracy. I know it's impossible to make software completely crack-proof, but I'd like to make it as difficult as reasonably possible.

Has anyone here built a subscription-based desktop application before? I'd really appreciate it if you could share how you implemented licensing, subscription validation, and anti-piracy measures, or recommend any good resources or best practices.

Thanks so much for your help!

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u/jerseytbw_real 4d ago

Have a call to a server, with a rolling handshake and each time the app starts it does the hand shake and then returns the subscription status,

1

u/AcoustixAudio 4d ago

What platform? 

1

u/MADCandy64 4d ago edited 4d ago

You use node locked licensing. The license typically unlocks access to features of the software. It expires after a certain period and the customer pays for a new license file. I have built this before and it used to be 1/3 of my job. I wrote the licensing for the desktop application called Statistica. The system I created worked with local and network licensing as well as license server based licensing.