Creating a unique product key

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I wrote a software program in c# that I plan to sell online. I have no experience creating a product key/ registration system. The simplest solution would just be to send the same key to everyone when they register and put the key in the code to check but in theory that could get passed around or posted on internet forums etc.. . Is there a simple way to create a unique product key for each purchaser? The only way I can think of would be for the website to alter the code but that doesn't seem like a good solution.

Thanks in advance.

What I have tried:

PS I tried googling this but I get a ton of results which just show how to make the registration form which I already know how to do

Posted 21-Mar-17 7:40am

mikemar

Updated 21-Mar-17 9:20am

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[no name] 21-Mar-17 13:52pm

The easiest solution is to buy a ready made licensing package.

mikemar 21-Mar-17 14:09pm

How would that work with the website I create since I have to email the registration code when they pay online? I apologize if this is a stupid question but I know absolutely nothing about how this stuff works?

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Patrice T · Answer 1 · 2017-03-21T09:20:00

Quote:
The simplest solution would just be to send the same key to everyone when they register and put the key in the code to check but in theory that could get passed around or posted on internet forums etc.. .

It is also the worst solution. It is not a theory either, it is common practice.

You have mainly 2 solutions:
-Offline: basically, you give a key to a customer and je can install on as many PC as he want unless you link the key to a PC.
-Online: the registration is 2 two steps, the user type a key anf the PC activate the key by reaching your license server.

With MS Office 97, the keys were simply divisible by 7.

RickZeeland · Answer 2 · 2017-03-21T08:26:00

Solution 1

Here is an interesting article on CodeProject which explains the use of certificates: A Ready To Use Software Licensing Solution in C#[^]

Posted 21-Mar-17 8:26am

RickZeeland