SLUM — licence keys, activations and updates for WooCommerce
Our own licensing system for WooCommerce: a key is issued the moment an order is paid; customers manage activations, downloads and renewals in My Account.
Problem
Selling our own plugins and desktop apps needs licence keys that can be checked, moved and renewed — and we wanted those keys, the customers and the update files on our own server, with customers able to see and manage their own activations.
Solution
A WooCommerce plugin that keeps the keys in the shop’s own database: a key is generated when an order is paid, checked through a REST API, bound to a site or device, and renewed or revoked from the admin. WordPress plugins use a drop-in client with a licence screen and one-click updates; desktop apps use a standard-library Python client.
Result
Runs every licence on matrix3d.shop — the Custom PostNL plugin, Custom Macro Binder and Pokémon Shiny Hunter — and is sold as a product with a free 7-day demo.
Why we built it
Selling software through WooCommerce means licence keys: they have to be issued when an order is paid, checked by the software, moved when a customer rebuilds a site and renewed when a period ends. We wanted all of that — keys, customers and data — on our own server, without renting a licensing platform.
What it does
- A key is generated the moment an order is paid and stored in the shop’s own database, with a checksum that catches typos.
- Policies per product: website or device, validity in days or lifetime, and a maximum number of sites or devices per key.
- Real activations: customers see where a key is active and release a site or device themselves under My Account.
- Updates through the shop: every download checks the key first.
How software talks to it
WordPress plugins use a single PHP class with a licence screen, warnings and one-click updates; desktop apps use a standard-library Python client. Any other language talks to the documented REST API.
Where it runs
SLUM issues the licences for this shop’s own software: the Custom PostNL shipping plugin, Custom Macro Binder and Pokémon Shiny Hunter. It is also available as a product with a free 7-day demo.
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