Licensing for Software-as-a-Service
Many developers still say:
“We only do SaaS; we don’t need a dongle.”
“We store purchased rights in Keycloak, so we don’t need a licensing system.”
Technically, that can work. But it’s like picking up your child from kindergarten on an e-scooter: possible, but neither safe nor scalable. Trying to bolt mission-critical functionality onto a system that was never designed for it eventually creates more problems than it solves.
SaaS applications combine three fundamental pillars:
- User rights
- Management of purchased subscriptions or licenses
- Secure user authentication
Because SaaS providers must cover ongoing operational costs, they almost always rely on subscriptions rather than one-time licenses. In simple B2C cases, synchronizing subscription data with a Single Sign-On (SSO) system may be enough: one user, one subscription, one feature set.
In B2B, however, the logic changes completely. Enterprises subscribe to a package covering a certain number of users and services; those users may be floating or named, and their internal rights are managed by customer administrators. That means two coordinated systems become necessary:
- A system for subscriptions and licenses
- A system for user and rights management
These systems can – and should – work together, especially when license information defines the boundary for rights.
How CodeMeter Supports SaaS Licensing and Authentication
CodeMeter License Central and CodeMeter License Portal provide a complete and ready-to-use environment for managing subscriptions:
- Automated renewals
- Feature-set changes
- Accounting interfaces
- Rules for named-user models
- Assignment of subscriptions or licenses to individual users
With CodeMeter Cloud Lite, licenses are activated in a CmContainer. Your SaaS application can retrieve and validate these licenses via REST API, while subscription and license management remains centralized and transparent through CodeMeter License Central and CodeMeter License Portal.
Authentication is the third essential layer. SaaS applications may use:
- Username/password
- Two-factor authentication
- Client certificates (stored especially securely in a CmDongle)
Webinar: Licensing and Authentication for SaaS Applications
Discover how the CodeMeter ecosystem supports secure, scalable, and flexible SaaS business models and how it prepares you for hybrid and on-premises deployments when major customers require them.
Agenda
- Requirements for SaaS
- Right vs. license
- CodeMeter Cloud Lite
- Integration with CodeMeter License Central and CodeMeter License Portal
- CodeMeter as a license storage mechanism
- Managing SaaS subscriptions
- Named User vs. Floating User
- Authentication with CodeMeter
- Hybrid Cloud / On-Premises models
Licensing for Software-as-a-Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 December | 7.00 pm CET | English | Register |
| 10 December | 9.00 am CET | English | Register |
| 10 December | 2.00 pm CET | German | Register |
| I can't attend the live event, but send me the recording when available. | Request | ||
| Check your Time Zone | |||
Why This Matters
Even pure SaaS providers eventually meet customers who require on-premises deployment for regulatory, strategic, or corporate-policy reasons. When that moment comes, licensing and application protection become critical and organizations using CodeMeter are already equipped to handle the transition.
CodeMeter is a scalable platform designed to support nearly every delivery model.
To return to the analogy from the beginning: You have options. Whether you transport your children using a bike trailer, public transit, an electric car, a combustion model, or a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle flexibility matters.
What you should not do is force essential functionality into a system that was never designed for it, simply because it happens to be available.