License management for desktop software, CAD/BIM plugins, script packages, and engineering tools is often as critical as the product itself. On the developer side, many aspects must be managed, such as license generation, device activation, subscription tracking, offline usage, and security. On the end-user side, license validation is expected to be fast, clear, and seamless.
ZADAX LaaS (Licensing as a Service) is a centralized license validation infrastructure developed to address this need. Its goal is to allow developers to use a manageable, auditable, and scalable licensing system through ZADAX, without having to build a secure licensing flow from scratch.
ZADAX LaaS is a licensing service that manages license creation, validation, device activation, and offline usage scenarios for desktop applications, engineering tools, CAD/BIM plugins, script packages, and similar software products.
The system consists of the following core components:
app_id)With this structure, developers can integrate licensing into their applications while managing critical security operations through a centralized and controlled service.
ZADAX LaaS provides developers with a ready-to-use and secure foundation for licensing.
Developers can create licenses, define license types, set expiration dates, activate/deactivate licenses, and control the maximum number of devices.
This moves license management away from scattered in-app logic to a centralized, traceable, and manageable system.
Each license can be associated with specific device identifiers. When the same device performs validation again, it does not consume a new activation slot. However, when a different device attempts to use the license, the system checks the maximum device limit.
This approach provides:
In modern licensing systems, it cannot be assumed that every user will always have internet access. Offline usage can be critical in environments such as enterprises, construction sites, factories, defense systems, isolated networks, or BIM/CAD production environments.
ZADAX LaaS offers two main validation models:
ZADAX LaaS does not treat security as merely checking a license key. The system is reinforced with multiple layers such as signing, replay protection, rate limiting, nonce/timestamp validation, log masking, and audit records.
Key security principles:
ZADAX LaaS is not just a developer control panel; it directly impacts the end-user experience.
Key benefits include:
A trial license allows users to test the product for a limited time. If no expiration date is provided, the system may automatically assign a 30-day period.
Use cases:
A perpetual license represents unlimited usage. It does not include an expiration date and remains valid as long as it is active.
Use cases:
A subscription license is tied to a specific expiration date. During validation, both the active status and expiration are checked.
Use cases:
In the online validation flow, the client application sends a validation request to the ZADAX LaaS API. This request typically includes the license key, application ID, device ID, nonce, and timestamp.
The system sanitizes the payload, applies rate limiting and replay protection, identifies the software, validates the hardware ID format, and locks the license within a transaction for validation.
If the license is valid, device activation is evaluated. If the same device was previously activated, no new slot is consumed. If it is a new device, the maximum device limit is checked. If allowed, a new device record is created. The activation is logged, the response is signed with the private key, and a hardware-specific offline token may be returned.
Note: The private key remains on the server. It is never shared with the client. The client verifies the signed response using the public key.
Offline validation is designed for environments without internet connectivity or with restricted network access.
The client:
In some environments, applications cannot access the internet directly. In such cases, manual .lic file generation is used.
The system:
ZADAX LaaS helps developers manage licensing infrastructure in a secure, traceable, and user-friendly way. Trial, perpetual, and subscription license types; online validation; hardware locking; offline tokens; manual .lic generation; signed responses; and audit logs are all unified under a single system.
If you are developing desktop software, engineering tools, CAD/BIM plugins, or script packages, you can move your licensing process to a centralized, secure, and professional infrastructure with ZADAX LaaS.