Node locked vs floating

Once a customer has a license, the next question is who and what may use it. There are three common answers: a fixed set of machines, a number of people at the same time, or specific people wherever they sign in. They suit different customers, and picking the wrong one creates support work.

Node locked licenses#

A node locked license is tied to particular devices. Each device activates once, and the license allows a fixed number of them, for example three computers per customer. The app identifies the device with a stable ID, usually the operating system's machine ID.

• Good for: desktop apps bought by individuals or small teams, and apps that must work offline. After activation the app checks a signed token locally.
• Watch out for: customers replacing computers. Let them free a device themselves, from the app or a customer portal, or every new laptop becomes a support ticket.

In Keygate this is the default: set Max Activations on the plan. See Activating licenses in your app.

Floating licenses#

A floating license, also called a concurrent license, limits how many copies run at the same time, on any machine. Ten seats means any ten people in the company can use the app at once. The app checks out a seat when it starts, keeps it with a regular heartbeat and gives it back when it closes. If the app crashes, the seat frees itself after a timeout.

• Good for: companies with more installs than simultaneous users, such as shift workers, labs or shared workstations. The customer buys fewer seats than people.
• Watch out for: it needs a connection to the license server while the app runs, and users can be turned away when every seat is taken.

In Keygate, set the plan's License Model to floating. Seats default to a 30 minute timeout, and a full license answers 409 FLOATING_LIMIT. See Floating licenses.

Named user licenses#

A named user license belongs to a person rather than a machine. The app identifies the user, typically by email after they sign in, and the person can use it on any device. Teams add and remove people as seats.

• Good for: web services and tools where people sign in anyway.
• Watch out for: you need a way to know who the user is, which a simple desktop app may not have.

In Keygate, a SaaS product counts people as seats instead of devices, and a hybrid product counts both. For a desktop app, send the user's email as the activation identifier so one person can sign in anywhere. See Customer portal and teams.

Which one to choose#

Most desktop products start node locked with two or three devices per license, and add a floating plan once company customers ask for it. Plans are separate in Keygate, so one product can offer both. Licensing models covers how plans, subscriptions and trials fit around these.