Subscription Licensing

In Cryptlex, a subscription is a time-based licensing model where a license is valid for a specific duration, such as months or years. It suits recurring billing and time-limited access, and combines with any enforcement type (node-locked, floating, or named user). A subscription is configured by setting a subscription interval or an exact expiration date.

Use a subscription when you want recurring revenue or to bundle ongoing updates and support. For a one-time purchase with no expiry, use a perpetual license instead.

Adding a subscription to a license

To configure a subscription in a license, you can define:

A subscription interval and start trigger, or
A fixed expiration date

Set one or the other, not both. These settings define the start of the license term and how its expiry is determined.

Using a subscription interval and start trigger

To define a recurring subscription, use the subscriptionInterval property to specify the duration and the subscriptionStartTrigger to determine when that duration begins.

The subscription interval accepts ISO 8601 durations (P1Y, P3M10D, P30D), which automatically account for varying month and year lengths. The start trigger controls when the period begins:

Start trigger	Period begins	Use when
License Creation	When the license is created	You want it aligned with the purchase date
License Activation	When the license is first activated	It should begin with first product use

Using an expiration date

Alternatively, you can set a fixed expiration date by setting the expiresAt property of the license to define exactly when the license should expire.

Renewing a subscription

When a subscription is renewed, Cryptlex adds the current subscriptionInterval to the expiration date, renewing the license for another cycle. The license can be renewed manually from the admin portal or through the Web API.

Admin portal: Go to the Licenses page, click the Actions menu (three dots) next to the license, and select Renew License.
Web API: Send a POST request to the Renew License endpoint.

A renewal extends the existing license, so your customer does not activate again and their license key does not change. An expired subscription can still be renewed, so there is no need to recreate it. Their app picks up the new expiration date at its next server sync, and can rely on cached license state only for as long as the server sync grace period allows, after which LexActivator returns LA_GRACE_PERIOD_OVER.

Updating the expiration date

The expiresAt property of the license can be updated manually to extend, shorten, or correct the license's expiration date, either from the admin portal or through the Web API.

Admin portal: Go to the Licenses page, click the Actions menu (three dots) next to the license, and select Update Expiration Date.
Web API: Send a PATCH request to the Update License Expiration endpoint.

Updating expiresAt changes only the current expiration date. The license keeps its subscriptionInterval, so a one-off adjustment does not change the length of future cycles.

Subscription logs

Subscription logs track the history of subscription-related events for each license, which helps you audit and troubleshoot subscription changes over time. Captured events include license expiration date updates (license.expiresAt.updated), license renewals (license.renewed), and modifications to subscription details (license.subscription.updated).

You can view these logs on the Licenses -> Subscription Logs page in the admin portal.

Setting an effective date

The effectiveDate license property defines the earliest date on which the license can be activated. Any attempt to activate the license before this date is rejected, even if the license key has already been delivered to the customer. This applies to any license, independent of its subscription settings.

The effective date does not extend the subscription; it only blocks activation until the date arrives. With the License Creation subscription start trigger, the term is already running while the customer is locked out, so use License Activation subscription start trigger to give them the full term from first use.

You can find this property under the Advanced tab while creating a license in the admin portal.

Implementing License Models Node-Locked Licenses

Last updated: 8/6/2026