Getting Started with Domain-Bound Licensing in 5 Minutes

This guide walks you through protecting your first software product with domain-bound licensing. By the end, you will have a working license key that validates against an authorized domain — in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

• A free Traffic Orchestrator account (sign up here)
• Node.js 18+ (or any HTTP client — we show curl too)

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Head to trafficorchestrator.com/signup and create a free Builder account. The Builder plan includes 3 products and 100 license keys — perfect for getting started. After signing up, verify your email and log into the portal dashboard.

Step 2 — Create a Product

In your dashboard, click Create Product. Give it a name like "My WordPress Plugin" or "My SaaS App." Each product gets its own set of license keys and configuration.

Step 3 — Generate an API Key

Navigate to Settings → API Keys in the portal. Click Generate New Key. Copy the key — you will use it to authenticate all API requests. Keep it safe; treat it like a password.

Step 4 — Create a License Key

Use the REST API to create a license key bound to a specific domain:

curl -X POST https://api.trafficorchestrator.com/api/v1/licenses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "product_id": "YOUR_PRODUCT_ID",
    "customer_email": "customer@example.com",
    "domains": ["example.com"],
    "max_domains": 1
  }'

The response includes a license_key — this is what you distribute to your customer.

Step 5 — Validate the License

When your software runs, validate the license key against the current domain:

// JavaScript — validate on the client or server
const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.trafficorchestrator.com/api/v1/validate',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      license_key: 'CUSTOMER_LICENSE_KEY',
      domain: window.location.hostname
    })
  }
);

const result = await response.json();

if (result.valid) {
  console.log('License valid — enabling premium features');
} else {
  console.log('License invalid:', result.error);
}

Or with curl:

curl -X POST https://api.trafficorchestrator.com/api/v1/validate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "license_key": "CUSTOMER_LICENSE_KEY",
    "domain": "example.com"
  }'

What Happens During Validation?

1. The API verifies the license key exists and is active
2. It checks whether the requesting domain is in the authorized domains list
3. It verifies the license has not expired
4. It returns a signed response with the validation result

If the domain does not match, the API returns { "valid": false, "error": "domain_mismatch" }. Your software can then restrict functionality or show an upgrade prompt.

Next Steps

• Add more domains — Upgrade the license to allow multiple domains for staging, production, etc.
• Set up webhooks — Get notified when licenses are activated, suspended, or expire. See our webhook guide.
• Use an SDK — We offer SDKs for Node.js, Python, React, and more.
• Explore the API docs — Full reference at trafficorchestrator.com/docs.
• Add feature flags — Gate specific features based on license tier. See feature flags guide.

That is it — your software is now protected with domain-bound licensing. The free Builder plan supports up to 3 products and 100 licenses, so you can fully test the integration before scaling up.