Node-locked licensing

Node-locked licensing, also known as a single use license,^[1] device license,^[2] named host license, or machine-based license, is a software licensing approach in which a license for a software application is assigned to one or more hardware devices (specific nodes, such as a computer, mobile devices, or IoT device). Typically any numbers of instances are allowed to execute for such license.^[3]

This form of licensing is used by software publishers to ensure the license is only run on particular hardware devices.

Every node is identified by a unique hardware ID (device fingerprint) which needs to be obtained or entered during the pairing process (usually product setup or first license validation).

See also

• Software metering
• License manager
• License borrowing
• Floating licensing