The Principal Dev – Masterclass for Tech Leads

The Principal Dev – Masterclass for Tech LeadsJuly 17-18

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Aegis - Robust and Flexible .NET Licensing Solution

Aegis is a comprehensive and versatile licensing library for .NET applications, empowering developers to implement various licensing models with ease. It offers strong security features, offline validation, and seamless integration with your existing applications.

Features

Aegis.Server - Backend for Floating and Concurrent Licenses

Aegis.Server is a lightweight backend service designed to handle floating and concurrent license management. It provides a foundation for building your own licensing server, offering functionalities like:

You can integrate Aegis.Server into your preferred web framework or create a custom implementation based on your specific needs. Aegis.Server provides the core logic for license management, while allowing you to choose how you want to expose the functionality.

Aegis.Server.AspNetCore

A sample implementation of Aegis.Server using ASP.NET Core is available in the Aegis.Server.AspNetCore project. This implementation showcases how to integrate Aegis.Server into an ASP.NET Core application, providing ready-to-use controllers and middlewares for:

The Aegis.Server.AspNetCore project can be used as a starting point for building your own licensing server, or you can adapt the provided code to your specific needs.

Getting Started

Aegis NuGet Package

  1. Install the Aegis NuGet package:

    Install-Package Aegis

  2. Generate Licensing Secrets:

    // Replace "your-secret-key" and "C:\Path\To\signature.bin" with your desired secret key and save path.
var signature = LicenseUtils.GenerateLicensingSecrets("your-secret-key", @"C:\Path\To\signature.bin", "your-server-api-key");

    This will generate a new RSA key pair and an encryption key. The public key, private key, and encryption key are encrypted with AES using your provided secret key and saved to the specified file path (signature.bin in this example).

  3. Load Licensing Secrets:

    // Load the secret keys from the signature file
var signature = LicenseUtils.LoadLicensingSecrets("your-secret-key", @"C:\Path\To\signature.bin");

    Use the same secret key to decrypt and load the licensing secrets from the file you created in step 2.

    Alternatively, you can:

    • Load directly from the configuration section:
    var signature = LicenseUtils.LoadLicensingSecrets(config.GetSection("LicensingSecrets"))
    • Add the keys to your User Secrets and they will be retrieved automatically.

  4. Generate and Save a License (Examples for each license type):

    Standard License:

    using Aegis;
using Aegis.Models;

var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateStandardLicense("John Doe")
    .WithLicenseKey("SD2D-35G9-1502-X3DG-16VI-ELN2")
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithFeature("Feature1", Feature.FromBool(true))
    .WithFeature("Feature2", Feature.FromString("Enabled"))
    .WithExpiryDate(DateTime.UtcNow.AddDays(30))
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\license.bin");

    Trial License:

    var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateTrialLicense(TimeSpan.FromDays(14))
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithFeature("AllFeatures", Feature.FromBool(true))
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\trial_license.bin");

    Node-Locked License:

    var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateNodeLockedLicense(HardwareUtils.GetHardwareId()) 
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithExpiryDate(DateTime.UtcNow.AddYears(1))
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\nodelocked_license.bin");

    Subscription License:

    var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateSubscriptionLicense("Jane Smith", TimeSpan.FromDays(365))
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithFeature("PremiumFeatures", Feature.FromBool(true))
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\subscription_license.bin");

    Floating License:

    var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateFloatingLicense("Acme Corp", 20) // 20 concurrent users allowed
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\floating_license.bin");

    Concurrent License:

    var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateConcurrentLicense("Tech Solutions", 5) // 5 concurrent users allowed
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithExpiryDate(DateTime.UtcNow.AddYears(1))
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\concurrent_license.bin");

  5. Load and Validate a License:

    try
{
     var loadedLicenseResult = await LicenseManager.LoadLicenseAsync(@"C:\Path\To\license.bin");
     if (loadedLicenseResult.Status == Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Valid)
     {
         var loadedLicense = loadedLicenseResult.License;
         // License loaded successfully, you can access its properties:
         Console.WriteLine("License Type: " + loadedLicense!.Type);
         Console.WriteLine("Expiration Date: " + loadedLicense.ExpirationDate);
     }
     else
     {
         // Handle invalid license status
         Console.WriteLine($"License status is: {loadedLicenseResult.Status}");
     }
}
catch (LicenseValidationException ex)
{
    // Handle license validation errors (e.g., expired, invalid signature, etc.)
    Console.WriteLine("License Validation Error: " + ex.Message);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    // Handle other errors (e.g., file not found, invalid format, etc.)
    Console.WriteLine("Error Loading License: " + ex.Message);
}

Aegis.Server NuGet Package

  1. Install the Aegis.Server NuGet package:
    Install-Package Aegis.Server
  2. Integrate Aegis.Server into an ASP.NET Core application:
    // In your Startup.cs file:
services.AddAegisServer();
  3. Inherit your DbContext from AegisDbContext class:
    using Aegis.Server.Data;

public class ApplicationDbContext(DbContextOptions<AegisDbContext> options) : AegisDbContext(options)
{
    // ...
}
  4. Inject LicenseService in your Controller:
    using Aegis.Server.Services;

public class LicensesController(LicenseService licenseService)
{
    // ...
}

Aegis.Server.AspNetCore Sample Implementation

  1. Clone the Aegis repository and acquire Aegis.Server.AspNetCore from Samples directory:

    git clone https://github.com/LSXPrime/Aegis.git

  2. Configure the database connection:

    • Open the appsettings.json file in the Aegis.Server.AspNetCore project.
    • Modify the DefaultConnection connection string to point to your SQLite database file. For example:
      "ConnectionStrings": {
  "DefaultConnection": "Data Source=C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\Database\\Aegis.db"
}

  3. Set the JWT settings:

    • In appsettings.json, configure the JwtSettings section with your secret key, salt, and token expiration settings:
      "JwtSettings": {
  "Secret": "your_jwt_secret_key",
  "Salt": "your_password_salt",
  "AccessTokenExpirationInDays": 1,
  "RefreshTokenExpirationInDays": 7
}
    • Security Considerations: Use strong and unique values for your JWT secret key and password salt. Keep them confidential and do not expose them in client-side code.

  4. Build and run the server:

    dotnet build
dotnet run --project Aegis.Server.AspNetCore

  5. Deployment:

    • You can deploy Aegis.Server to various environments, such as:
      • Azure App Service: Create an App Service in Azure and deploy your application.
      • Docker Container: Create a Docker image of your application and run it in a containerized environment.
      • Self-Hosted: Deploy your application to a server that you manage.

Concurrent and Floating License Activation

  1. Activate a license from your client application:

    LicenseManager.SetServerBaseEndpoint("https://your-aegis-server-url");
await LicenseManager.LoadLicenseAsync("path\to\license.bin", ValidationMode.Online);

    Replace "https://your-aegis-server-url" with the actual URL of your Aegis.Server.AspNetCore deployment. The LoadLicenseAsync function will now perform online validation against the server.

  2. Heartbeat Handling: For concurrent licenses, Aegis.Server automatically handles heartbeat requests sent from client applications. The client library should periodically send heartbeat requests to the server to maintain an active connection. You can configure the heartbeat interval using the LicenseManager.SetHeartbeatInterval() method.

  3. Idle User Disconnection: Aegis.Server monitors heartbeats and will automatically disconnect users if a heartbeat is not received within a specified timeout period.

Feature Usage

Aegis includes FeatureManager to control access to specific features within your application based on the loaded license. Here's how to use it:

Defining Features in Licenses

When generating licenses using LicenseBuilder, you can define features and their associated values:

using Aegis;
using Aegis.Models;

// ...

var license = LicenseGenerator.GenerateStandardLicense("John Doe")
    .WithIssuer("Aegis Software")
    .WithFeature("BasicReporting", Feature.FromBool(true)) // Boolean feature
    .WithFeature("NumberOfUsers", Feature.FromInt(5)) // Integer feature
    .WithFeature("SupportLevel", Feature.FromString("Premium")) // String feature
    .WithFeature("DataLimit", Feature.FromFloat(10.5f)) // Float feature
    .WithFeature("Expiry", Feature.FromDateTime(DateTime.UtcNow.AddDays(30))) // DateTime feature
    .WithFeature("CustomData", Feature.FromByteArray(new byte[] { 0x01, 0x02, 0x03 })) // Byte array feature
    .SaveLicense(@"C:\Path\To\license.bin");

Checking if a Feature is Enabled

Use the FeatureManager.IsFeatureEnabled method to check if a feature is enabled in the currently loaded license:

if (FeatureManager.IsFeatureEnabled("BasicReporting"))
{
    // Allow access to basic reporting functionality
    Console.WriteLine("Basic reporting is enabled.");
}
else
{
    // Feature is not enabled
    Console.WriteLine("Basic reporting is not enabled.");
}

Retrieving Feature Values

The FeatureManager provides methods to retrieve feature values of different types:

// Get an integer feature value:
int numberOfUsers = FeatureManager.GetFeatureInt("NumberOfUsers");
Console.WriteLine($"Number of users allowed: {numberOfUsers}");

// Get a string feature value:
string supportLevel = FeatureManager.GetFeatureString("SupportLevel");
Console.WriteLine($"Support level: {supportLevel}");

// Get a float feature value:
float dataLimit = FeatureManager.GetFeatureFloat("DataLimit");
Console.WriteLine($"Data Limit: {dataLimit}");

// Get a DateTime feature value:
DateTime expiry = FeatureManager.GetFeatureDateTime("Expiry");
Console.WriteLine($"Feature Expiry: {expiry}");

// Get a byte array feature value:
byte[] customData = FeatureManager.GetFeatureByteArray("CustomData");
Console.WriteLine($"Custom Data Length: {customData.Length}");

Enforcing Feature Restrictions

Use FeatureManager.ThrowIfNotAllowed to throw a FeatureNotLicensedException if a feature is not enabled:

try
{
    FeatureManager.ThrowIfNotAllowed("AdvancedAnalytics");
    // Code that requires the "AdvancedAnalytics" feature
    Console.WriteLine("Advanced analytics is available.");
}
catch (FeatureNotLicensedException ex)
{
    // Handle the case where the feature is not licensed
    Console.WriteLine($"Error: {ex.Message}"); // Output: Error: The feature 'AdvancedAnalytics' is not included in your license.
}

Important:

Custom Validation Rules

Aegis allows you to implement custom validation rules to enforce specific licensing requirements beyond the built-in validation logic. This provides greater flexibility and control over your licensing system.

  1. Implementing a Custom Rule

    To create a custom validation rule, implement the IValidationRule interface:

    using Aegis.Interfaces;
using Aegis.Models.License;
using Aegis.Models.Utils;

public class MyCustomRule : IValidationRule
{
    public LicenseLoadResult<T> Validate<T>(T license, Dictionary<string, string?>? parameters) where T : BaseLicense
    {
        // Your custom validation logic here.
        // Access license properties, parameters, external resources, etc.

        if (/* Validation succeeds */)
        {
            return new LicenseLoadResult<T>(Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Valid, license);
        }
        else
        {
            // Provide an appropriate exception for validation failures.
            return new LicenseLoadResult<T>(Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Invalid, null, new LicenseValidationException("Custom validation failed.")); 
        }
    }
}

  2. Registering the Rule

    Once you have implemented your custom rule, register it with the LicenseValidator:

    LicenseValidator.AddValidationRule(new MyCustomRule());

  3. Example: Advanced Hardware Validation for Node-Locked Licenses

    This example demonstrates a more robust hardware validation for node-locked licenses, considering multiple hardware factors.

    using Aegis.Interfaces;
using Aegis.Models.License;
using Aegis.Models.Utils;
using Aegis.Utilities;

public class AdvancedHardwareRule : IValidationRule
{
    public LicenseLoadResult<T> Validate<T>(T license, Dictionary<string, string?>? parameters) where T : BaseLicense
    {
        if (license is not NodeLockedLicense nodeLockedLicense)
            return new LicenseLoadResult<T>(Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Valid, license);

        // Implement your logic to combine and validate multiple hardware factors
        // You can use HardwareUtils.GetHardwareId() as a starting point and add
        // more specific checks for CPU ID, motherboard serial number, etc.
        string combinedHardwareId = GenerateCombinedHardwareId();

        if (combinedHardwareId != nodeLockedLicense.HardwareId)
        {
            return new LicenseLoadResult<T>(Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Invalid, null, new HardwareMismatchException("Hardware mismatch detected."));
        }

        return new LicenseLoadResult<T>(Aegis.Enums.LicenseStatus.Valid, license);
    }

    // Replace with your actual implementation to generate a combined hardware ID.
    private string GenerateCombinedHardwareId()
    {
        // ... your logic to combine multiple hardware factors ...
        return ""; // Replace with the generated combined ID
    }
}

    Usage:

    LicenseValidator.AddValidationRule(new AdvancedHardwareRule());

// ... during license loading ...
var license = await LicenseManager.LoadLicenseAsync("license.bin");

    This example showcases how you can create a custom rule to enhance the security of your node-locked licenses by validating against multiple hardware identifiers.

    You can adapt this example and implement your own logic for combining and validating different hardware factors to suit your specific needs. Remember to provide clear documentation and error messages within your custom rules to make them easy to understand and maintain.

Custom Hardware Identification

By default, Aegis uses a DefaultHardwareIdentifier that combines Machine Name, User Name, OS Version, and MAC Address. To implement a custom hardware identifier:

  1. Create a class that implements IHardwareIdentifier:

    using Aegis.Interfaces;

public class MyCustomHardwareIdentifier : IHardwareIdentifier
{
    public string GetHardwareIdentifier()
    {
        // Your custom logic to retrieve the hardware identifier.
        // Example: CPU ID, Motherboard serial number, etc.
        return "..."; 
    }

    public bool ValidateHardwareIdentifier(string hardwareIdentifier)
    {
        // Your custom logic to validate the hardware identifier.
        return GetHardwareIdentifier() == hardwareIdentifier;
    }
}

  2. Set the custom identifier:

    LicenseManager.SetHardwareIdentifier(new MyCustomHardwareIdentifier());

Custom Serialization

Aegis uses a JsonLicenseSerializer by default. To implement a custom serializer:

  1. Create a class that implements ILicenseSerializer:

    using Aegis.Interfaces;
using Aegis.Models.License;

public class MyCustomSerializer : ILicenseSerializer
{
    public string Serialize(BaseLicense license)
    {
        // Your custom serialization logic.
        // Example: XML serialization, binary serialization, etc.
        return "...";
    }

    public BaseLicense? Deserialize(string data)
    {
        // Your custom deserialization logic.
        return ...;
    }
}

  2. Set the custom serializer:

    LicenseManager.SetSerializer(new MyCustomSerializer());

Disabling Built-in Validation

You can disable Aegis's built-in validation logic if you want to rely solely on your custom validation rules or have a different validation process.

LicenseManager.SetBuiltInValidation(false);

This will prevent LicenseManager from performing its default validation checks for license type, expiry date, and other built-in criteria. You will be responsible for implementing all necessary validation logic in your custom rules or through other means.

Architecture

Aegis Licensing System Architecture:

The Aegis licensing system comprises two main components: the Aegis client library (integrated into your .NET application) and the Aegis.Server backend service.

Client-Side:

Server-Side:

Interaction:

Troubleshooting

Contributing

Contributions to Aegis are welcome!

Guidelines:

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
  2. Create a new branch for your feature or bug fix.
  3. Make your changes and ensure they follow the project's coding style.
  4. Write tests to cover your changes.
  5. Submit a pull request to the main repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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