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+---- Thread: [Tutorial] License System for Python apps. (/showthread.php?tid=6273485)
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License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 17, 2024
![[Image: oKTRsJt.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/oKTRsJt.gif)
Lately I have had a few people ask about how to sell/rent a Python app without having it leaked or cracked.
Many people suggest using Beeware to compile it into an executable, but we all know that can easily be reversed.
What I have done to secure a few programs I have made in Python is develop an interactive console menu as the front-end if you will.
You install your app onto a simple bare-bones Debian VPS and modify the user logins to execute the app instead of bash/shell.
1. Make sure to add the shebang at the top of the python app that you want run on login.
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#!/usr/bin/env python32. Also add this code to the main function of your app before any other code so you are in the correct working path.
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os.chdir("/path/to/python/app")3. Create a new file called new_license.sh and include the code below.
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#!/bin/bash
new_license() {
printf "Enter username: "
read -r licenseUser
printf "Enter password: "
read -r licensePass
printf "Date Format >> 2024-04-20\n"
printf "Enter cutoff date: "
read -r cutoffDate
adduser --quiet --disabled-password --gecos "User" $licenseUser
echo "$licenseUser:$licensePass" | chpasswd
usermod -e $cutoffDate $licenseUser
chmod +x /root/PythonApp.py
usermod -s /root/PythonApp.py $licenseUser
}
new_license4. Make the new_license.sh executable.
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chmod +x new_license.sh5. Create a new user by running the bash script and entering the needed information. This step can be repeated when needed to create a new user.
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./new_license.shNow login by ssh using ssh or putty and the user/pass you set in step 5. You should be presented with your console application. Enjoy and if you run into any problems send me a DM and I can help you out.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Ren And Stimpy - Jun 17, 2024
Nice share mate! Keep it up!
RE: License System for Python apps. - mtaujanskas - Jun 17, 2024
so this is restricted to ssh access only? and what if the program is nontrivial and requires any sort of i/o?
RE: License System for Python apps. - Tentco - Jun 17, 2024
(Jun 17, 2024 03:35 PM)mtaujanskas Wrote: so this is restricted to ssh access only? and what if the program is nontrivial and requires any sort of i/o?
Idk about this but for windows, simply use https://github.com/Nuitka/Nuitka and use a pre-existing license SDK, like KeyAuth.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 17, 2024 03:35 PM)mtaujanskas Wrote: so this is restricted to ssh access only? and what if the program is nontrivial and requires any sort of i/o?
In that case I use a Flask server as an example and I run it as a service. All incoming data is stored in a sqlite3 DB and the ConsoleMenu can access it when logged in through SSH.
If you need to do something like a download then you can write a file temporary to /var/www/html.
(Jun 17, 2024 06:45 PM)Tentco Wrote: Idk about this but for windows, simply use https://github.com/Nuitka/Nuitka and use a pre-existing license SDK, like KeyAuth.
You can do same on Windows, just host the app on Linux so its always running. Then in Windows use cmd.exe/powershell.exe to run ssh.
Nuitka I feel is same as Beeware in terms of cracking though and the file size for any Python app is huge once compiled.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Tentco - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 05:55 AM)Qismon Wrote: In that case I use a Flask server as an example and I run it as a service. All incoming data is stored in a sqlite3 DB and the ConsoleMenu can access it when logged in through SSH.
If you need to do something like a download then you can write a file temporary to /var/www/html.
You can do same on Windows, just host the app on Linux so its always running. Then in Windows use cmd.exe/powershell.exe to run ssh.
Nuitka I feel is same as Beeware in terms of cracking though and the file size for any Python app is huge once compiled.
Nuitka is not same, it translates source to C and is obviously less in size most of the time.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 06:10 AM)Tentco Wrote: Nuitka is not same, it translates source to C and is obviously less in size most of the time.
Honestly I have not tried it before, but it uses CPython correct?
I have never been able to get a exe for Python less than 7MB and even with just print() it gets detected as malware.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Tentco - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 06:19 AM)Qismon Wrote: Honestly I have not tried it before, but it uses CPython correct?
I have never been able to get a exe for Python less than 7MB and even with just print() it gets detected as malware.
https://github.com/Nuitka/Nuitka
7mb for hello world sounds like pyinstaller.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 06:23 AM)Tentco Wrote: https://github.com/Nuitka/Nuitka
7mb for hello world sounds like pyinstaller.
PyInstaller or Beeware had the same problem with compiled size. Thanks I'll check it out sometime today.
RE: License System for Python apps. - mtaujanskas - Jun 18, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 05:55 AM)Qismon Wrote: In that case I use a Flask server as an example and I run it as a service. All incoming data is stored in a sqlite3 DB and the ConsoleMenu can access it when logged in through SSH.
If you need to do something like a download then you can write a file temporary to /var/www/html.
so it's not a drop-in module for an application (and not even necessarily Python-specific)? and you also have to rework your application based around the axiom that you have no access to the user's system in any way whatsoever.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 24, 2024
(Jun 18, 2024 08:07 AM)mtaujanskas Wrote: so it's not a drop-in module for an application (and not even necessarily Python-specific)? and you also have to rework your application based around the axiom that you have no access to the user's system in any way whatsoever.
Never said it was a drop in module or Python specific. No need to rework your application at all either, it's literally 1 chdir statement to make sure you are in the same path as the running app.
I have been renting a builder that runs on same tech and without any problems of having access to the users system.
RE: License System for Python apps. - DashPHP - Jun 24, 2024
Interesting approach. Thanks for sharing.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Novo - Jun 24, 2024
So when the user connects to the ssh user it will instantly open the python script? and what if they do CTRL + C? i did do an app like that a while ago. seems cool.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Qismon - Jun 25, 2024
(Jun 24, 2024 04:15 PM)NovoDev Wrote: So when the user connects to the ssh user it will instantly open the python script? and what if they do CTRL + C? i did do an app like that a while ago. seems cool.
Yes instead of opening bash shell as normal it will run the python app. Ctrl+C will kill the SSH session but if you are in a while loop or running threads then it will just break from the loop.
RE: License System for Python apps. - Novo - Jun 26, 2024
(Jun 25, 2024 06:30 AM)Qismon Wrote: Yes instead of opening bash shell as normal it will run the python app. Ctrl+C will kill the SSH session but if you are in a while loop or running threads then it will just break from the loop.
Seems very cool. Thank you for sharing this!