DEV Community

Cover image for How I added licensing and checkout to a Unity project without building two more systems
PermitCore
PermitCore

Posted on Originally published at permitcore.dev

How I added licensing and checkout to a Unity project without building two more systems

When I started working on software licensing, the part that bothered me was not only validating a key. A paid Unity game or asset needs the whole path: a product, a license policy, SDK integration, payment, and finally a way to deliver the right key to the customer.

Most licensing services stop after validation. You still need to connect a separate storefront, handle payment webhooks, generate the license, and send it to the buyer. That can become a second product to maintain before the actual game or tool has made its first sale.

I wrote a practical Unity guide showing the complete flow with PermitCore:

  1. Create a product and choose device, version, and offline rules.
  2. Install the Unity SDK through Package Manager.
  3. Validate the license against the expected product ID.
  4. Test revoked, expired, wrong-product, and activation-limit responses.
  5. Publish the same product in a branded Store, connect your Stripe account, and let checkout issue and deliver the license automatically.

The integration itself stays small:

using PermitCore;
using UnityEngine;

var client = new PermitCoreClient("https://api.permitcore.dev");
var result = await client.ValidateAsync(
    licenseKey,
    Application.version,
    productId);

if (!result.IsValid)
    ShowLicenseScreen(result.Message);
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The important detail is productId. A structurally valid key should not unlock the wrong game, asset, edition, or DLC. I also recommend testing a revoked key in the actual release build rather than stopping after the happy path works in the editor.

PermitCore's Store uses your own Stripe account and takes 0% PermitCore sales commission. The goal is to keep licensing and selling in one workflow: create → implement → sell.

Full walkthrough

How to sell licenses for a Unity game or asset

PermitCore

I am building this as a small developer-first startup, so feedback from Unity developers is very welcome. If something in the guide is unclear, you can reach me through Contact Us on the site. 🙂🚀

Top comments (0)