KeyNub.LicenseDongle 1.1.1

KeyNub License Dongle — .NET binding

KeyNub.LicenseDongle is a thin, idiomatic .NET wrapper over the native keynub_licdongle core. It carries no protocol or crypto logic of its own — it marshals to the C ABI and maps status codes to exceptions. Targets net8.0 and netstandard2.0 (the latter covers .NET Framework 4.8 and 32-bit Windows).

Install

dotnet add package KeyNub.LicenseDongle

Native binaries ship inside the package under runtimes/<rid>/native/ for win-x86, win-x64, win-arm64, linux-x64, linux-arm64, and osx. On net8.0+ the host selects the right one automatically; on .NET Framework the bundled MSBuild targets copy it next to your app and the binding pre-loads it. No driver install on any platform (Linux needs the shipped udev rule).

Shape

using KeyNub.LicenseDongle;

using var ctx = LicenseDongleContext.Create();
using Dongle dongle = ctx.Open();            // first attached dongle (or by serial)

GenuineResult id = dongle.VerifyGenuine();   // cert chain + live challenge-response
Console.WriteLine($"genuine={id.IsGenuine} serial={id.Serial}");

using Session session = dongle.OpenSession();     // ECDH → HKDF → AES-256-GCM
byte[] license = session.ReadRecord("license");   // read role

// Developer/provisioning tools elevate to the write role with the master key:
session.AuthorizeWrite(masterKeyDer);
session.WriteRecord("license", newBytes);

// App-data envelope encryption — data unusable without a genuine dongle:
byte[] sealed = session.AppEncrypt(Scope.Device, plaintext);
byte[] plain  = session.AppDecrypt(sealed);

• LicenseDongleContext — thread-safe entry point: enumerate / open / logging.
• Dongle — one connection: GetInfo, GetSerial, VerifyGenuine, OpenSession.
• Session — the session-scoped operations: records, counters, app-crypto, AuthorizeWrite.
• Failures throw LicenseDongleException (with a LicdStatus); common cases have subclasses (NotGenuineException, WriteAuthorizationRequiredException, …).

Security

Read docs/integration-security.md before writing your licensing check. VerifyGenuine() proves a genuine dongle is attached; it cannot stop an attacker from patching your application or substituting a fake native library. Branch on a boolean and you will be bypassed — put dongle-derived data (AppEncrypt/AppDecrypt) on the path your application actually needs.

License

Apache-2.0 — see LICENSE, NOTICE, and THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt (all three ship inside the NuGet package). The bundled natives statically link Mbed TLS (Apache-2.0 elected) and hidapi (BSD-style elected); no GPL terms apply.

Links

• KeyNub License Dongle for .NET: the product, and how to order one
• Source, samples and issue tracker on GitHub
• Native library for your platform