MySerialKey.GiqhDev 1.0.2

MySerialKey.GiqhDev

MySerialKey.GiqhDev generates, normalizes, and validates short serial keys for .NET applications.

Default serial format:

XXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXXX

The package uses cryptographically secure randomness and has no third-party runtime dependencies.

Status

Version 1.0.0 is prepared as a local NuGet package candidate.

Installation

dotnet add package MySerialKey.GiqhDev

Quick Start

using MySerialKey.GiqhDev;

string serial = SerialKeyGenerator.Generate();
SerialValidationResult result = SerialKeyValidator.Validate(serial);

Console.WriteLine(serial);
Console.WriteLine(result.IsValid);

Generation

string serial = SerialKeyGenerator.Generate();

The default alphabet excludes visually ambiguous characters:

ABCDEFGHJKMNPQRSTUVWXYZ23456789

Validation

SerialValidationResult result = SerialKeyValidator.ValidateFormat(serial);

if (!result.IsValid)
{
    Console.WriteLine(result.Error);
    Console.WriteLine(result.Message);
}

Validate is an alias for structural format validation. It does not prove authenticity.

Normalization

string normalized = SerialKeyNormalizer.Normalize("a7k9p x2m8q4 b6n3r z9t5w8");

Output:

A7K9P-X2M8Q4-B6N3R-Z9T5W8

Custom Configuration

var options = new SerialKeyGenerationOptions
{
    Segments = new[] { 4, 4, 4, 4 },
    Separator = '-',
    Alphabet = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789",
    UseUppercase = true
};

string serial = SerialKeyGenerator.Generate(options);

Authenticated Serials

Authenticated serials reserve part of the 22 alphanumeric characters for a compact authentication tag:

byte[] secretKey = Convert.FromBase64String(configuration.Secret);

string serial = SerialKeyGenerator.GenerateAuthenticated(secretKey);
SerialValidationResult result = SerialKeyValidator.ValidateAuthenticated(serial, secretKey);

This protects against basic tampering and random strings that merely match the visual format.

Security Notes

Authenticated serials use HMAC-SHA256 with a compact truncated tag. This is a lightweight offline authenticity check, not DRM.

Do not embed high-value secrets in client applications when an attacker can inspect the machine or executable. For stronger scenarios, prefer server-side activation or asymmetric license signatures where clients only receive a public key.

This package does not protect completely against reverse engineering, executable patching, secret extraction, validation bypasses, or attackers with full control of the client machine.

Compatibility

The package targets:

• .NET Framework 4.8
• .NET 6
• .NET 7
• .NET 8
• .NET 9
• .NET 10

Publishing

Publishing to NuGet.org is handled by GitHub Actions trusted publishing.

Create a trusted publishing policy on NuGet.org with these values:

Package Owner: GiqhDev
Repository Owner: GiqhDev
Repository: MySerialKey.GiqhDev
Workflow File: publish-nuget.yml
Environment: leave empty

The workflow runs on pushes to master and can also be started manually from the GitHub Actions tab.

Roadmap

• v1.1: additional pattern presets and optional checksum.
• v1.2: product metadata and product-specific serial namespaces.
• v2.0: evaluate asymmetric signed licenses.

License

MIT.

Author

Gustavo Quintana Hidalgo.