License key

What is license key?
A license key is a data string that verifies authorized access to software products. This type of software security prevents software piracy and gives organizations the ability to protect their software from unauthorized copying or sharing by unlicensed users.

A license key gives an authorized user / buyer a data chain that, when installed, unlocks a software product and makes it available for use. The software cannot be used without the key. This prevents users from loading copies of the software onto different devices. Even in this era when digital rights management (DRM) tools are restricting piracy of audio and video files, protecting software from piracy remains a challenge.

The license key remains a popular security tool for standard software. However, the advent of cloud computing systems gives software companies more opportunities to sell products and effectively limit piracy.