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DNN Sharp Licensing 101

As of Jan 2022, information referenced in this article is out of date. Please read our Important Announcement for updated information.

 

It all started back in the days with 1 module which led to another... and another. We're currently talking about a set of:

  • 14 base modules
  • more than 20 add-ons which give extra functionality to the base module and also integrate with common Service providers (like Paypal, Stripe, Authorize.net and others)
  • SharpCDN which is the easiest solution to implement Amazon's CDN (CloudFront) on your DNN website
  • DNN Admin which was our boldest attempt and came out as a time saver for many DNN website administrators
  • and last but not least a hosting platform which will soon become much more than that

But this article is about how licensing works for all of those.

As in most industries, in order to have access to using a product you must first purchase a licence for doing so. But how do you know which licence is good for you. How do you know which is the most optimal one to purchase without breaking the bank? 

I'll start with the easy ones: SharpCDN and Hosting

Hosting is as simple as it gets: a monthly subscription plan which guarantees you access to the platform. It's as paying your monthly plan to the mobile carrier or the cable company; you try to make the most of what you get.

Sharp CDN is not far from that either; it comes with many benefits for your server and brings them in 2 ways:

  • a FREE plan that gets you 500 page loads served through the Content Delivery Network
  • a PREPAID Credits option which can get you through high traffic periods if they don't come on a monthly base; you buy a pack of credits and use them for as long as they last - they do not expire and just wait to be used.
  • a POSTPAID subscription that brings more page views according to the monthly plan of your choice (2000 free for hosting clients, 5000 or 50000)

DNN Admin is very similar to SharpCDN and offers:

  • a FREE plan that ensures you can easily send DNN Sharp modules updates to multiple DNN instances at the same time without going to each and every one of them
  • and paid plans that bring extra benefits as: other vendors modules deployment, page deployments, portal deployments and even a solution deployment

Compared to the products above where the payment is in tight correlation with the service (basically you stop paying, the service will stop working) the next ones are a little different.

All modules and add-ons purchased from DNN Sharp, regardless of the licence type, come with:

  1. a given number of activations determined by the licence type
  2. lifetime right to use the software "AS IS"(at the time of purchase) for the number of activations provided with the licence
  3. and an updates and support subscription in which you can take advantage of our Support and FREE Updates to newer versions of the product

Now, the multitude of licence types we offer for the Modules are mainly related to the number of activations they provide and they are as follows:

  1. Domain licences which are linked to the domain name (website url) and once activated they can not be changed in any way
    • 1 Standard Licence - 1 domain activation (XDOM) and unlimited subdomains
    • 2 Standard Licence + 1 Free - 3 domain activations on a single registration code (3XDOM) which come as well with unlimited subdomain activations
  2. Host Activation Licences which, as the category name suggests, offer you activation on multiple portals/websites of one or more hosts:
  • HOST - which offer up to 20 activations but on portals that belong to the same DNN install
  • ENT - which is the Enterprise licence that offers unlimited activations for all sites that you/your company own or manage
  • DEV - is the Enterprise licence with a little extra which is the right to resell the product built on DNN Sharp modules (SaaS, PaaS,...)

The Add-ons come with only 2 licence types as follows:

  • Standard (STD) - which means it can only be used for 1 single domain
  • Enterprise (ENT) -  which comes with unlimited domains usage for the same licence

The above licence types apply only to individual module/add-on purchases. On top of the licence types above, the modules can also be activated for a limited time (30 days) with a trial licence which can be used only once for each domain.

You can purchase the All-In-One pack which we call collections and are as follows:

  • WebSharp which is the "Standard"(1 domain) licence for all modules and can be purchased as: Modules Only(STD) or Modules and Add-ons(STDADD)
  • AppSharp which is the "Enterprise"(unlimited domains) licence for all modules and can be purchased as: Modules Only (ENT) or Modules and Add-ons (ENTADD)

When it comes to domain licences, once a licence is activated on a domain it is bound to it and there's not much we can do; the activation file lies locally on your machine and we have no control over it. That's why the domain licences need to be activated only on:

  • the production domain name they were purchased for 
  • any of the subdomains of the production domain (dev1.production.com, dev2.production.com, dev1000.production.com, anything.production.com)

Alternatively, all our modules and Add-ons work in Development mode without requiring activation if they are used on:

  • localhost 
  • 127.0.0.1 
  • domains that end with("lvh.me","dnndev.me","dnndev")

That's a lot of information for one article but kinda sums it all up when it comes to dealing with or just picking the right DNN Sharp licence. It's not all about having the best module; you also need to have the licence that fits your business needs and is best suited for your development and production environment.

Any other questions you may have do not hesitate to contact our support team on the Helpcenter.

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Mihai StanciuMihai Stanciu

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About Us

DNN Sharp is a leading provider with a proven track record in defining, designing and developing DNN Modules catering for a passionate community of thousands of users.

While our core focus is on DNN modules, our mission is to provide top quality products complemented by fast and reliable Customer support. We listen to our Customers and produce a variety of solutions to meet the complex needs of our global audience.







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