The WPBay SDK is a lightweight, modular library that allows plugin and theme developers to integrate licensing, automatic updates, and customer validation into their products. Using the SDK is the recommended way to enforce license verification, restrict premium features, and deliver update notifications to paying users.
Overview
The WPBay SDK is included as part of your product and communicates with the WPBay API to validate license keys and check for available updates. It is designed to be transparent to end users, requiring minimal setup while providing flexible control for developers.
Licensing Integration
To use licensing features, you must initialize the SDK with a unique product slug, the product type (plugin or theme), and the appropriate configuration parameters. The SDK handles license activation, deactivation, and validation against the purchase records in WPBay.
Each customer is issued a unique license key at the time of purchase. When the plugin or theme is activated on a site, the user can enter their license key through the WP admin interface. The SDK sends the key to WPBay’s servers, verifies it, and stores the activation locally.
You can enforce licensing checks before allowing access to premium features. For example, you can disable functionality until a valid license has been verified, or display admin notices prompting the user to activate their license.
Update Handling
The SDK also supports automatic updates for paid products. Once a license is validated, the SDK registers the product with the WordPress update system using a secure API. When a new version is released on WPBay, the customer receives an update notification through the standard WordPress dashboard.
The update package is only accessible to users with a valid license. If the license expires or is removed, the SDK will block access to updates until the license is restored.
The update system supports semantic versioning and changelog delivery. Developers can push new versions by updating the product in their WPBay vendor dashboard, and the SDK will handle update checks automatically on customer sites.
Configuration
To integrate the SDK, developers must include the SDK files in their plugin or theme, instantiate the SDK with correct parameters, and ensure version and product slug values are accurately defined. Optional settings are available for disabling specific modules such as feedback forms, usage tracking, or support links.
The SDK supports both free and paid versions of products, and can be configured to handle plan-specific feature toggles based on the user’s active subscription level.
Security and Best Practices
All communications between the SDK and WPBay servers are authenticated and encrypted. Developers should avoid modifying the SDK core files and should instead use the provided filters and hooks to customize functionality.
Before releasing your product, ensure that your implementation of the SDK has been tested for activation, deactivation, update delivery, and error handling. WPBay reviewers may inspect your SDK usage during the submission process.
Documentation and Support
Full integration instructions, code examples, and advanced configuration options are available in the WPBay SDK Developer Documentation. If you encounter issues during integration, contact the WPBay support team or request assistance through your vendor dashboard.
Using the SDK ensures that your product is properly licensed, secure, and update-ready, and is a critical component of maintaining a professional, trustworthy product on the WPBay platform.