PWF Auth — VB.NET & C# example clients

This revision uses PWFAuth 1.7.0. The included NuGet.Config restores the verified official SDK from vendor/; the same package is on nuget.org. PWFAuth 1.4.0 and older cannot talk to the current server (it signs its replies with a new key), so update older copies.

VB.NET and C# example clients for PWF Auth, a free backend for license keys, end-user accounts and update checks behind one REST API. All three are built on the official PWFAuth NuGet package, so each example is just the calls you would write in your own app.

PwfAuthWinFormsClient is the tabbed API Explorer. Every feature is one click, the background heartbeat runs after login, and every reply goes to the activity log.

PwfAuthConsoleClient is a single guided run through every feature.

PwfAuthCSharpClient is the same run in C# on .NET Framework 4.8.1. The package targets netstandard2.0, so it works in older apps too.

Project	What it shows
PwfAuthConsoleClient	VB.NET on .NET 8. A guided command-line run: app info, check key, login (and moving a license to this PC), heartbeat, user variables, logout, free trial, accounts, redeeming a key onto an account, and changing a password
PwfAuthWinFormsClient	VB.NET on .NET 8. The same features in a tabbed "API Explorer" window, plus the background heartbeat (StartHeartbeat + SessionEnded), the update check and a Variables tab
PwfAuthCSharpClient	The console run in C# on .NET Framework 4.8.1

What the package does for you

' One client for the whole app: it holds the session and runs the heartbeat.
Private ReadOnly _client As New PwfClient("YOUR_APP_SECRET")

Private Async Sub btnLogin_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnLogin.Click
    Dim login = Await _client.LoginAsync(txtKey.Text)
    If Not login.Success Then MessageBox.Show(login.Message) : Return
    _client.StartHeartbeat()    ' raises SessionEnded on a ban, pause, expiry or reset

    ' a value kept on the server for this key, editable in your panel
    Await _client.SetVariableAsync("theme", "dark")
End Sub

• Encryption. It encrypts the requests that must be encrypted (login, heartbeat, logout, check key, app content) and refuses a reply that claims success without encryption.
• Hardware id. It binds licenses to this computer.
• Wrong clocks. It repairs a wrong PC clock by itself.
• Kill switch. It runs the heartbeat that obeys your kill switch.
• Moving a license. ResetHardwareIdAsync moves a license to a new PC, with your app's cooldown.
• Accounts on keys. RegisterAccountWithKeyAsync and RedeemKeyAsync cover accounts that run on license keys.
• User variables. SetVariableAsync, GetVariableAsync, GetVariablesAsync and DeleteVariableAsync keep small values on the server for the signed-in customer: settings, progress, flags. They follow the customer to a new PC, and you see and edit them in your panel (Licences or Users → the side panel → Variables).

Earlier versions of these examples carried their own hand-written client. They now use the package, so they get every server change and fix with a package update.

Requirements

• .NET SDK 8.0 or newer (dotnet --version)
• For PwfAuthCSharpClient: the .NET Framework 4.8.1 targeting pack. It ships with Visual Studio, and the build also restores it through NuGet.
• A free PWF Auth account and an app. Create one at https://pwfauth.com.

dotnet build restores the PWFAuth package from nuget.org automatically.

Configure

Configure DefaultAppSecret in the selected example before distribution. Never commit the real secret. The server is fixed to https://pwfauth.com; the settings fields are read-only and environment overrides are ignored.

Run

# Console — pass the key as an argument, or run with none to be prompted.
# An optional 2nd key (UNUSED — it gets used up) shows redeeming a key onto an account.
dotnet run --project PwfAuthConsoleClient -- PWF-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX [PWF-SPARE-KEY]

# Windows Forms
dotnet run --project PwfAuthWinFormsClient

# C# on .NET Framework 4.8.1
dotnet run --project PwfAuthCSharpClient -- PWF-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX [PWF-SPARE-KEY]

Security note

An App Secret ships inside any client app and can be extracted from the binary, so treat client-side license checks as a deterrent, not DRM. Keep the secret out of source control: configure the application during your private build process. The in-code default is intentionally blank.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.