For customers who do require to expose features which use our products as part of their own product’s public Development Library, API, online API or SDK we offer a way to use our products: The use of a metered license. See the FAQ for details about this license type.
What is considered use within an SDK or API?
We define this applicable if you have a Development Library, API, online API or SDK Usage as any product that exposes GroupDocs products features or functionality within its own public API. If your product does not have a public API or SDK for other developers to use then this does not apply.
It does not matter the extent to which our features or functionality is exposed; if executing a public API call within your product ‘touches’ any of GroupDocs products as part of doing its job then we consider it as usage which requires a metered license. It also does not matter how many layers of abstraction an application has; if GroupDocs features / functionality are being made available to other developers though an API, then only a metered license can be used.
What are the key licensing differences?
Under our usual Developer or Site OEM license you are granted the right to distribute end user software containing our products. However when your product contains a public API, as described above, this is no longer the case and you are required to use a metered based license. If you have an existing Developer or Site OEM license and your end user software now has a public API, then you will need to migrate to a metered license.
Questions?
If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact our sales support who will be glad to assist.