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Manage licenses

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ApsaraVideo MediaBox integrates various media modules, including live streaming, player, short video, and beauty effects, into a single SDK and provides a unified license management system that supports all platforms. This topic describes how to purchase, bind, and renew a license, apply for a trial license, and modify the application information bound to a license.

Usage notes

Before you purchase or obtain a license, note the following:

  • Version compatibility — Newly purchased licenses for the player SDK Web Standard Edition are compatible only with version 2.29.1 and later. Newly purchased licenses for the player SDK Mobile Professional Edition are compatible only with version 7.0.0 and later. Before you purchase a license, confirm the player SDK version integrated into your application.

  • Billing and purchase — As of February 14, 2025 (starting with version 7.0.0), the mobile player SDK is a paid service. You can choose a Free Trial or purchase a commercial edition from the ApsaraVideo MediaBox Purchase Page. Discounted bundle packages are also available. For more information, see Player SDK billing. After purchase, follow the instructions in Integrate a player license to authorize your license.

  • Free license offer — You can receive a free one-year license for the Standard Edition or Professional Edition of the player SDK when your spending on ApsaraVideo VOD, ApsaraVideo Live, or Intelligent Media Services reaches a certain amount. For more information, see Player SDK billing.

License authorization

Step 1: Create an application

  1. Go to the My Authorizations page in the ApsaraVideo VOD console. On the Application Management tab, click Create Application.

  2. Enter the application information. Applications are categorized by platform: Web or Mobile.

    • Web: Enter an Application Name and the corresponding Web Domain. Select I understand and agree to the compliance commitments (click View Statement for details), and then click Create.

      Create a Web application

      Web domain guidelines

      • Example of a valid domain: aliyun.com. To cover multiple subdomains, such as pc.aliyun.com and mobile.aliyun.com, enter only the primary domain name aliyun.com.

      • Avoid the following formats:

        • Including a protocol prefix: http://aliyun.com or https://aliyun.com.

        • Including a path or subpage: aliyun.com/index or aliyun.com/login.

        • Using a wildcard domain: *.aliyun.com or .aliyun.com.

    • Mobile: Select a platform, enter an Application Name, and provide the corresponding Android package name, iOS Bundle ID, and HarmonyOS Bundle ID to create the application.

      The HarmonyOS Bundle ID can be found in the bundleName field of your project's app.json5 file. After you enter the information, select the Compliance Commitment checkbox and click Create.

      Create a mobile application

      Bind an Android application signature

      • This field is required if you select Android for the Platform Type and select Bind Signature.

      • Binding a signature enhances security by preventing other applications with the same package name from using the license.

      • Newer SDK versions do not require a bound signature, including ApsaraVideo MediaBox v1.7.0 and later, player SDK v5.5.2 and later, live streaming SDK v4.4.9 and later, and short video SDK v3.36.0 and later.

        You can obtain the MD5 value of your Android application signature in two ways:

      • Run the keytool -v -list -keystore your.keystore command to view the MD5 value of the corresponding signature.

      • From Android Studio: Click Gradle in the right-hand sidebar and navigate to Tasks > android > signingReport for the app. Convert any letters in the resulting MD5 value to lowercase and remove the colons.

Step 2: Purchase a license

Note

  • If you have already purchased a license, proceed to Step 3: Bind a license.

  • The Standard Edition and the Professional Edition of the player SDK ship in the same SDK package and are distinguished by license type. After you purchase a Professional Edition license and bind it to your application, you can use the Professional Edition features.

  1. Return to the My Authorizations page, select the Order Instances tab, and click Purchase License.

  2. On the ApsaraVideo MediaBox purchase page, select the SDK and function modules based on your business needs , and complete the purchase.

    When you purchase a player SDK license, ensure that the platform you select matches your application's platform type. A mismatch causes the license binding to fail.

    Note

    SDK benefits can only be purchased separately. For example, Player SDK Standard Edition can be purchased separately.On the MediaBox Audio and Video SDK purchase page, select the version of each SDK module as needed.After the selection is completed, confirm the purchase quantity and payable expenses, and click Buy Now to complete the payment.

  3. After the payment is successful, return to the Order Instances tab to view your new order instance.

Step 3: Bind a license

  1. Return to the My Authorizations page, select the License Management tab, and click Bind License.

  2. On the Bind License page, select the application and the SDK license order to bind. Each license order can be bound to a single application.

  3. In the Authorized Platforms section, select the platforms that you want to authorize, such as Android. A mobile license is valid only for a mobile application.

  4. After you confirm the information, click Bind.

    After a successful binding, return to the License Management tab to view the bound application name and its authorization information.

Step 4: Obtain authorization information

  1. On the License Management tab, find the target application. Your License Key is displayed at the top of the page. Click the copy button to copy the key. A Download Certificate link is available under each application name in the list.

  2. After you confirm the authorization details, click Download Certificate to save the license file to your local machine. Also, save the license key for use during application integration. For instructions on configuring the license file, see Integrate a license.

Apply for a trial license

Feature

Application link

player SDK / short video SDK

Product Trials

Queen SDK (beauty effects)

Submit a Yida form

Player trial

Trial applications are processed within one business day.

Step 1: Apply for the trial

  1. On the Alibaba Cloud Free Trial page, select Media Services > Media Processing and Content Production from the left-side filter. Select Enterprise Certification to display four available trial products: Short Video SDK - Basic Edition, Player SDK + ApsaraVideo VOD Trial Package, Player SDK + Real-Time Streaming (RTS) Trial Package, and Player SDK + ApsaraVideo Live Trial Package. Each product trial is valid for one month.

  2. Click Try Now to submit your application.

    In the trial package configuration pop-up, for Select SDK, choose Player, and for Platform, choose Mobile. The Player SDK section shows the player version as Mobile Professional Edition, which requires SDK version 7.0.0 or later. Each user can get a one-month free trial. You can configure value-added services such as client-side super-resolution, client-side sharpening, client-side frame interpolation, and audio enhancement as needed. The total cost at the bottom of the page shows ¥0.00.

  3. After submission, wait for a notification by SMS or email.

    Note

    The trial service includes resource plans for ApsaraVideo VOD transcoding, ApsaraVideo VOD traffic, and ApsaraVideo VOD storage. If you exceed the limits of the resource plans, you will be charged for the excess usage. The associated pay-as-you-go instances are not suspended. You can click Manage Trials to manage your trial services.

  4. Click Manage Trials to view a list of your trial resources.

    The resource list page provides filters at the top for product details, billing type, and trial status. The table below displays information such as specification description, instance ID, creation and expiration times, trial status, and instance running status. The Actions column includes links to Purchase with Discount and Manage Associated Instances.

Step 2: Create an application

After your trial application is approved, you can go to the trial console to create an application.

  1. On the trial page, find ApsaraVideo MediaBox in the trial list and click Console in the right column.

  2. On the My Authorizations page, select the Application Management tab to create an application.

Step 3: Bind the license

After you create the application, you must bind the license.

Step 4: Integrate the license

Integrate the license into your project. For more information, see Integrate a license.

Renew a license

Renew your license before it expires to prevent service interruptions. Two situations may prevent you from renewing directly from the License Management page:

  • Empty instance ID — The instance ID column for the order on the License Management page is empty.

  • Console error during renewal — A red error message appears at the bottom of the renewal page: Order configuration parameters do not meet validation criteria. Please reconfigure the product! This prevents you from completing the renewal by clicking Buy Now.

    If you encounter either situation, purchase a new license and bind it to your application, or submit an Alibaba Cloud ticket for renewal.

In most cases, renew your license directly from the License Management page (Method 1). Use Method 2 if you received a complimentary license by consuming resources or purchasing a designated subscription package. Use Method 3 if the instance ID of your license order is empty or a console error occurs during renewal.

Method 1: Renew from the License Management page (recommended)

Renewal applies to the entire license order. If your license order includes multiple SDK entitlements, all of them are renewed together. You cannot change the configuration during renewal. If you have questions, submit an Alibaba Cloud ticket.

  1. Go to the My Authorizations page in the ApsaraVideo VOD console.

  2. Select the License Management tab, find the instance ID that is bound to the target application, and click Renew in the Actions column.

    If the instance ID is empty or an error occurs in the console during renewal, use the following method 3 or submit an Alibaba Cloud ticket for renewal.

  3. On the renewal management page, click Renew in the Actions column. You are redirected to the Expenses and Costs > Renewals page. On the Manual Renewal tab, find the target ApsaraVideo MediaBox instance and click Renew in the Actions column.

  4. On the ApsaraVideo MediaBox renewal page, confirm your current configuration and the renewal duration, and then click Buy Now to complete the renewal.

    (Recommended) Enable auto-renewal to prevent expiration.

Method 2: Renew through resource plan purchase

If you have received a complimentary license by consuming resources or purchasing a designated subscription package, you must bind the new license before your current one expires. Follow the instructions in Step 3: Bind a license to avoid service interruptions from failed SDK calls in production.

SDK

Eligible amount

Application link

player SDK

For details, see Obtain a player SDK license.

Player SDK Bonus Application

short video SDK

For details, see Obtain a short video SDK license.

Apply by submitting a Yida form.

live streaming SDK

Free of charge

No application required

Method 3: Purchase a new license and bind the application

If the instance ID is empty for your purchased SDK license or if an error occurs during renewal, you must purchase a new license from the ApsaraVideo MediaBox Purchase Page before your current license expires. After the purchase, follow the instructions in Step 3: Bind a license to prevent service interruptions.

Modify the application information bound to a license

If your application information changes, you can modify it in the console.

Important

Modifying an application's identifier, such as its package name, invalidates the original identifier. You must download the license file again and replace the existing one. Proceed with caution.

Adding a platform, such as HarmonyOS, does not affect the license authorization status of your existing iOS or Android platforms. The existing Bundle ID, License Key, and SDK configuration remain unchanged, and you do not need to bind them again. Download only the certificate file for the newly added platform.

  1. Log on to the ApsaraVideo VOD console or the ApsaraVideo Live console.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose SDK Management > My Licenses.

  3. Click the Application Management tab, find the target application, and then click Create.

  4. Modify the application name, platform, the MD5 value of the Android application signature, and application identifiers, such as the package name.

  5. After you confirm the changes, click Details to complete the modification.

FAQ

Alibaba Finance Cloud user authorization

Alibaba Finance Cloud users must place an order on the ApsaraVideo MediaBox purchase page. After you place the order, submit a ticket to complete the license authorization. When you submit the ticket, include the following information:

  • State that you are an Alibaba Finance Cloud user and provide the order number, a screenshot of the purchase, and your Account ID.

  • Provide your application information: the domain name for a web application, or the package name for a mobile application.

Important

After manual authorization, Alibaba Cloud does not send expiration reminders for SDK licenses. You must track the expiration date yourself to avoid service interruptions.

After a Professional Edition trial license expires, can I purchase a Standard Edition license? Do I need to create the application again?

After your trial license for the Mobile Professional Edition expires, you can purchase a Mobile Standard Edition license and continue to use your existing application. You do not need to create the application again.

  1. Go to the ApsaraVideo MediaBox Purchase Page, select Player, choose Mobile for Platform, select Mobile Standard Edition for the SDK version, confirm the amount payable, and then click Buy Now.

  2. Return to the My Authorizations page, select the License Management tab, click Bind License, select your existing application and the newly purchased Standard Edition license order, and then click Bind.

  3. After the binding succeeds, click Download Certificate under the target application on the License Management tab, and then replace the existing certificate file in your project with the newly downloaded one to complete the switch.

Note

The Standard Edition and the Professional Edition of the player SDK ship in the same SDK package and are distinguished by license type. The application identifiers, including the Android package name and the iOS Bundle ID, and the License Key all stay the same, and you do not need to replace the SDK dependency in your project.

For more frequently asked questions, see License-related FAQ.

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