Cothery Developer Portal

Create a Vendor Account

Register as a vendor on Cothery and complete your profile setup. Your vendor account is required to access the API and submit products.

Generate an API Key

Go to Vendor Dashboard → Settings → API Keys and generate a new API key. Store it securely — you'll need it for all API requests.

Submit Your Product

Upload your product with pricing for each license tier (Regular, Extended, Unlimited). Set descriptions, screenshots, and upload the product zip file.

Add a License Input to Your Setup/Admin Panel

Create a settings page or setup wizard in your script where the customer enters their license key and (optionally) the domain it's being installed on.

// Example: WordPress plugin settings page
add_settings_field(
    'cothery_license_key',
    'License Key',
    'render_license_field',
    'my-plugin-settings'
);

Implement License Verification (Server-Side)

Add a server-side call to the /licenses/verify endpoint. This should run when the admin panel loads or periodically (e.g., daily cron).

// PHP example — call on admin init
$response = wp_remote_post('/licenses/verify', [
    'headers' => ['Authorization' => 'Bearer ' . COTHERY_API_KEY],
    'body'    => json_encode([
        'license_key' => get_option('cothery_license_key'),
        'domain'      => $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'],
    ]),
]);

$result = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
update_option('cothery_license_valid', $result['valid'] ?? false);

Implement Activation on First Use

When the customer saves their license key for the first time, call the /licenses/activate endpoint to register the domain. This increments the activation count.

Handle Invalid / Expired Licenses Gracefully

When verification fails, show a helpful message (not a crash). Disable premium features but keep the admin panel accessible so the customer can update their key or contact support.

Set Up Webhooks (Optional but Recommended)

Configure a webhook endpoint to receive order.completed and order.refunded events. This lets you auto-provision or revoke access without the customer needing to enter a key manually.

Test End-to-End in Staging

Before going live, test the full flow: purchase → license issued → activation → verification → deactivation. Use a test license key from your vendor dashboard.

Submit for Review & Go Live

Submit your product for review. Once approved, it goes live on the marketplace. Customers can purchase, receive license keys, and activate using your integration.