Why a desktop app developer chose transparency over DRM for license checks

A developer behind a paid Electron desktop app has explained why they deliberately avoided encryption or obfuscation for local license enforcement, acknowledging that any user can inspect or modify files on their own machine. Instead, the team stores the license status as a plain JSON cache and treats it as exactly that — a cache of a server-side answer, not an authoritative source. All sensitive actions, such as sending emails via the app's infrastructure or validating purchases, are verified server-side against a database on every request. The one-time purchase model simplifies the offline experience further, since a cached 'yes' never expires and a failed network call does not revoke access, meaning the system fails open in favor of the paying customer. The developer argues this approach is both more honest and more practical, as determined non-payers are unlikely to convert regardless, while wrongly locking out legitimate users creates real support and refund costs.