php encryption?

[Geriatrix]

I came across php encryption products to protect your intellectual property. Why?
AFAIK no one without server access could read unexecuted php code. Am I missing something?

 

[hof]

Not all PHP products are run as a service. You may need to provide on-site servers for clients or license the software to third parties. Without obfuscating your code, you're handing your IP away.

 

[RSkeens]

The source code would otherwise be available to people who use / download the PHP files as a redistribution.

 

[Geriatrix]

Not all PHP products are run as a service. You may need to provide on-site servers for clients or license the software to third parties. Without obfuscating your code, you're handing your IP away.

Oooh. So say you write some neat plugin or something and you'd like to sell it. Ok, didn't even think about that.
Thanks hof. Loved your car btw.

 

[SilverNodashi]

Oooh. So say you write some neat plugin or something and you'd like to sell it. Ok, didn't even think about that.
Thanks hof. Loved your car btw.

yup, that's exactly where you would use it Just bear in mind the client will then need to encoder's "loader" for it to work on their server. For example, I wrote a NetCash credit card plugin for WHMCS and encoded it using SourceGuardian. So now when a client wants to use it he needs to install the SourcGuardian loader, if it isn't installed already in order to use it. The loaders basically decode the files on the fly so that the PHP server can parse the code and run it as normal.

 

[Geriatrix]

yup, that's exactly where you would use it Just bear in mind the client will then need to encoder's "loader" for it to work on their server. For example, I wrote a NetCash credit card plugin for WHMCS and encoded it using SourceGuardian. So now when a client wants to use it he needs to install the SourcGuardian loader, if it isn't installed already in order to use it. The loaders basically decode the files on the fly so that the PHP server can parse the code and run it as normal.

Cool, that's pretty clever. Isn't it a bit heavy on resources though?

 

[SilverNodashi]

Cool, that's pretty clever. Isn't it a bit heavy on resources though?

Not that I'm aware of. Most popular loaders also improve the speed a bit by caching the code, AFAIK.