hiphops

Hiphops is a comprehensive platform designed to solve the challenges of distributing licensed software via containers. While standard container registries are built for internal development or public distribution, Hiphops provides the missing layer: robust, integrated software licensing. It effectively turns Docker into a secure, end-to-end SaaS delivery and on-premise distribution channel, giving software companies full control over who can access their applications and under what terms.

The platform is built around a private container registry that eliminates pull limits, preventing unexpected costs and access disruptions for your customers. Its core innovation lies in a dual-purpose JWT (JSON Web Token) system. These tokens function simultaneously as Docker credentials for pulling images and as license keys that can be validated within your application using Hiphops' SDKs. This unified approach streamlines the entire workflow, from sales and onboarding to deployment and runtime validation, creating a frictionless experience for both the software vendor and the end customer.

How to use hiphops

Using Hiphops involves a straightforward workflow for both developers and sales/operations teams:

1. Create a Licensed Product: In the Hiphops dashboard, define a new product. You can add custom license fields to capture customer-specific data, such as user seats, feature flags, company name, or license expiry dates.
2. Set Registry Permissions: Assign specific pull permissions to the product, granting customers access to the correct Docker images associated with their license.
3. Generate Product Keys: For each customer, generate a unique product key. This key is a JWT token containing all the defined license information.
4. Share with Customers: Distribute the product key to customers via a secure, time-limited onboarding link or by sharing the JWT token directly. The onboarding link provides access to documentation and credentials.
5. Customer Pulls Image: The customer uses the JWT token as their password to log in to your private Hiphops registry (e.g., `docker login your-project.ctr.dev`) and pull the licensed container image.
6. In-App License Validation: Within your application code, integrate the Hiphops Hook SDK (available for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python). The SDK reads the license token from an environment variable and automatically validates it at runtime, allowing your app to enable/disable features or halt execution based on the license terms.

Core Features of hiphops

• Private Container Registry: Securely host your Docker images with no pull limits, avoiding rate-limiting issues from public hubs.
• Integrated Software Licensing: Create licensable products with custom fields, expiry dates, and feature flags.
• Dual-Purpose JWT Tokens: A single token serves as both a Docker registry credential and a license validation key.
• Hook SDK for Validation: Simple SDKs for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python to easily integrate license checking into your application.
• Multi-Cloud & On-Premise Distribution: Distribute your licensed software to any environment, whether it's a customer's VPC, a different cloud provider, or their on-premise servers.
• Registry Integration & Caching: Link to or create pull-through caches for existing registries like ECR, Google Artifact Registry, and Docker Hub to centralize access management.
• Full Automation via REST API: Automate every aspect of registry and license management, from user creation to token minting.
• Granular Access Control: Define users, roles, and custom policies (RBAC) to control exactly who can access what.

Use Cases for hiphops

Hiphops is ideal for a variety of software distribution scenarios:

• Commercial On-Premise Software: Distribute containerized applications to enterprise customers for installation in their own data centers.
• VPC/Private Cloud Deployments: Securely deliver your SaaS application into a customer's private cloud environment (e.g., AWS VPC, Google VPC).
• Tiered Software Plans: Manage different customer tiers (e.g., Free, Pro, Enterprise) by embedding feature flags and usage limits directly into the license token.
• Avoiding Docker Hub Rate Limits: Use Hiphops as a reliable pull-through cache for development and production workflows to bypass public registry limitations.
• Streamlining Customer Onboarding: Remove the friction of manually sharing images and credentials, providing customers with a simple, secure way to get started.

Advantages of hiphops

Hiphops offers significant advantages over traditional methods:

• Unified Platform: Combines container distribution and software licensing into a single, cohesive system.
• Frictionless Customer Experience: Simplifies the process for customers to access and run your software.
• Cost and Reliability: Unlimited pulls prevent surprise egress costs and ensure your customers' deployments are never blocked by rate limits.
• Enhanced Security and Control: Provides fine-grained control over software access and licensing terms.
• Developer-Friendly: Seamlessly integrates with standard Docker tooling and CI/CD pipelines, supported by a simple API and SDKs.

Pricing and Plans

Hiphops offers a tiered pricing model to suit different needs:

• Registry Free: $0/month. Includes 3GB private storage, 1 licensed product, Hook SDK, API management, unlimited tokens, users, and registries. Ideal for individuals or small projects.
• Registry Team: $150/month. Includes everything in Free, plus 30GB storage, 5 licensed products, license analytics, 1 customer cloud connection, and private Slack support.
• Registry Enterprise: $1000/month. Includes everything in Team, plus 300GB+ storage, unlimited licensed products, advanced analytics, 3 customer cloud connections, custom SSO, and priority support. Dedicated instances and professional services are available as add-ons.