Build a software license tracker

A Software License Tracker is an application designed to monitor, manage, and ensure compliance with software licenses used by a company or an individual. Below is a basic implementation guide with code using Python and a SQLite database. This is a CLI-based version, but it can be extended into a full web or desktop app later.

Features

• Add software licenses

• Edit/update license info

• List all licenses

• Check for expired licenses

• Search by software name

• Delete licenses

Tools & Libraries

• Python 3.x

• SQLite via sqlite3

• datetime for expiry tracking

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Setup Database

python
CopyEdit
import sqlite3

def init_db():
    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('''
        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS licenses (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
            software_name TEXT NOT NULL,
            license_key TEXT NOT NULL,
            assigned_to TEXT,
            purchase_date TEXT,
            expiry_date TEXT,
            license_type TEXT
        )
    ''')
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

Step 2: Add New License

python
CopyEdit
def add_license():
    software_name = input("Software Name: ")
    license_key = input("License Key: ")
    assigned_to = input("Assigned To: ")
    purchase_date = input("Purchase Date (YYYY-MM-DD): ")
    expiry_date = input("Expiry Date (YYYY-MM-DD): ")
    license_type = input("License Type (Single/User/Enterprise): ")

    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('''
        INSERT INTO licenses 
        (software_name, license_key, assigned_to, purchase_date, expiry_date, license_type)
        VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
    ''', (software_name, license_key, assigned_to, purchase_date, expiry_date, license_type))
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    print("License added successfully.")

Step 3: List All Licenses

python
CopyEdit
def list_licenses():
    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('SELECT * FROM licenses')
    rows = cursor.fetchall()
    for row in rows:
        print(row)
    conn.close()

Step 4: Search License by Software Name

python
CopyEdit
def search_license():
    name = input("Enter software name to search: ")
    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM licenses WHERE software_name LIKE ?", ('%' + name + '%',))
    results = cursor.fetchall()
    for res in results:
        print(res)
    conn.close()

Step 5: Delete a License

python
CopyEdit
def delete_license():
    license_id = input("Enter license ID to delete: ")
    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("DELETE FROM licenses WHERE id=?", (license_id,))
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    print("License deleted.")

Step 6: Check for Expired Licenses

python
CopyEdit
from datetime import datetime

def check_expired():
    today = datetime.today().date()
    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM licenses")
    rows = cursor.fetchall()
    print("Expired Licenses:")
    for row in rows:
        expiry = datetime.strptime(row[5], "%Y-%m-%d").date()
        if expiry < today:
            print(row)
    conn.close()

Step 7: Update License Information

python
CopyEdit
def update_license():
    license_id = input("Enter license ID to update: ")
    field = input("Enter field to update (software_name, license_key, assigned_to, purchase_date, expiry_date, license_type): ")
    new_value = input(f"Enter new value for {field}: ")

    conn = sqlite3.connect("licenses.db")
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute(f"UPDATE licenses SET {field} = ? WHERE id = ?", (new_value, license_id))
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
    print("License updated.")

Step 8: CLI Menu

python
CopyEdit
def menu():
    init_db()
    while True:
        print("nSoftware License Tracker")
        print("1. Add License")
        print("2. List All Licenses")
        print("3. Search License")
        print("4. Delete License")
        print("5. Update License")
        print("6. Check Expired Licenses")
        print("7. Exit")
        choice = input("Choose an option: ")

        if choice == '1':
            add_license()
        elif choice == '2':
            list_licenses()
        elif choice == '3':
            search_license()
        elif choice == '4':
            delete_license()
        elif choice == '5':
            update_license()
        elif choice == '6':
            check_expired()
        elif choice == '7':
            break
        else:
            print("Invalid choice.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    menu()

Future Enhancements

• Web-based dashboard (Flask/Django)

• Email notifications before license expiry

• Export reports to CSV/Excel

• User authentication

• License file/document upload support

This command-line software license tracker provides a functional base for tracking your software assets and license compliance. It can be extended to include analytics, integrations, or a frontend interface depending on your needs.