The Web API 1.0, also referred to as the old API, is the first version of an API that could perform actions such as Validation and Activation. A good way to find out whether you are using this version of the API is by looking at where requests are sent. If they look similar to https://serialkeymanager.com/Key/, this is a sign of the old API. If you are using the newest version of SKGL Extension, then you are using the new version, 2.0. In this letter, we are going to look at why you should upgrade to Web API 2.0, when we plan to discontinue the old version and finally how you can get more support if you would have questions.

Why Upgrade to Web API 2.0

There are many advantages of upgrading to the newer version, some of them are going to be listed below.

• It is actively maintained: In contrast to the old API, the new one is kept up-to-date and actively maintained. This means that you will get all important security updates and new features in the new version of the API. In addition, all of the client APIs (SKGL Extension) are configured to work with it.
• Many new features: The new API supports new features such as deactivation, optional field (allows to have quotas), standardized input/output format and ability to perform some actions that would otherwise require you to log in into the control panel.
• Structure and easy troubleshooting: The structure of the API methods is designed to allow you to easily see what parameters are required and what kind of information that is going to be returned. This is great especially for those of you that access the API through another environment which is currently not supported by a client API (such as SKGL Extension for .NET or Java). Moreover, if you would run into trouble, you will receive an error that makes sense. This makes it possible to easily troubleshoot errors.
• Fast integration with Get the Code: You might have already noticed a new icon we have added in the control panel, namely </>. Once you see such icon, it means that you can get code/pre-configured requests that you can paste into your application and make it work right away.
• Statistics implies security: Each time a method is executed (right now, we support activation, deactivation, validation, optional field), it is stored in the database. Right now, you have the ability to see the number of successful and unsuccessful requests in total, but we plan to add a better interface that will allow you to see more complex presentation of the data (which at this stage includes the date and the IP address). This implies security. The ability to know to where requests come from is a great way to prevent users from guessing the key and allow you to take measures before anything bad has happened. This is only available in Web API 2.0.
• Faster evaluation of requests: The new API is considerably faster than the old one and is always kept updated to ensure that it can handle large number of requests.

To sum up, upgrading to the new version of the API gives you many new features. Some of them ensure that everything is safe and fast, and some that allow faster integration.

When the old Web API (1.0) is discontinued

Technically speaking, the old API is no longer supported by any client that many use to access it (such as SKGL Extension). However, those of you that did not update SKGL Extension still have access to the old API. In fact, it still works to access it and get some support on how to use it. In several months, we plan to remove support for it and eventually turn it off. Below, a time schedule of this procedure:

• Starting from 20th of May, support pages are going to be removed as well as the documentation https://serialkeymanager.com/Key/Ext.
• 1st of June, the Web API 1.0 will be unavailable. Note, if you still want to have access to it, please send a message directly to info (at) serialkeymanager dot com.
• From 1st of July up to 1st of September, we plan to remove support for it entirely. There is no set date when this is going to be done in that time interval, however, it all depends on what is best for you. It could take up to the 1st of September, but ideally, it would be done already the 1st of July. In any case, we will notify you in advance.

This upgrade means that you would need to update the SKGL Extension version on your clients’ machines before the 1st of July. We have tried to make this step as easy as possible (for instance, there is already pre-configured code available in the control panel), but if you would need any assistance, please submit a question on our forum (http://support.serialkeymanager.com/forums/). Since many might have similar questions, by asking it there allows others to learn from it. We encourage everyone to try it out!