A keys-only product is a Shopify product mapped to one or more license-key tags with no file, no ZIP, and no download link attached — the code is the entire deliverable.
What is a license-key-only product on Shopify?
A license-key-only product is a Shopify product that delivers only a license key — no file, no ZIP, no download link. Alva Digital Downloads maps the product to one or more license-key tags and nothing else, so a paid, fraud-cleared order hands the buyer a unique code and stops there.
Sometimes the code is the whole product. A game key, a software serial, or a membership number has no file behind it — the value is the string itself. Forcing a placeholder PDF into that flow only confuses the buyer and creates a download that leads nowhere.
Why sell a bare code instead of attaching a file?
Before keys-only products existed, sellers faked it. They attached a throwaway PDF reading "your code will follow," then emailed the real key by hand. That is slow, easy to forget during a rush, and it puts a broken-looking download in front of every customer who expected a code.
Manual delivery also breaks at scale. A spreadsheet of codes pasted into order notes has nothing stopping the same key going to two people, no fraud gate, and no record of what was sent where. Alva Digital Downloads replaces that with automatic, deduplicated, fraud-gated assignment.
What can you sell as a keys-only product?
Any product whose deliverable is a unique code rather than a file fits the keys-only model. If your customer's next step after checkout is to paste a code into an activation screen, a login form, or a redemption box, keys-only is the right shape. Common examples include:
- Software activation and license codes — desktop apps, plugins, and tools unlocked by a serial number.
- Game keys and CD keys — Steam-style codes redeemed on an external gaming platform.
- SaaS and subscription codes — codes a buyer enters to start, upgrade, or extend a plan.
- Membership and access codes — credentials for a community, portal, or piece of gated content.
- Gift-card-style redemption codes — prepaid values redeemed somewhere else.
- API keys — credentials for a developer product or integration.
- E-learning enrollment codes — codes that unlock a course seat on a learning platform.
If the buyer's job after checkout is to redeem a code somewhere else, it belongs here. If they need an actual file — a PDF, an audio pack, a ZIP — attach that instead, or combine both on the same product.
How do you set up a license-key-only product in Alva?
Setup takes three steps and no file upload. Create the product in Shopify as usual, open it in Alva Digital Downloads, and attach one or more license-key tags — leave files, packs, and links empty. Alva recognises the mapping as keys-only and delivers the code on purchase.
- Create the product in your Shopify admin like any other product.
- Open it in Alva and map it, attaching at least one license-key tag. Add no file, pack, or link.
- Fill the tag's key pool so there are codes ready to assign.
License keys are available on paid plans. For a screen-by-screen walkthrough, follow the help article on selling a license-key-only product.
Fill the key pool: CSV upload or auto-generate
Keys come from a pool you own. Upload your existing codes in bulk with a CSV upload, or have Alva auto-generate keys in a format you define. License-key tags scope which products can claim from which pool, so one catalogue can serve many separate code sets without them crossing over.
When does the customer get their license key?
The key is delivered after the order passes Alva's fraud check — never before. Once the order is approved, Alva assigns a unique, unused key from the tag's pool and emails it. Keys are never handed out on a pending or rejected order, which keeps stolen-card purchases from draining your pool.
If an order is rejected, the buyer receives an order-under-review notice instead of a key, so a fraudulent checkout never walks away with a working code. You can also schedule key delivery for a later time, and the broader license keys setup guide covers tags, pools, and automation end to end.
What does the customer actually receive?
The emailed download page renders the license key or keys directly, in place of the usual download buttons. There is nothing to download, so the page simply shows the code the buyer needs to copy. The same keys appear in the Shopify customer account for that order.
Keys-only pages do not expire the way file download links do. A customer who closes the tab can return to the emailed page and retrieve their key whenever they need it — useful when a code is entered days later, often on a different device than the one used to buy.
Can a customer buy more than one key at once?
Yes. Buying a quantity of N delivers N distinct keys in that single order. A buyer purchasing five seats of your software receives five separate codes, each pulled from the pool and assigned once, so no two customers ever get the same key.
This matters for team licences and bulk gifting. Sell a five-pack and the buyer gets five codes to hand out; there is no per-order cap baked into the product, and no risk of a duplicate slipping through, because each key is marked used the moment it is assigned.
What happens when the key pool runs out?
An order placed against an empty pool is not lost. Alva holds it in a pending queue and, the instant you restock the tag, assigns a key to the waiting customer and notifies them automatically — no manual chasing, and no refund for something you simply had not uploaded yet.
To avoid the wait entirely, turn on low-stock alerts. Alva warns you as the pool approaches a threshold you set, giving you time to add more codes before a buyer ever hits an empty pool in the first place.
Can I mix keys-only and file products in one order?
Yes, and the customer still gets one email. When a cart combines a keys-only product with normal file products, Alva bundles every file and every license key into a single combined delivery email. The buyer sees their downloads and their codes together, rather than juggling two separate messages.
Keys-only products are also delivered through Shopify POS, so an in-store sale hands over a code exactly the way an online order does, and they appear in the customer account alongside every other purchase. Whatever the channel, the customer leaves with a working key.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Alva Digital Downloads supports keys-only products — a Shopify product mapped to one or more license-key tags with no file, pack, or link attached. On a paid order that passes the fraud check, it assigns a unique key from your pool and emails it, and the emailed page shows the key in place of a download button.
The key is assigned only after the order clears Alva's fraud check, never before. Once the order is approved, a unique, unused key is pulled from the tag's pool and emailed to the customer. If the order is rejected, the buyer receives an order-under-review notice instead of a key, so a fraudulent checkout never gets a working code.
The order is held in a pending queue instead of failing. The moment you add more keys to the tag's pool, the waiting customer is assigned a key and notified automatically, with no manual chasing on your side. Low-stock alerts can warn you before the pool ever runs dry, so buyers rarely have to wait at all.
Yes. Buying a quantity of N delivers N distinct keys in that single order, each assigned once so no two customers receive the same code. If the cart also contains normal file products, every file and every key is combined into one delivery email, so the customer receives everything in a single message.
No. Unlike file download links, keys-only pages do not expire, so the customer can return to the emailed page to retrieve their key later. The same keys appear in the Shopify customer account for the order, and keys-only products can also be delivered through Shopify POS for in-store sales.