Need help with protecting my bot.

[SuperDude123]

Hi
i made a strategies that I would like to lease it out to 20 of my friends. But I dont want to know what in the code or I dont want to share it with other people. I have been emailing with ninja trader ecosystem but it been a nightmare getting thing done. 2 week and all I got was we ll call you but never get any.

Any suggestion
Thank you

[bltdavid]

You only need to become involved in the ecosystem if you want to use
NinjaTrader's vendor licensing (which is free) -- but in return, they want you
to (I think) have a website and have (to some extent, I think) a business.

But you don't necessarily need to follow that route. I mean, there are other
methods of licensing your code.

In this thread I'll outline my suggestion for the cheapest and simplest solution.

These can be taken as baby steps while you get started. Use this method for a
couple dozen friends & family (paying or not, that's up to you), and for as many
NT8 plugins as you wish. Consider this technique as part of a super early beta
period, where 20 of your biggest fans get to follow you even before you decide
to become an authorized vendor in the ecosystem.

1. Hardcode a list of MachineIds of authorized users directly into your code.

Gather everyone's MachineId from their NinjaTrader installation. Then you
hardcode a list of strings, directly in your code, which is just a pre-initialized
list of MachineIds of every authorized user. Somewhere in OnStateChange,
perhaps for State.Configure, you inspect the hardcoded list to see if the current
MachineId is contained in the list (and thus, authorized). You'll set a bool to keep
track of this 'authorization check' (such as, IsAuthorized) and if this bool is false,
you'll just immediately return from OnBarUpdate, effectively refusing to run if an
unknown MachineId is trying to run your code.

However, since this is a strategy, you have the option of allowing anyone to run
it for backtesting purposes; only allowing authorized users to run with real-time
data. This means you and your friends and family can share your DLL with other
interested people without hesitation -- all these unauthorized users can do is
backtest your strategy -- meaning, they'll need to contact you to run your strategy
with real-time data -- only then do you add their MachineId to your hardcoded
list (after they pay you, if necessary) and you send them a new release that
includes (er, I mean, authorizes) their MachineId.

How to do this? Easy, don't lookup the MachineId in your hardcoded list until
State.Realtime. Remember, the Strategy Analyzer only uses historical data, so
it should never reach State.Realtime, allowing any unauthorized user a chance to
see and study the backtest results of your Strategy before committing to using it.

Obviously, if this kind of freedom for unauthorized users is not desired, then
confirm the current MachineId well before State.Realtime.

2. Protect/encrypt your code.

Study this page. You'll want to pay the $100/year in order to create a protected
assembly, which is contained in the .zip file that your users will import. Whereas
this step was free in NT7, the equivalent NT8 offering is not free.

Both #1 and #2 are critical to protect your intellectually property. If you distribute
your code using one without the other, you, the code author, can lose an immense
amount of revenue and control over your work. Always do both.

Just remember that licensing and encryption are two separate things, and although
NinjaTrader offers viable solutions for both, theirs is not the only solution available.

Good luck!

[SuperDude123]

Dang, you sound alien to me but I ll look it up. Thank you

[ezrollin]

I think you just go to Tools > export > export ninja script add on.
choose your strategy. Choose "Export it as a COMPILED ASSEMBLY"
take out the DLL file and send it to all your friends.
They can add that DLL file and (I THINK) start the strategy without being able to see the code since the DLL is encrypted.
Your friends arent smart enough to hack an encrypted DLL

[NinjaTrader_ChelseaB]

Hello SuperDude123,

bltdavid is correct here.

Below is a link to a forum post with this information.

https://ninjatrader.com/support/forum/forum/ninjatrader-8/indicator-development/1109845-turn-indicator-private-with-password?p=1109850#post1109850

[bltdavid]

I think you just go to Tools > export > export ninja script add on.
choose your strategy. Choose "Export it as a COMPILED ASSEMBLY"
take out the DLL file and send it to all your friends.
They can add that DLL file and (I THINK) start the strategy without being able to see the code since the DLL is encrypted.
Your friends arent smart enough to hack an encrypted DLL

Compiled Assembly != Encrypted Assembly.

Unless you take extra steps to specifically encrypt your assembly, I guarantee
you, compiling your assembly does not automatically encrypt your assembly.

A compiled assembly that is not encrypted can be easily dis-assembled, practically
recreating the original C# code. Your friends may not be smart enough to do this,
but their computer savvy kid probably is. Free tools to do this are plentiful.

So, what are the specific extra steps you need to do?
Pay $100/year for Agile.NET for NT8.

[SuperDude123]

But with me paying $100 agile, whoever got the code, will they be able to share it with someone else?

[bltdavid]

But with me paying $100 agile, whoever got the code, will they be able to share it with someone else?

Yes, absolutely.
Anybody can share your assembly with anybody else.

You can't stop this, nor should you care about this.

What you can stop is the ability for the unauthorized recipients to
run or decompile your code.

Let's talk about this in more detail.

Sure, someone can share your assembly, and the recipient can
certainly install that assembly into their own NT8 setup.

But, the point is: it won't do them any good. Because the new user is
not authorized, your code will refuse to run. Why? Because your code
is protected from execution by licensing.

Second, because your code is encrypted by Agile.Net, (which, yes,
you'll have to pay $100/year to use), no one will be able to recreate
your C# code via the standard well known .NET disassembly tools.

That's right -- when .NET code is dis-assembled, the result is not
x86 assembly code but the full (and very close to original) C# code.

This is because the .NET world is a lot like Java. How so? Java
and C# compilers do not produce 'machine' code like traditional
compilers -- they produce files that contain intermediate byte code,
in the case of .NET it is called MSIL -- this byte code is then translated
to machine code by a JIT (just-in-time) compiler, and then executed.
The whole process is controlled by a Java JVM or a .NET VM.

NinjaTrader users can usually ignore all that fancy .NET stuff under the
hood. But if you're gonna enter the world of .NET code distribution as
a developer and not understand these things (at least on a high level),
then it's just like selling the milk but inviting your prize cow to be stolen
because you can't be bothered to lock the gates or build a fence.

Licensing allows your code to refuse execution if the user is not authorized.
Encryption allows your code to remain protected from .NET discovery tools.

You will never be able to stop file-sharing.

But you can,
... stop your code from executing by using licensing techniques.
... protect your code from de-compiling by using encryption.


PS: Remember back when I suggested that you allow your strategy to run
in backtesting, but not with real-time data? That was an admission that you
can't prevent file-sharing, so why not take advantage of it as a marketing
feature -- by allowing unauthorized recipients to see the great results from
back testing means they might someday be inclined to contact you and pay
you money for a license, so that they can run your strategy with real-time data.

[SuperDude123]

Thank you, I ll look in to that. It seem like the way to go. Thanks for your time

[ryjoga]

bltdavid Could you provide a sample code of how you would hardcode a list of MachineIds of authorized users directly into the code? I am trying but NT8 shows error when Using NinjaTrader.Cbi.License.MachineId. Appreciate it!

[NinjaTrader_BrandonH]

Hello ryjoga,

Thanks for your notes.

Please write in to support[at]ninjatrader[dot]com with a description of your inquiry regarding the use of NinjaTrader.Cbi.License and we will be happy to look into the error.

In the Subject of your email include 'ATTN: BrandonH' and in the body of your email include a link to this forum thread.

We look forward to assisting further.