When you use VeryPDF DRM Protector to sell protected PDF eBooks, you can create an authorized user for each customer.
For example, if you want each customer to read an eBook on a maximum of 2 devices, you can set the 2-device limit for that user.
There are three ways to add authorized users:
- Seller Adds Users Manually
- Let customers register themselves (Customer Self-Registration)
- Automatically create users with the VeryPDF DRM API
The best method depends on how many customers you have and how much work you want your customers or your staff to do.
Quick Comparison
| Seller Adds Users | Customer Self-Registration | API Automation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who creates the user? | Seller | Customer | Your system |
| Customer needs to register? | No | Yes | No |
| Customer enters email again? | No | Usually | No |
| Seller needs to add users? | Yes | No | No |
| Reading link generated automatically? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reading link emailed automatically? | Optional | Yes | Yes |
| 2-device limit | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good for a few customers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good for many customers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fully automatic | No | Partly | Yes |
| Customer experience | Simple | More steps | Simple |
1. Manually Add Authorized Users
The first method is to add each customer manually.
After a customer purchases your eBook, you create a user in VeryPDF DRM Protector and set the user’s device limit.
For example:
Customer: John Smith
Email: john@example.com
Device limit: 2 devices
You then generate a reading link for John and send it to him by email.
How it works
Customer purchases → Seller adds user → Set 2-device limit → Send reading link
This method is simple and does not require any technical integration.
Advantages
- Easy to set up
- No customer registration
- No API integration required
- Good when you have only a small number of customers
Disadvantages
The seller needs to process every order manually.
If you sell 3 eBooks, this is not a problem.
If you sell 300 eBooks, manually creating users and sending reading links can become a lot of work.
2. Let Customers Register Themselves (Customer Self-Registration)
The second method is to let the customer create their own DRM account.
After purchasing the eBook, the customer follows your instructions and registers an account.
The process may look like this:
Purchase → Register → Verify email → Sign in → Access eBook
The DRM user is created by the customer, so the seller does not need to manually create the account.
Advantages
- Little work for the seller
- No API integration required
- Customers can manage their own accounts
- Works well when you want users to have their own DRM accounts
Disadvantages
The main problem is that it adds more steps for the customer.
For example, the customer may have already entered their name and email address when buying the eBook.
After paying, they may be asked to enter the email address again during registration.
From the customer’s point of view, this can feel frustrating:
“I already paid for the eBook. Why do I have to register again?”
This is especially important when selling individual eBooks or other small digital products. Customers usually expect to receive their product quickly after payment.
3. Automatically Create Users with the VeryPDF DRM API
The third method is to automatically create the authorized user through the VeryPDF DRM API.
For an online eBook store, this is usually the best option.
Your ecommerce system already knows information such as:
- Customer name
- Customer email
- Order ID
- Product SKU
- Payment status
After the payment is completed, your server can send this information to the VeryPDF DRM API.
VeryPDF DRM can then automatically:
- Create the authorized user.
- Set the user’s device limit, such as 2 devices.
- Generate a personal reading URL.
- Send the reading URL to the customer by email.
The customer does not need to register again.
The customer experience
The process can be as simple as:
Purchase → Payment completed → Receive reading link → Read
This avoids unnecessary registration steps and reduces the amount of work for the seller.
How the Three Methods Compare
| Feature | Seller Adds Users | Customer Self-Registration | API Automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create user | Seller | Customer | Automatic |
| Enter customer information | Seller | Customer | From order |
| Email verification | Depends on setup | Usually | Can be automated |
| Set device limit | Seller | System | Automatic |
| Generate reading URL | Seller/System | System | Automatic |
| Send reading URL | Seller | System | Automatic |
| Customer registration | Not required | Required | Not required |
| Seller workload | High | Low | Very low |
| Customer workload | Very low | Higher | Very low |
| Technical work | Low | Low | Higher |
| Best for | Small sales | Account-based services | Growing stores |
Which Method Should You Choose?
The choice is quite simple.
Choose Manual User Creation if:
- You sell only a few eBooks.
- You want to start quickly.
- Your ecommerce system has no API.
- You do not mind processing orders manually.
Choose Customer Registration if:
- You want customers to manage their own accounts.
- Your customers are comfortable with registration.
- You do not have an ecommerce API integration.
Choose API Automation if:
- You expect your eBook sales to grow.
- You want to avoid manual work.
- You do not want customers to register again.
- Your ecommerce system supports Webhooks or APIs.
- You want the entire delivery process to run automatically.
For most growing eBook stores, API automation is the preferred solution.
How API Automation Works
Suppose you sell an eBook called:
“Advanced Certification Training Guide”
Your ecommerce system receives an order:
| Order Information | Value |
|---|---|
| Customer | John Smith |
| john@example.com | |
| Product SKU | CERT-001 |
| Payment | Captured |
| PDF ID | 12345 |
After payment is completed, your system sends the information to the VeryPDF DRM API.
The system can then:
Create User → Set 2 Devices → Generate Reading URL → Send Email
The customer receives the reading link without having to create another account.
Example: Automatically Create a User and Limit Access to 2 Devices
You can use the VeryPDF DRM API to automatically create an authorized user and set the user to a maximum of 2 devices.
For example, the API request can include:
https://online.verypdf.com/app/pdfdrm/api.php?
action=user_add
&email=admin@yourdomain.com
&app_password=YOUR_APP_PASSWORD
&username=UserNameJohn
&password=123456
&useremail=john@example.com
&role=user
&phone=8589999988
&firstname=John
&lastname=Smith
&options=LockToFirstNDevicesForUser%3D2The important parameter is:
LockToFirstNDevicesForUser=2This tells VeryPDF DRM Protector to allow this authorized user to read the purchased PDF on a maximum of 2 devices.
The first two devices used by the customer will be registered for that user. The customer cannot use the same account to read the protected PDF on additional devices.
This API can be called automatically after a successful eBook purchase. Your ecommerce system can send the customer’s information to VeryPDF DRM, create the authorized user, set the 2-device limit, and then generate and send the customer’s personal reading link.
This allows you to keep the customer experience simple:
Purchase → Payment → Automatic user creation → 2-device protection → Receive reading link → Read the eBook
Where to Get Your App Password
The app_password is your VeryPDF DRM application password. You can get it from your VeryPDF DRM account profile page:
After logging in to your VeryPDF DRM account, open your profile page and find the Application Passwords section.
Copy the application password and use it as the app_password value in your API request.
For security, do not publish your application password or share it with customers.
PHP Example
You can also call the VeryPDF DRM API from your PHP application.
For example:
<?php
$apiUrl = 'https://online.verypdf.com/app/pdfdrm/api.php';
$params = [
'action' => 'user_add',
'email' => 'admin@yourdomain.com',
'app_password' => 'YOUR_APP_PASSWORD',
'username' => 'UserNameJohn',
'password' => '123456',
'useremail' => 'john@example.com',
'role' => 'user',
'phone' => '8589999988',
'firstname' => 'John',
'lastname' => 'Smith',
'options' => 'LockToFirstNDevicesForUser=2'
];
$ch = curl_init($apiUrl);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, http_build_query($params));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
if ($response === false) {
die('API request failed: ' . curl_error($ch));
}
curl_close($ch);
echo $response;
?>
The important part is:
'options' => 'LockToFirstNDevicesForUser=2'
This tells VeryPDF DRM Protector to limit the user to 2 devices.
In a real ecommerce integration, you can replace the hard-coded customer information with information from the completed order. For example, the customer’s email, name, phone number, and purchased product can be read from your order system and then sent to the VeryPDF DRM API automatically.
This makes it possible to create the authorized user immediately after payment without asking the customer to register again.
What If I Already Have Customers?
You do not need to immediately move existing customers to the new system.
For example, if you have already sold 3 eBooks, you can continue using their existing reading links.
When the new user system is ready, you can choose between two options:
| Option | Existing Customers | New Customers |
|---|---|---|
| Keep old users | Keep existing links | New automated system |
| Move everyone | Create new users and send new links | New automated system |
Both approaches can work.
The important thing is that changing to a user-based DRM system does not mean your existing customers must suddenly lose access.
What If API Integration Is Not Available?
You can still use the manual method.
To make manual processing easier, VeryPDF DRM Protector can be designed around a simple workflow:
Add User → Send Reading Link
After you add the customer, you can click a button to send the personal reading link.
This is much easier than asking every customer to go through a registration process.
Which Is Best for a 2-Device eBook Limit?
If your main goal is:
“Each person who buys my eBook can use it on no more than 2 devices.”
Then the user-based approach is the right choice.
The three available methods are:
| Method | Best Use |
|---|---|
| Seller Adds Users Manually | A small number of customers |
| Customer Self-Registration | Customers manage their own accounts |
| Automatic User Creation via API Automation | Automatic delivery for a growing business |
For an eBook business that expects more sales, VeryPDF DRM API automation provides the simplest way to create authorized users without adding extra registration steps for paying customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why do I need to create an authorized user?
If you want to limit a customer to a certain number of devices, the device limit needs to be associated with the user.
2. Can I limit a customer to 2 devices?
Yes. You can configure the authorized user with a 2-device limit.
3. Does the device limit belong to the PDF?
The recommended setup is to associate the device limit with the authorized user.
4. Do customers have to register?
No. Manual user creation and API automation do not require the customer to register themselves.
5. Can customers register themselves?
Yes. Self-registration is one of the three ways to create an authorized user.
6. Can I create users manually?
Yes. This is useful when you have a small number of customers.
7. Can the customer use the same email from checkout?
Yes. With API automation, the email from the ecommerce order can be used to create the DRM user.
8. Does the customer need to enter their email twice?
With API automation, the customer does not need to manually enter the email address again.
9. Can the reading link be sent automatically?
Yes. The VeryPDF DRM API can be used to generate and deliver a personal reading URL.
10. Which method requires the least work from the seller?
API automation requires the least manual work after the integration is completed.
11. Which method is easiest to start with?
Manual user creation is usually the easiest because it does not require technical integration.
12. Which method is best for a growing eBook business?
API automation is generally the best choice when the number of orders is growing.
13. What happens to my existing customers?
You can keep their existing reading links or move them to the new user-based system.
14. What if my ecommerce system does not support Webhooks?
You can use manual user creation, or check whether your ecommerce platform provides another API integration method.
15. Can VeryPDF help with API integration?
Yes. VeryPDF can help you connect your ecommerce order system with the VeryPDF DRM API so that users and reading links can be created automatically.
16. Can I use this for PDF eBooks?
Yes. VeryPDF DRM Protector is designed to protect PDF eBooks and other paid PDF documents.
Summary
There are three ways to add authorized users in VeryPDF DRM Protector:
1. Seller Adds Users Manually: The seller creates the user.
2. Customer Self-Registration: The customer creates the user.
3. Automatic User Creation via API automation: The ecommerce system creates the user automatically.
If you sell only a few eBooks, manual user creation may be enough.
If you want customers to manage their own accounts, self-registration can work.
If you want to sell more eBooks without adding more manual work or asking customers to register again, API automation is the best choice.
VeryPDF DRM Protector can help you create authorized users, apply device limits, generate personal reading links, and connect PDF DRM protection with your online sales process.