The Guardant DL keys are a software analogue of the Guardant Sign hardware keys and are intended for software licensing and protection. The Guardant DL key is formed on the basis of a cast of the system and is "linked" to the characteristics of a specific physical or virtual machine.

The developer embeds in his software functionality for protecting and verifying the availability of a key using the Guardant Licensing API or the automatic protection utility. Windows, Linux and macOS operating systems are supported. If the software already works with the Guardant Sign hardware keys, then no additional actions are required.

The developer creates an order in the Guardant Station license management system and determines which licenses and with what restrictions should be activated on the end user's side. The system generates a serial number — a unique string that the user must present to activate the program key.

Activation of the software key is possible in online or offline modes. In online mode, the end user enters the serial number in the program interface, a request is sent to the Guardant Station, after which the program key is automatically activated.

If the Internet is unavailable or limited, the activation procedure can be performed manually through file exchange between the end user and the vendor.

The developer can control the status of software keys and their license restrictions using the Guardant Station management system.

The entire activation procedure can be fully automated and integrated into the vendor's software. It is also possible to use ready-made components for activation and management of software keys.