Check Updates

Return the latest published version of a product. Public – the license key is optional.

Use this for custom updaters (desktop apps, CLI tools, your own PHP). WordPress plugins get this through the WordPress SDK. Joomla extensions use Joomla's own updater, see Joomla update server integration.

Request

GET /api/index.php/v1/licensedock/updates/{product_id}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	In	Required	Notes
product_id	integer	URL	Yes	Product ID
license_key	string	Query	No	Scopes the result to the license's plan and adds the license's state. dlid is accepted as an alias

Example

# Public: latest version with an all-plans file
curl "https://yoursite.com/api/index.php/v1/licensedock/updates/42"

# Licensed: plan-scoped, with license state
curl "https://yoursite.com/api/index.php/v1/licensedock/updates/42?license_key=A1B2C3D4-E5F6A7B8-C9D0E1F2-A3B4C5D6"

Response

Version available (200)

{
  "data": {
    "update_available": true,
    "name": "My Extension",
    "version": "2.1.0",
    "download_url": "https://yoursite.com/api/index.php/v1/licensedock/downloads/42",
    "download_requires": "license_key",
    "release_notes": "Bug fixes and improvements.",
    "date": "2026-04-03",
    "file_size": 5242880,
    "requires_license": true
  }
}

With a license_key that covers the product, four fields are added:

{
  "data": {
    "update_available": true,
    "...": "the fields above, plus",
    "license_status": "active",
    "license_expires_at": "2027-04-03T00:00:00Z",
    "auto_renew": true,
    "next_payment_at": "2027-03-03T00:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field	Notes
update_available	true when a published version exists. The API doesn't know which version the caller has installed – compare version with it yourself
name	Product title
version	Version string as entered in the admin
download_url	Absolute URL of the download endpoint. null when the product is set to Account only
download_requires	What /downloads will ask for. See the table below
release_notes	The version's release notes, or null
date	Release date (Y-m-d). The release date set in the admin, or the upload date
file_size	Size in bytes of the file an updater would receive
requires_license	The product's Requires License setting
license_status	active, expired, suspended, revoked or cancelled. An active license past its expiry date reports expired
license_expires_at	null for a license that doesn't expire
auto_renew	true when the license renews through a recurring subscription
next_payment_at	Next renewal date, or null

download_requires values:

Value	Send to /downloads
"license_key"	The license key
"activated_identifier"	The license key and an identifier that is already activated
"account"	Nothing works. The file is only available from the customer's account
null	Nothing. The download is public

No version (200)

{
  "data": {
    "update_available": false,
    "requires_license": true,
    "download_requires": "license_key"
  }
}

A product that doesn't exist answers the same way, with download_requires: null. No update is data, so it isn't an error.

Errors

Code	HTTP	When
RATE_LIMITED	429	More than 60 requests in 60 seconds from this IP
INTERNAL_ERROR	500	Unexpected server failure

Which Version Is Returned

• Only published versions count.
• Only files ticked Include in auto-updates count. A version whose files are all unticked (a manual, an SDK, source code) is never offered.
• The most recently uploaded version wins. The release date shown to customers doesn't change which version is served.
• Without a key, only files available to all plans count. With a key, files restricted to that license's plan count too, and the plan-specific file is preferred.
• A bundle key sees the all-plans files of each product in the bundle.

License State Doesn't Hide Updates

The update check reports a new version whatever the license state – expired, suspended or revoked. A customer who installed the product still learns a newer version exists, and license_status tells your software which renewal message to show.

The download endpoint is where access is enforced. An expired key gets the metadata here and 403 LICENSE_EXPIRED from /downloads.

Joomla Update Server Integration

Joomla's updater reads its own XML format, so Joomla extensions don't call this endpoint. Joomla fetches your update XML and downloads the package from the download endpoint with the customer's key as dlid.

The full setup – update XML, manifest, Download Key, sending the site domain – is on Joomla Extensions.