Managing FastSpring-Hosted Download Links

Overview

This article describes your options for controlling individual file downloads that are hosted by FastSpring.

If your product requires customers to download a file (e.g. the installer file for a software application), you can choose to have FastSpring host the product downloads, or provide customers with a static URL pointing to an external download location.

If you allow FastSpring to host the product downloads, you will have some control over availability of the download(s) for each customer's order. By contrast, if you choose to provide customers with a static product download URL following a purchase, the URL can be used indefinitely and potentially without limitation.

This article describes your options for controlling individual file downloads that are hosted by FastSpring.

• About the Default Download Link Duration
• Changing the Default Download Duration
• Re-sending a Customer's Download Link
• Resetting a Customer's Download Link
• Disabling a Customer's Download Link

About the Default Download Link Duration

When a customer purchases a product that includes a download file fulfillment hosted by FastSpring, we generate a unique, temporary download link the order and present it to the customer via a button. By default, customers will see the download button in the on-screen completion page and in their receipt email message, and they can also access the button via the Customer-Facing Account Management site. If the order includes more than one product with a download file fulfillment, each product will have its own unique download link (and button) for the order.

By default, download links are valid for a period of seven days from the date of the order. In the Items section of an order's detail page in Dashboard, you can mouse over the File link(s) next to a product to see the expiration date(s) for the product's order-specific download link(s).

You can access additional details about the download link, including the URL itself, by clicking the File link.

Changing the Default Download Duration

FastSpring Support can change the default download duration for your entire Store--including all products in the Store–upon request. The default duration can be set to be as short as three days, or one of several longer durations, up to lifetime (in which case download links will never expire). If you would like to request a change to the default download duration for your Store please submit a support ticket. Please note that changing the default download duration will not affect existing orders' download links.
 

Re-sending a Customer's Download Link

By default, customer-facing receipt email messages include buttons for all applicable product downloads. In case a customer loses or did not receive the receipt, you can re-send the message on demand. To do this, access the order details in Dashboard, scroll to the Emails section, and click anywhere in the line of the Successful Order - Default Order Receipt event. Then, in the next dialog, click RESEND.

Resetting a Customer's Download Link

Once a download link has expired, it will no longer function. If a customer attempts to download the file, he or she will encounter an error 404 (file not found). However, if for some reason you want to reset the link so it will be available once again, drill into the order's details and then click the File link in the Items section.

Then, on the download file's detail page, click the OPTIONS command at the top right-hand corner of the page and select Reset.

The download URL's new expiration date will be set to the current date plus the default download duration.  For example, if you reset the file on the 12th of June and your Store's default download duration is seven days, the new expiration date will be the 19th of June.
 

Disabling a Customer's Download Link

In case you need to disable a specific download link–for example, if an adversary has shared the link on social media or an online forum, and you want to stop people from abusing the link–you can do this via the file's detail page. Just drill into the order's details and then click the File link in the Items section.

Then, on the download file's detail page, click the OPTIONS command at the top-right hand corner of the page and select Deactivate.

A new message will appear at the top of the file's details page indicating that the download is not active, and the URL will immediately stop working. After that, attempting to access the URL will result in an error 404 (file not found).

If you change your mind later, you can undo this process by repeating the steps but selecting OPTIONS → Activate.