Integration Guide

Get OpenRSL running.

A practical guide to adding RSL licensing to your site or crawler. From install to first paid request in under an hour. The reference implementation is in Python, PHP, and TypeScript. The OLP server can be self-hosted or managed via PDS.

Full docs Jump to quickstart View on GitHub

Before you start

What you need.

A site with URLs

OpenRSL works with any site that has stable, addressable URLs. Your content structure does not change.

A payment account

The reference implementation settles via PDS (Personal Digital Spaces). You need a PDS account to receive payouts. Other payment providers can be wired via the pluggable adapter.

One of the three libraries

Python, TypeScript, or PHP. Pick the one that matches your stack.

For publishers

Three steps to your first license.

Install the library

install

# Python
$ pip install openrsl
 
# TypeScript
$ npm install @openrsl/sdk
 
# PHP
$ composer require openrsl/openrsl

Python quickstart → TypeScript quickstart → PHP quickstart →

Generate your manifest

generate manifest (Python)

import openrsl
 
xml = openrsl.generate_rsl_xml([
    openrsl.ContentRule(
        url="/article/the-old-deal",
        olp_server="https://olp.example.com",
        license=openrsl.LicenseRule(
            permits=[openrsl.PermitRule(
                text="ai-train", type="usage"
            )],
            payment=openrsl.PaymentRule(
                type="crawl", amount="0.004",
                currency="USD",
            ),
        ),
    )
])
 
# annotate robots.txt
robots = openrsl.annotate_robots_txt(
    existing, "https://olp.example.com"
)

Connect payouts

Configure your payment provider in the library settings. The reference implementation connects to PDS (Personal Digital Spaces). Once connected, every license ticket acquisition triggers a payment and issues a receipt.

For crawlers

The four-move flow.

Any crawler can become an RSL-compliant buyer. The flow is: discover the manifest, read the terms, acquire a ticket via OLP, and present the ticket via CAP. The library handles all four steps.

crawler.py

import openrsl, requests
 
# 1. Read robots.txt and discover OLP endpoint
olp_url = "https://olp.example.com"
rsl_xml = requests.get("https://example.com/rsl.xml").text
 
# 2. Acquire a ticket (OLP)
token = openrsl.request_token(
    olp_url=olp_url,
    resource="https://example.com/article/the-old-deal",
    license_xml=rsl_xml,
    wallet_id="wallet-id",
    secret="wallet-secret",
)
 
# 3. Fetch with proof (CAP)
headers = openrsl.cap_header(token)
# {"Authorization": "License <token>"}
response = requests.get(
    "https://example.com/article/the-old-deal",
    headers=headers,
)

Full crawler demo guide →

OLP Server

Run your own token endpoint.

The OLP server is a standalone service in the repository under olp-server/. It handles token issuance, asset gating, intent declaration, and payment processing. You can run it inside your own infrastructure or use the managed version via PDS.

olp-server, quickstart

$ git clone https://github.com/openrsl/openrsl
$ cd openRSL/olp-server
$ npm ci --ignore-scripts
$ npx tsc
$ PAYMENT_PROVIDER=mock node dist/index.js
 
# OLP server running on :3000
# Token endpoint:  /token
# Verify endpoint: /introspect
# JWKS:            /key

Required

PAYMENT_PROVIDER

mock for the built-in mock provider; other values reserved for future backends

Optional

PORT

port to listen on, defaults to 3000

Full OLP setup guide → OLP API reference →

Reference

Where to go from here.

Overview

Architecture, use cases, glossary, and scope boundaries. Start here if you want the full picture before diving into code.

Read overview →

Quickstart

Step-by-step guides for PHP, Python, and TypeScript publishers, the OLP server, and the crawler demo. Pick your language and go.

See all quickstarts →

API Reference

Full API docs for the OLP server and the Python, TypeScript, and PHP libraries. Every method, parameter, and return type.

Browse API reference →

Spec

The full RSL, OLP, and CAP protocol definitions. Read this if you are implementing from scratch or need the authoritative reference.

Spec overview → Spec docs →

FAQ

Common questions about pricing, compliance, self-hosting, and how RSL relates to robots.txt and existing content agreements.

Read the FAQ →

GitHub

Source for all libraries, the OLP server, and end-to-end examples. Issues and pull requests welcome.

View on GitHub →