Add PRODUCT-SPEC.md draft — sellable subscription model
First draft of the product spec covering pricing tiers, billing, auth model, distribution, support, hosting, and compliance posture. 10 questions with proposed defaults per phase 2 of the sellable DashCaddy roadmap. Awaiting Sami's review.
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# DashCaddy — Sellable Subscription Product Spec
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> **Status:** DRAFT (awaiting Sami approval)
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> **Created:** 2026-07-13
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> **Owner:** Sami Ahmed
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This spec covers what DashCaddy needs to become a sellable subscription
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product. Decisions below are the proposed defaults — override anything
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that doesn't match your business instincts.
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---
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## 1. Pricing & Business Model
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### Q1. Pricing Model
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**Proposed:** Tiered self-hosted + free.
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| Tier | Price | Use case |
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|---|---|---|
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| **Free** | $0 | Single host, unlimited services, community support |
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| **Pro** | $9/mo per host | Multi-host, priority support, cloud config backup |
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| **Business** | $29/mo per host | SAML SSO, audit log export, custom branding |
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License keys gate Pro/Business features. Keys validated against the
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dashcaddy-license-server on DNS2.
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### Q2. Free Tier Limits
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**Proposed:** Unlimited features in self-hosted mode, just no cloud
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features (backup, SSO, multi-host). Free users stay on the upgrade path
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without feeling crippled.
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---
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## 2. Billing & Payments
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### Q3. Payment Processor
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**Proposed:** **Stripe** (best DX, supports per-seat metering, easiest
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tax handling). Fallback: **Paddle** as Merchant-of-Record if VAT/sales
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tax delegation is needed.
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### Q4. Self-Serve or Sales-Led
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**Proposed:** **Self-serve.** User signs up at dashcaddy.net → buys →
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gets license key instantly → pastes into their instance.
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---
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## 3. Auth & Users
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### Q5. Account Model
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**Proposed:** **Central accounts at dashcaddy.net** (not per-instance
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TOTP). OAuth via GitHub + Google. License keys issued to accounts,
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instances validate keys against the license server.
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### Q6. Multi-User
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**Proposed:** **Yes, full RBAC.** Owners, Admins, Viewers per instance.
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- Free = single user
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- Pro = up to 5 users
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- Business = unlimited users
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---
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## 4. Distribution & Support
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### Q7. Distribution
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**Proposed:** **Same installer script + GitHub releases + Docker Hub.**
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- Free tier installs from public GitHub releases
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- Pro/Business require license key to enable features post-install
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### Q8. Support Channel
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**Proposed:**
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- **Free** → GitHub Discussions (best-effort SLA)
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- **Pro** → Private Discord
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- **Business** → Dedicated email + 24h response SLA
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---
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## 5. Hosting & Legal Posture
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### Q9. Hosted Offering
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**Proposed:** **Both.** Free + Pro are self-hosted. Add `cloud.dashcaddy.net`
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later (managed Pro tier where you run the VPS).
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- **Defer cloud for v1.0** — it's a separate ops burden.
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### Q10. Compliance Minimums
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**Proposed:** **GDPR-aware ToS + Privacy Policy** for v1.0.
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- SOC2 deferred (expensive, blocks adoption)
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- HIPAA deferred
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- **Make this explicit on the pricing page** so business customers know
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what's coming.
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---
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## Compliance with DashCaddy EULA
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Per `/root/dashcaddy/LICENSE` (proprietary, copyright 2024-2026 Sami Ahmed):
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- **License key model** is fully compatible with the EULA (per-instance
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keys, 30-day evaluation without key for personal non-commercial use)
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- **Hosted SaaS** requires a separate commercial agreement per EULA
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section 1(e) — defer to v2
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- Source availability (current state) is NOT open-source and doesn't
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grant redistribution rights
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---
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## Open Questions / Decisions Deferred
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- [ ] Pricing currency (USD only? multi-currency via Stripe?)
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- [ ] Refund policy (Stripe standard 30-day? custom?)
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- [ ] Annual vs monthly billing (Stripe subscriptions support both)
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- [ ] Free trial length beyond the existing 30-day EULA evaluation
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- [ ] Discount codes / launch pricing
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- [ ] Domain for hosted offering (cloud.dashcaddy.net? dashcaddy.cloud?)
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---
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## What this spec unlocks (Phase 3 deliverables)
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Once approved, I produce:
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1. **Gap list** — what's currently built vs what this spec needs
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2. **Prioritized build order** — what blocks public release first
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3. **Architecture changes** — license server, account system, billing
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integration, RBAC layer
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4. **Documentation gaps** — install guide, admin guide, pricing page
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5. **Compliance gaps** — ToS, Privacy Policy, support SLAs
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