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Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

approveapi.com

41–50 of 58 posts

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#44

Wow, $1 for 100 emails is very very very very expensive. So expensive that I'd opt to build this in house rather and take on the costs associated with it and still come out saving money. It's a pretty solid idea otherwise.

I made a similar open source verification gateway recently. It supports emails and you can write other providers as plugins.

https://github.com/knadh/otpgateway

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#45
post #34

Hit y'all up on intercom but leaving my feedback here as well. I built this out internally for my app, and it took me a little over a day to do it. Had this existed when I built it out, I absolutely would have just paid a buck per 100 emails to save myself time; however, I don't think it's a challenging enough problem on its surface to keep someone from re-writing it and replacing you long term. All that being said,…

> I don't think it's a challenging enough problem on its surface to keep someone from re-writing it and replacing you long term

Agreed, it's nice to get something up and running for a personal project, but I'm building a commercial app that has to pass a basic security audit and every 3rd party service adds another attack vector and potential leak of sensitive data (like name, Email & phone).

I love the idea of being able to run a service like this though that's basically a set and forget hackathon project.

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#47

The email in the video on the site looks too much like a phishing attempt to me.

That's a mocked-up css animation, not a video of the actual email. Feel free to try the demo in the API dashboard to see the full UX.

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#48

Small Suggestion In the `POST /prompt` endpoint provide a way to pass metadata that does not need to be shown to the user, and return that back in the prompt answer object sent in the webhook/callback. This is helpful in cases, where I want to send some internal transaction or event reference codes that will help me to properly co-relate the answer into my flow. Best of luck!

Thanks for the suggestion! This is on our product roadmap.

One way to track users is also to specify approve/reject redirect urls with random tokens (though we agree that private metadata is more ergonomic in this case).

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#49
I wish I built this. this is a great idea. it's simple and useful it's something I could have built myself in a couple of weeks and it aggregates a lot of business useful functionality into one place. I'm putting this in my list of businesses that are good ideas because they factor out internal projects repeated across many companies.

Reading the comments here it seems a lot of people are triggered. instead of acknowledging the idea is good and they wish they had build at themselves, they are in denial dismissing it's utility by saying it won't work as a business, or they could build it internally. I say this in the Spirit of a good hn comment is something we can learn from and I believe people can learn from examining their own reactions. it seems the denial and dismissal simply serves to make one feel better about the realisation that they missed the chance to build this even though they could have and it is a good idea. so instead of facing that feeling and learning something useful they "alter reality" by downplaying the idea is good to limit the pain.

my point is that that's not a very useful response because it neutralizes the opportunity that could be something to learn from. and I guess if you do this pattern of behaviour enough then, you stop yourself learning many times miss the chance to create things you want and maybe get addicted to this reaction of altering reality to feel better rather than learning something to get a result.

Re: Show HN: ApproveAPI – Real-Time user approvals via email, SMS, and push

#50
post #49

I wish I built this. this is a great idea. it's simple and useful it's something I could have built myself in a couple of weeks and it aggregates a lot of business useful functionality into one place. I'm putting this in my list of businesses that are good ideas because they factor out internal projects repeated across many companies. Reading the comments here it seems a lot of people are triggered. instead of acknow…

I appreciate your defense of these folks. It’s a kind gesture with great intent behind it. My response in no way takes away from the spirit of your post.

I think the core of why people are responding how they are is that there’s not a big moat here, yet. You mention people being triggered due to missing out on their opportunity to build it- but in reality someone can just knock these folks off after a couple of weekends. That’s not to say the tech here shouldn’t exist, or that this isn’t a business. It is, I’d pay for it, I just wouldn’t pay for long. That’s ok though, it’s just a specific type of business.

I hope they stumble across something sticky in their solution that makes them painful to replicate. These sorts of utilities are always welcome and they make bootstrapping faster and faster every year.

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