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Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

spliit.app

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Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#101

Post by Cheer2171 »

mtlynch wrote: post #79
LVB wrote: post #74

I'm always curious what folks use for their database for things like this. Even though I like SQLite--a lot--my preference has become that the app is generally separate and mostly stateless. Almost always the data is the most important thing, so I like being able to expand/replace/trash the app infra at will with no worries. Thought about maybe running a Postgres VPS, but I've enjoyed using neon.tech more than I expe…

> Almost always the data is the most important thing, so I like being able to expand/replace/trash the app infra at will with no worries. Have you used SQLite with Litestream? That's the beauty of it. You can blow away the app and deploy it somewhere else, and Litestream will just pull down your data and continue along as if nothing happened. At the top of this post, I show a demo of attaching Litestream to my app, a…

> No, my app never talks to a remote database server.

> It’s a simple, open-source tool that replicates a SQLite database to Amazon’s S3 cloud storage.

That was a very long walk to get to that second quote. And it makes the first quote feel deceptive.

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#102

Post by Reubend »

Onavo wrote: post #80

What they need is a payment provider integration so you can ACH or credit card pay immediately. That can also be a monetisation option for them.

There are dozens of other apps that do that already, and I don't think this one needs to follow. Staying open source, free, and convenient for cash transactions is better in my opinion.

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#103

Post by rkwz »

mtlynch wrote: post #79
LVB wrote: post #74

I'm always curious what folks use for their database for things like this. Even though I like SQLite--a lot--my preference has become that the app is generally separate and mostly stateless. Almost always the data is the most important thing, so I like being able to expand/replace/trash the app infra at will with no worries. Thought about maybe running a Postgres VPS, but I've enjoyed using neon.tech more than I expe…

> Almost always the data is the most important thing, so I like being able to expand/replace/trash the app infra at will with no worries. Have you used SQLite with Litestream? That's the beauty of it. You can blow away the app and deploy it somewhere else, and Litestream will just pull down your data and continue along as if nothing happened. At the top of this post, I show a demo of attaching Litestream to my app, a…

This is a well written guide, thanks!

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#104

Post by quesera »

carlosjobim wrote: post #91
quesera wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What's the logic? Some of us like making things, and are happy to share our excess production with the world. Like any other good work, it does not require acknowledgement or reciprocation, and the benefits are not part of a zero-sum economy where the giver is harmed by any action of the receiver. You're on record as being vehemently anti-OSS. Why does it offend you so much that other people prioritize forms of com…

> You're on record as being vehemently anti-OSS. That's true, I'm the chief anti-OSS crusader on HN and online. I'll give it a rest after this thread, to breathe and give all a chance to recover strength. > Some of us like making things, and are happy to share our excess production with the world. Selling those things is still sharing with the world. Most paid software is cheap to purchase. If FOSS was an eco system…

Selling a thing comes with greater obligations than giving it away.

I am unwilling to accept those obligations, in most cases.

I am, however, perfectly happy to share some of the work that I do back into an ecosystem which I have benefited from. I also volunteer for organizations I care about, and I pick up litter in public parks. :)

I do not believe that I am being exploited. The Internet is and always has been built on open source -- and as bad as the Internet is, it would be worse if it didn't exist or if it was a proprietary network.

I think you're taking a real problem (funding of valuable work) and exploding it into an argument against open source, which just doesn't follow for me.

I do 100% support finding a way to monetarily compensate people who do valuable work and contribute it to the world. Theoretically. Practically, it gets messy real quickly and I don't see a good broad solution.

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#105

Post by hahahacorn »

The inefficiency is bonkers but understandable. I could host this app for like ~$60/year, generously, with little to no devops work. It's painful to see the creator paying out of pocket for such a great project because the Vercel marketing introduced such massive inefficiencies to the ecosystem.

Even less when I pay for a dedicated machine running all of my hobby projects. Gratuitous Kamal 2 plug. Run your personal projects all on one machine.

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#106

Post by JamesonNetworks »

hahahacorn wrote: post #105

The inefficiency is bonkers but understandable. I could host this app for like ~$60/year, generously, with little to no devops work. It's painful to see the creator paying out of pocket for such a great project because the Vercel marketing introduced such massive inefficiencies to the ecosystem. Even less when I pay for a dedicated machine running all of my hobby projects. Gratuitous Kamal 2 plug. Run your personal p…

Where would you host this for $60 a year?

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#107

Post by JamesonNetworks »

mherrmann wrote: post #72

Re your question on saving costs: If you run it on a single Linux VPS, then I suspect you can get the costs down to 5-10$ per month. One thing I find interesting is the growth chart: It's linear. But given that the app clearly has some traction, and is viral in nature, how come it isn't exponential?

Best I’ve been able to do is around $22 a month on DO, would love to hear alternatives that are cheaper

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#108

Post by itsthejb »

pentagrama wrote: post #46

I tested the app and found it awesome that it doesn't require account creation! You just get a private link, share it with the group, and when they open the link, it asks who they are to 'log in' as themselves. Of course, users could game the system by logging in as other members, but I think it's a compromise the developer made, knowing the user base and how frictionless it makes the user experience. Neat.

kittysplit.com has had this feature set for a decade. I try to promote it whenever I can

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#109

Post by misiek08 »

JamesonNetworks wrote: post #106
hahahacorn wrote: post #105

The inefficiency is bonkers but understandable. I could host this app for like ~$60/year, generously, with little to no devops work. It's painful to see the creator paying out of pocket for such a great project because the Vercel marketing introduced such massive inefficiencies to the ecosystem. Even less when I pay for a dedicated machine running all of my hobby projects. Gratuitous Kamal 2 plug. Run your personal p…

Where would you host this for $60 a year?

I would use hosting with SSH access. I am based in Poland so we have MyDevil.net But also you can just rent VPS for 5$, but you have to care about setting everything up.

First thing I thought while reading was Firebase - it's interesting how much it would cost there.

Re: Running an open source app: Usage, costs and community donations

#110

Post by misiek08 »

JamesonNetworks wrote: post #107
mherrmann wrote: post #72

Re your question on saving costs: If you run it on a single Linux VPS, then I suspect you can get the costs down to 5-10$ per month. One thing I find interesting is the growth chart: It's linear. But given that the app clearly has some traction, and is viral in nature, how come it isn't exponential?

Best I’ve been able to do is around $22 a month on DO, would love to hear alternatives that are cheaper

Hetzner my lord :)
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