Platform

How it's built.

This site, the shop, the dedication system, and the infrastructure behind it are all built on open-source tools, self-hosted on a single server, and deployed with a git push. Here's every layer.

// Architecture

Client Request

│

▼

Cloudflare (DNS + CDN + DDoS)

│

▼

Caddy (TLS termination, reverse proxy)

│

├── SvelteKit (SSR + static pages)

├── PostgreSQL (data)

├── MinIO (object storage)

├── Umami (analytics)

└── Uptime Kuma (monitoring)

// Hetzner Cloud VPS · Ashburn, VA · $4.99/mo

Design Principles

Open Source Everything

Every layer of this stack is open source except payment processing. No vendor lock-in, no proprietary traps, no surprise licensing changes. If a tool dies, we swap it.

Own the Infrastructure

Self-hosted on a single Hetzner VPS in Ashburn, VA. We control the server, the network, the data. No platform risk from a SaaS provider changing their pricing or terms.

Minimal Fixed Cost

The entire production infrastructure runs on roughly $10/month. Fixed costs stay low; everything else scales with revenue. That's how a startup should work.

Ship the Source

The code for this site is public on GitHub. The architecture is documented here. We believe showing your work builds more trust than hiding it.

The Full Stack

Layer	Technology	License	Purpose
Framework	SvelteKit	MIT	Full-stack web framework with server-side rendering and static generation.
Styling	Tailwind CSS	MIT	Utility-first CSS framework. No custom CSS files, no naming conventions to maintain.
Web Server	Caddy	Apache 2.0	Automatic HTTPS via Let's Encrypt. Zero-config TLS certificate provisioning and renewal.
Database	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL	Production database for orders, products, and application data.
Object Storage	MinIO	AGPL v3	S3-compatible storage for timelapse videos and media assets.
Security	CrowdSec	MIT	Collaborative intrusion detection and prevention. Community-driven threat intelligence.
Analytics	Umami	MIT	Privacy-respecting analytics. No cookies, no tracking, GDPR compliant by default.
Monitoring	Uptime Kuma	MIT	Self-hosted uptime monitoring with status page and alerting.
DNS / CDN	Cloudflare	Free tier	DNS, DDoS protection, and edge caching. Free tier covers everything we need.
Containers	Docker Compose	Apache 2.0	Single-file orchestration for the entire stack. One command to deploy.
QR System	Python + qrcode	MIT	Generates dedication QR codes at fulfillment time. Styled with brand colors.
Payment	Stripe	Proprietary	The one proprietary dependency. Regulatory compliance makes self-hosting payments impractical.

Monthly Operating Cost

Hetzner VPS$4.99 Domain (.io)~$2.90 Cloudflare$0 SSL certificate$0 Analytics$0 Monitoring$0

Total~$8/mo

The source code for this site is public.

View on GitHub