What you need to self-host
What a Dedicated or Operator Kit buyer has to provide: server, domain, email, and the integrations that are optional.
Dedicated and Operator Kit are software you install and run yourself. This page lists what you provide. Everything below is taken from how the software is actually built and deployed, and anything not yet established is marked as such rather than guessed at.
Required
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| A Linux server or VPS | The application runs as a single long-running Node.js 22 process. One instance; it is not designed to run as several at once. |
| PostgreSQL 14 or later (16 recommended) | The database. It needs the btree_gist extension, which the install creates; this is what stops the same slot being double-booked. |
| A domain name with HTTPS | The application refuses to start in production on a plain http:// address: secure sign-in cookies and the Google sign-in redirect both depend on HTTPS. A reverse proxy such as nginx or Caddy terminates it. |
| DNS the server itself can resolve | A scheduled job expires unanswered requests by calling the site's own address, so the server has to be able to reach its own hostname. |
| An email service for booking emails | Bookings work without it — a request can still be sent, approved and confirmed — but the emails that tell customers will be recorded as failed. Any SMTP service will do; there is no required provider. |
Optional
None of these is needed to take bookings. Add only what you want, and you pay the provider directly if you do.
| Integration | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Text messages (Twilio) | A Twilio account, an SMS-capable sender number, and the account details entered against the business that will send. Each business holds its own credentials. |
| Text messages (TextBee) | A TextBee account and a paired Android phone acting as the SMS gateway, plus that device's identifier and an API key. |
| Replies to text messages | A publicly reachable HTTPS address for the provider to deliver to, and a signing secret saved against the business so deliveries can be verified. Set up separately from sending. |
| Google Calendar | A Google account connected by the business. Without it, availability simply comes from your own opening hours and bookings. |
| Card payments | Not part of a self-hosted installation. The booking flow takes no payment. |
Your licence
Your licence key is issued once and does not expire. It is checked on your own server using a signature — nothing is sent to us, there is no activation call, and no periodic check-in, so the software keeps working if the server has no outbound internet access. A licence problem shows a warning to the administrator and never switches a feature off or stops bookings.
Dedicated is licensed for one business. Operator Kit has no per-business limit and no recurring software fee. Reselling or redistributing the software requires written permission either way.
Costs that are not included in the software price
- Your server or VPS.
- Your domain name, and any certificate you choose to pay for.
- Your email service, if it charges.
- Your SMS provider, if you use one — messages are billed by them, not by us.
- Any other service you connect.
The optional Dedicated setup service covers installing and configuring the software on a server you provide. It does not include any of the above.
Who keeps it running
You do. Backups, operating-system updates, database maintenance, certificate renewal and applying new releases are the installation owner’s responsibility. For Dedicated you can arrange installation yourself or buy the optional setup service; for Operator Kit installation, configuration, maintenance and operation are yours unless something else has been agreed in writing. No support, maintenance, updates or availability guarantee is included in the software price.
Not yet established
Minimum and recommended CPU, memory and disk have not been measured, so no figures are published here rather than guessed at. Sizing depends on how many businesses and bookings an installation handles. Ask before buying if you need a specific figure and we will measure it.