Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Open Sky Commerce — licensing, deployment, costs, and support.
About the Product
It's a complete e-commerce codebase — not a hosted platform or a SaaS subscription. You get the full Next.js source code: storefront, admin dashboard, checkout, product management, orders, blog, email notifications, and four payment processors already integrated. You deploy it yourself on your own infrastructure and modify it however you need.
Code you own. There's no platform account, no monthly fee to us, and no vendor to pull the rug out from under you. Once you purchase, you have the source code. You host it, you run it, you control it — the same way you'd own any codebase you wrote yourself.
Yes. There's a live demo available — you can browse the storefront and log into the admin with a read-only demo account to see exactly what you're getting. The demo link is in the navigation at the top of this site when you're viewing it in production. You can also contact us if you want a walkthrough call.
Yes — this is built and maintained by Open Sky Solutions, the development shop that uses it for client work. When Next.js, payment processor APIs, or key dependencies release breaking changes, we update the codebase. Customers on active support tiers receive those updates. Agency license holders get 24 months of support and priority response; Studio gets 12 months; Solo gets 6 months.
The codebase uses TypeScript end-to-end, follows Next.js App Router conventions, and is structured the way you'd structure a project you planned to maintain long-term — not how you'd structure a tutorial. Components are separated by concern, server and client boundaries are explicit, and there are no `any` types or hacks patched over with comments. It's the kind of code you can hand to a senior developer and have them productive in an hour.
Technical Questions
- Framework: Next.js 15 with App Router and React Server Components
- Language: TypeScript throughout
- Database: PostgreSQL via Prisma ORM
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- Auth: NextAuth.js (credentials + Google + GitHub OAuth)
- Media: DigitalOcean Spaces (S3-compatible)
- Email: SendGrid for transactional email
- Payments: Stripe, Authorize.net, Clover, Square
- Shipping: EasyPost, Shippo, ShipStation
- Search: SwiftSearch — built-in, no third-party search service required
DigitalOcean is the documented and recommended deployment path — there's an App Platform config and a setup guide included. But it's a standard Next.js application, so it runs anywhere that supports Node.js: Vercel, Railway, Render, Fly.io, a VPS, or your own servers. The only real requirement is a PostgreSQL database and an S3-compatible object storage bucket for media uploads.
The app is built and tested on PostgreSQL. Prisma supports MySQL, SQLite, and other databases, but the migrations and some query patterns are PostgreSQL-specific. Swapping the database is possible if you're comfortable with Prisma, but it's not a supported or tested configuration — PostgreSQL is what we'd recommend.
Yes. The project includes a bootstrap script and documentation for setting up a local environment. You'll need Node.js, a local or remote PostgreSQL instance, and the relevant API keys for any integrations you want to test. Most developers are up and running locally within 30–60 minutes.
For an experienced developer who's worked with Next.js before, deploying a clean instance to DigitalOcean takes a few hours — mostly account setup and environment variable configuration. Customizing it for a specific client (branding, products, categories, payment processor) typically takes a day or two of focused work. The entire point is that you're not spending weeks building auth, admin, and checkout from scratch.
Required for a functional store:
- A PostgreSQL database (DigitalOcean Managed Databases, Supabase, Neon, or self-hosted)
- S3-compatible object storage for media (DigitalOcean Spaces — ~$5/month)
- A payment processor account (Stripe, Authorize.net, Clover, or Square)
- A transactional email provider (SendGrid free tier covers most small stores)
Optional:
- A shipping provider account (EasyPost, Shippo, or ShipStation) if using live rates
- Google or GitHub OAuth app credentials if using social login
Rough estimates for a small production store on DigitalOcean:
- App Platform (basic): ~$12–25/month
- Managed PostgreSQL (basic): ~$15/month
- Spaces storage + bandwidth: ~$5/month
- SendGrid: Free tier up to 100 emails/day
Total server cost: approximately $30–45/month.
Payment processing fees are charged by the processor (e.g. Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction). Open Sky Solutions charges nothing per transaction.
Licensing & Commercial Use
Solo ($149): One production deployment. For building and running a single storefront — either your own shop or one client project. Includes 6 months of email support.
Studio ($299): Up to three production deployments, up to three developers on your team. Adds client project delivery rights. Includes 12 months of email support.
Agency ($599): Unlimited projects, unlimited team members. Adds white-label rights, source code handoff to clients, and priority support. Includes 24 months of support.
One project is one production deployment — a single storefront running on its own production domain or subdomain. Local development environments and staging URLs do not count. If you build a store for a client and later build a second one for a different client, that's two projects.
Yes — all tiers permit commercial use, meaning you can charge a client for your development work and deploy a store for them. Studio and Agency add explicit client delivery rights. Solo includes building for one client, but the project uses your single permitted slot.
White-label rights are included in the Agency license. Solo and Studio do not include white-label rights, which means the license must be disclosed to the client if asked, but the storefront itself doesn't carry any Open Sky branding by default — your client's brand is the only one visible in the UI.
Source code handoff — delivering the codebase to a client for independent development — is an Agency-tier right only. With Studio and Solo, you maintain the code; the client interacts with the deployed store and admin panel. If a client asks for the source code to bring development in-house, that requires an Agency license.
Studio permits up to three developers working with the codebase under one license. Agency has no cap on team size. Solo is a single-developer license. If you have two or three developers, Studio covers you. If your team is larger or variable (contractors, freelancers), Agency is the right choice.
Yes. Contact us and we'll invoice the difference between what you paid and the current tier price. You're never locked into the tier you started with.
Support & After Purchase
Email support covers questions about getting the software installed, configured, and deployed — plus bugs in the codebase. We aim to respond within one business day for Studio and Solo, and same-day for Agency (priority) tickets. Support is for the software itself; it doesn't include custom development work or consulting on your business logic.
You keep using the code — it doesn't stop working. You just no longer have access to direct support or update notifications. The documentation stays available. If you want to extend support after your period expires, contact us — we'll work something out.
Yes — the documentation covers installation, environment configuration, deployment to DigitalOcean, and the major feature areas. It's written for developers, not end users.
Still not sure?
Send us a message. We're developers too — we'll give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
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