Introduction to the Lotus Project
Overview
Lotus is a versatile pricing and billing engine tailored for SaaS (Software as a Service) companies. It empowers businesses to implement, track, and refine custom subscription plans, including complex pricing models such as usage-based pricing. Lotus acts as a flexible and modular control panel, allowing integration of data from multiple systems to aid in determining optimal pricing structures for various products.
Getting Started
Lotus is currently available as a self-hosted solution. To set up Lotus, users need to:
- Install Docker Desktop and start it.
- Clone the Lotus repository and navigate into the project.
- Execute the self-hosting script to install and run Lotus locally.
- Access the Lotus homepage through a browser, using predefined credentials to log in.
Users can adjust environment variables for customization according to their requirements, with guidance available through Lotus's documentation.
Contribution
The open-source ethos of Lotus encourages contributions from the community. Whether it's suggesting improvements, creating new features, or personalizing the system for individual needs, contributions are highly appreciated. Lotus's codebase is designed to be user-friendly for developers, facilitating local development and personalization.
About the Project
Pricing SaaS products can be a complex task, often not directly reflecting the value provided. Lotus addresses this by offering tools to handle the complexities of pricing models while retaining the flexibility necessary for growth and adaptation. As companies evolve, maintaining a scalable pricing and billing system can be resource-intensive. Lotus streamlines this process by offering fast deployment and integration with existing payment, customer management, and data solutions.
Technical Stack
- Frontend: React with TypeScript
- Database: Postgres (TimescaleDB)
- Messaging & Background Jobs: Redpanda and Celery
- Backend: Python (Django)
- Microservices: Go
- Caching: Redis
Key Features
- Flexible Pricing Models: Support for a variety of pricing schemes, including usage-based models, with easy customization.
- Simplified Plan Management: Efficient handling of subscriptions, plans, and deployments without unnecessary complications.
- Experimentation Tools: Comprehensive tools for pricing experiments, allowing users to conduct tests like A/B or backtesting.
- Comprehensive Integration Capabilities: Easy integration with existing systems and monetization stacks through a robust API.
License
Lotus is distributed under the MIT License, reinforcing its open-source nature and encouraging community involvement.
In summary, Lotus is a robust tool for businesses looking to streamline and innovate their pricing and billing systems, providing a range of features and integrations that support complex pricing models and ease of customization.