Subscription Gating

TermPod uses an open-core freemium model. The app is free and open source; the hosted relay charges for bandwidth-intensive features.

Tier Comparison

Rationale: Local and P2P are free to operate (zero infrastructure cost). Relay and TURN have ongoing bandwidth costs, so they require a subscription.

How Gating Works

Session WS Gate

When a free-tier user attempts to connect to /sessions/:sessionId/ws on a hosted relay:

1. Worker checks the user's subscription status
2. Returns HTTP 403 with { code: "RELAY_UPGRADE_REQUIRED" }
3. As defense-in-depth, the Session DO also closes WebSocket with code 4403

Share Viewer Bypass

Share viewers (connecting with ?share_token=...) bypass the subscription gate. The session owner already proved they have a Pro plan when creating the share token.

Self-Hosted Relays

Self-hosted relays bypass all plan gates automatically.

The detection is based on the POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET environment variable:

• Present: Hosted mode — subscription gates enforced
• Absent: Self-hosted mode — all features unlocked for all users

// Self-hosted relay response
{ "selfHosted": true }

You do not need to configure Polar.sh for self-hosted relays.

Polar.sh Integration

For hosted multi-user relays, TermPod integrates with Polar.sh for subscription billing:

Webhook

POST /webhooks/polar

The relay verifies the webhook signature using POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET and updates the user's subscription status in the User DO.

Configuration

wrangler secret put POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET  # From Polar dashboard
wrangler secret put POLAR_API_KEY         # For API access

Events Handled

• subscription.created — User upgraded to Pro
• subscription.updated — Plan changed
• subscription.canceled — User downgraded

Desktop UI

The RelayGatedBanner component shows a banner when free-tier users attempt relay-gated features, with a link to upgrade.