What we learned building a paid inbox you can self-host (Go + Next.js + Postgres)

Description and use

Hotly handled 217 paid notes across 921 conversations for a single creator, proving the paid inbox model works and is deployable on a single VPS.

Problem

Managing personal messages and payments for a creator’s inbox became unmanageable, requiring a self‑hosted solution that handles payments, privacy, and media securely.

Outcome

Hotly handled 217 paid notes across 921 conversations for a single creator, proving the paid inbox model works and is deployable on a single VPS.

Workflow

• 1. Deploy Hotly via Docker Compose; migrations run before API.
• 2. Creator signs in with Google/Firebase and creates a Stripe account.
• 3. Fans pay via Stripe Checkout; a server‑side price tier is applied based on note length.
• 4. Paid note is stored; owner receives notification and can reply with optional media.
• 5. Replies can be locked behind a price; media stored in Garage (S3‑compatible) behind API.
• 6. Owner can set weekly subscription limits and pricing tiers.
• 7. Fans retrieve replies via browser cookie or email recovery link.

Evidence

We built Hotly, an inbox where people pay to send someone a note and that person replies when they have time.

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Each install serves exactly one person, with one Stripe account and one inbox.

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Guests don’t sign up. They pay through Stripe Checkout, and the return from Checkout sets an HTTP‑only cookie that ties their browser to the conversation.

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Checkout uses named tiers. The browser says "the 500‑character note", never "$10", and the server ignores any amount or currency the client sends.

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A reply can carry a photo or video, free or paid to unlock. Media sits in Garage, a small S3‑compatible store, behind the API.

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Go (Chi, pgx, sqlc) for the API, Next.js on Bun for the web app, Postgres 18, Garage for media, and Caddy for TLS. docker compose up starts all five; migrations run before the API.

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We ran it with one creator, 536K followers on Instagram, who told the fans she already had. 217 people paid to write to her, across 921 conversations.

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