Introducing Discode

For years I have had a small collection of Rails projects sitting in private GitHub repos. Some were weekend experiments, other launched without any marketing before I moved on to the next idea. They all shared the same fate: running nowhere and earning nothing. Earlier this year I finally decided to solve my own problem and give those projects a second life. The result is Discode.

Why build Discode

Selling a self‑hosted Rails app sounds simple until you try to do it:

• You need an installer that works on any fresh VPS.
• You need licensing, download links, and customer accounts.
• You need updates and a way for customers to pull them down.

Most tools focus on SaaS billing or Docker images. I wanted a workflow that stays close to plain Rails while still feeling turnkey for buyers. Discode grew out of that itch.

What Discode is

Discode is a self‑contained Rails application you install on your own server. Once it is running you can:

• Create product entries for each app you want to sell.
• Push your app code via git.
• Generate a one‑line installer your customers can run on their own server.
• Push updates with a version tag and let customers upgrade with a single command.

Think of it as your private “App Store” for Rails projects.

Installing Discode

If you have a Linux box with a public IP and a domain pointed at it, you can be up and running in minutes:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://rubyup.dev/install/<install key>)"

The script asks for your domain name, installs dependencies, configures HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt, and boots the app. When the installer finishes, visit your domain, choose a username and password, and you are in.

Selling your first app

Inside Discode, selling your app is easy:

1. Create a new app.
2. Push your Rails app to the git repo.
3. Create a release.
4. Share your apps sales page with customers.

When customers purchase your app, they get a one‑line installer that sets up your app on their own server.

See it in action

I recorded two short videos that walk through the whole flow:

• Installing Discode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ZxADS3SpQ

• Selling a Rails app with Discode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2D8ZmOMNEM

Try Discode

If you have a Rails project gathering dust, give Discode a spin and tell me what you think. The code and pricing details live here: https://rubyup.dev/discode. Feedback, questions, and pull requests are always welcome.