Subscription, key or archive: which product to choose

© D-commerce

In D-commerce, three product types live on one storefront. These are not “three different stores” — they are three ways to deliver what the buyer paid for. Pick the wrong type at random and you either overcomplicate the start or under-sell what you already have.

Subscription — when you need a dedicated instance

A subscription fits when the buyer gets their own running cloud-app instance: a bot, a panel, a Docker service. The store takes payment and queues a deploy on your VPS. The buyer sees status in the cabinet; on non-payment, access closes by plan rules.

Choose a subscription when the product value is live access, not a file. You need an image, a launch template and a server once. After that, delivery runs on its own.

Key — when a code is enough

A key is a digital code from inventory. After a successful payment, the store issues a free key to the buyer. No VPS required. Good for licenses, activations, access to a third-party API or a product that already runs elsewhere.

Fill inventory in advance: without remaining keys, the order will not go “nowhere” — the system does not promise what is not there.

Archive — when the product is a file

An archive is a file from inventory (a build, a package, a materials set). Same rule as a key: payment → link or file, no manual shipping in messenger. Fits distributions, presets, training packs and anything the buyer downloads once or under your offer rules.

What to ship first

  • You have a Docker product and can stand up a VPS — start with a subscription: that is the core D-commerce story.
  • You sell licenses or codes — start with a key: fastest way to test storefront and payment.
  • You deliver files — an archive: minimal infrastructure, maximum clarity of “paid → downloaded”.

You can combine them: a service subscription plus a key or archive as an add-on. The main rule — the product type must match what the buyer actually receives after payment.

Next — how the contour works from payment to delivery and plans. Free is enough to create the first offer and place a test order.