The Problem: Every Platform Takes a Cut

I wanted to sell digital products online. I looked at the usual suspects:

  • Gumroad — 10% flat fee
  • Lemon Squeezy — 5% + $0.50 + Stripe fees
  • Etsy — 6.5% + $0.20 listing fee
  • Shopify — $29/month + payment fees

On a $10 product, you lose $1-3 to platform fees before Stripe even touches it. For a small operation, that adds up fast.

What if you could skip the middleman entirely?

The Stack: Dead Simple 

Caddy (HTTPS + reverse proxy) → Node.js (API) → Stripe (payments)

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That's it. Three components, zero platform fees beyond Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30.

Here's what each piece does:

Component Role Cost
Caddy Web server, auto HTTPS (Let's Encrypt), reverse proxy Free
Node.js Backend: create Checkout Sessions, handle webhooks, deliver files Free
Stripe Payment processing 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

How It Works

The flow is surprisingly simple:

  1. User clicks "Buy Now" → Frontend calls /api/checkout with a price ID
  2. Backend creates a Stripe Checkout Session → Returns a Stripe-hosted payment URL
  3. User pays on Stripe's page → PCI compliant, we never touch card data
  4. Stripe sends webhook → Backend records the sale
  5. User gets redirected to download page → File delivered instantly with a time-limited token

The entire checkout-to-delivery flow takes about 30 seconds.

The Code: Checkout Endpoint

Here's the core of the backend — a single endpoint that creates a Stripe Checkout Session:

async function createCheckout(priceId, res) {
    const token = crypto.randomBytes(16).toString('hex');

    const session = await stripeAPI('checkout/sessions', 'POST', {
        'mode': 'payment',
        'line_items[0][price]': priceId,
        'line_items[0][quantity]': '1',
        'success_url': `https://your-domain.com/download?token=${token}`,
        'cancel_url': `https://your-domain.com/`,
    });

    if (session.url) {
        // Store token → priceId mapping for download
        downloadTokens.set(token, { priceId, expires: Date.now() + 3600000 });
        res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
        res.end(JSON.stringify({ url: session.url }));
    }
}

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Key details:

  • Token-based delivery: A random token is generated and mapped to the purchased product. The download link expires in 1 hour.
  • No customer data stored: We only store the token → product mapping. Stripe handles all customer info.
  • Stripe-hosted checkout: The payment page lives on checkout.stripe.com, so we're automatically PCI compliant.

The Frontend: No Framework Needed

The store page is vanilla HTML + CSS + JavaScript. Products are defined as a simple array:

const products = [
    { name: "ChatGPT Prompts Pack", price: "$9.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "📝" },
    { name: "Python Scripts Toolkit", price: "$19.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "🔧" },
    { name: "SEO Blog Templates", price: "$9.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "📋" },
    { name: "Midjourney Marketing Prompts", price: "$7.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "🎨" },
    { name: "Excel Data Pack", price: "$14.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "📊" },
    { name: "AI Side Hustle Guide", price: "$14.99", priceId: "price_xxx", icon: "🤖" },
];

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Each "Buy Now" button calls the checkout API:

async function checkout(priceId) {
    const res = await fetch('/api/checkout', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ priceId })
    });
    const { url } = await res.json();
    window.location.href = url;  // Redirect to Stripe
}

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No React, no build step, no npm dependencies for the frontend. It just works.

Caddy Configuration

Caddy handles HTTPS automatically and proxies API requests to Node.js:

shop.liyw.top {
    handle /api/* {
        reverse_proxy localhost:3000
    }
    handle /admin {
        reverse_proxy localhost:3000
    }
    handle /download {
        reverse_proxy localhost:3000
    }
    handle {
        root * /usr/share/caddy
        file_server
    }
}

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That's the entire Caddyfile. Caddy automatically:

  • Obtains and renews Let's Encrypt certificates
  • Redirects HTTP → HTTPS
  • Serves static files
  • Proxies API calls to Node.js

Analytics Dashboard (Bonus)

I added a lightweight admin dashboard at /admin that tracks:

  • Page views & unique visitors
  • Checkout attempts
  • Completed sales & total revenue
  • Per-product stats
  • Recent activity log

Data is stored in a simple JSON file — no database needed. The dashboard auto-refreshes every 30 seconds and is password-protected.

What I'm Selling (With Free Samples)

I created 6 digital products. Here's a free sample from each:

1. ChatGPT Prompts Pack ($9.99) 

Prompt: Blog Post Outline Generator
---
I need a blog post about [TOPIC] targeting [AUDIENCE]. Create a detailed outline with:
- A compelling headline (give 3 options)
- Introduction hook (2-3 sentences that grab attention)
- 5-7 main sections with subpoints
- Key statistics or data points to include
- A conclusion with a clear call-to-action
- 3 meta description options for SEO

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Full pack: 103 prompts across 7 categories

2. Python Automation Toolkit ($19.99) 

# Bulk Email Sender — one of 20 scripts included
import yagmail, pandas as pd, time

def send_bulk_emails():
    df = pd.read_csv('recipients.csv')
    yag = yagmail.SMTP('[email protected]', 'app_password')
    for _, row in df.iterrows():
        yag.send(to=row['email'], subject=f"Hi {row['name']}", 
                 contents=f"Hello {row['name']}...")
        time.sleep(2)  # Rate limit

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Full toolkit: 20 scripts with error handling & usage examples

3. SEO Blog Post Templates ($9.99) 

Template: Step-by-Step Tutorial
- H1: How to [Task] in [Number] Easy Steps (Complete Guide)
- Meta: Learn how to [task] with this step-by-step guide.
- Structure: Intro → Prerequisites → Steps → Pro Tips → FAQ
- Target: 1,500-2,000 words

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Full pack: 50 templates across 9 content categories

4. Midjourney Marketing Prompts ($7.99) 

Instagram Carousel Hero:
minimalist product showcase layout, floating product on soft 
gradient background, clean sans-serif text placeholder, 
luxury brand aesthetic, soft studio lighting,
--ar 4:5 --s 750 --style raw

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Full pack: 111 prompts across 10 marketing categories

5. Excel Data Analysis Templates ($14.99) 

Revenue Dashboard KPIs:
Total Revenue:    =SUM(B:B)
Avg Monthly:      =AVERAGE(B:B)
Best Month:       =MAX(B:B)
MoM Growth:       =(B2-B1)/B1
YTD Margin:       =SUM(D:D)/SUM(B:B)

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Full pack: 8 templates with formulas & conditional formatting

6. AI Side Hustle Guide ($14.99)

35 proven ways to make money with AI, including:

  • Quick starts ($0 investment): Prompt selling, freelance writing, social media content
  • Technical: Automation scripts, micro-SaaS, chatbot building
  • Creative: eBooks, graphic design, video scripts
  • Passive: Digital products, courses, Notion templates

Full guide: 35 chapters with step-by-step instructions & earnings estimates

The Full Setup Cost

Item Cost
Domain (subdomain of existing) $0
VPS (Tencent Cloud) ~$5/month
Caddy Free
Node.js Free
Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per sale
Total fixed cost ~$5/month

Compare to Shopify ($29/month) or Gumroad (10% per sale) — for small volumes, self-hosting wins by a mile.

Lessons From Failed Approaches

I didn't start here. It took several dead ends:

Platform Why It Failed
Fiverr Anti-bot detection made automation impossible; received scam inquiries
Gumroad Blocked by the Great Firewall (I'm based in China)
Lemon Squeezy Stripe KYC doesn't support China merchants — identity verification is real, can't be bypassed
PayPal Account permanently banned, can't re-register

The key insight: if you're in a restricted region, self-hosting is often the only viable path. Platform-dependent approaches will eventually hit a wall.

Try It Yourself

The full source code is on GitHub: github.com/rug-lizi/digital-products-store

You'll need:

  1. A server with ports 80 & 443 open
  2. A domain pointing to your server
  3. A Stripe account with charges enabled
  4. Node.js 18+

Setup takes about 30 minutes if you have the prerequisites.

If you found this useful, check out the store at shop.liyw.top — all 6 products are available for instant download after purchase.