Implementation BlueprintExecution layer

PodBy EU Hosting Retainer Build (5-7 days)

Stand up a repeatable PodBy hosting offer for EU clients: static sites at 5 € monthly and containerized pods with databases at 15 € monthly, both flat rate, wrapped in an agency-managed retainer with deployment and handover documented. Time: 5-7 days.

By InnovaAI ResearchPublished

DevOps Automation

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Blueprint

PodBy EU Hosting Retainer Build (5-7 days)

Stand up a repeatable PodBy hosting offer for EU clients: static sites at 5 € monthly and containerized pods with databases at 15 € monthly, both flat rate, wrapped in an agency-managed retainer with deployment and handover documented.

Prerequisites
  • Agency PodBy account with billing details processed through Mollie and an API bearer token generated via email login
  • PodBy CLI installed and authenticated on at least one delivery machine, with a test static site and test pod deployed to confirm dashboard, CLI, and API parity
  • A client shortlist of EU-based small businesses, freelancers, or main-street shops whose needs fit 1 GB static hosting or a 2 vCPU / 4 GB pod
  • Domain and DNS access for each pilot client, since custom domains and HTTPS are configured per deployment
  • A written scope template that states what PodBy does not cover (no serverless workers, no edge network, no analytics) so client expectations are set before signature
Execution Timeline
  • 1.Create the agency PodBy account and confirm Mollie billing is active
  • 2.Generate the API bearer token via email login and store it in the agency secret manager
  • 3.Install and authenticate the PodBy CLI on the primary delivery machine
  • 1.Deploy a throwaway static site from a zip upload and again from the CLI to compare both paths
  • 2.Attach a test custom domain with HTTPS and confirm PodBy subdomain routing works
  • 3.Record deploy timings and any CLI flags the team will reuse on client work
  • 1.Deploy a test pod from a Dockerfile and a second one from a pre-built image
  • 2.Attach a PostgreSQL database to one pod and MySQL to the other, confirming neither adds cost
  • 3.Mount a persistent volume and verify ClamAV upload scanning completes before marking the pod live
  • 1.Write the internal runbook covering zip deploy, CLI deploy, Dockerfile deploy, and database attach
  • 2.Draft the client-facing handover sheet listing domain, HTTPS status, backup schedule, and access credentials
  • 3.Set the retainer price band against the 5 € and 15 € monthly PodBy cost lines so margin is visible per client
  • 1.Onboard the first pilot client: deploy their static site, point DNS, and enable HTTPS
  • 2.Configure environment variables for any client pod and confirm the 2 daily and 3 weekly backups are running
  • 3.Walk the client through the dashboard view they will see, limited to what the retainer covers
  • 1.Onboard a second pilot client on the pod plan with a database-backed app
  • 2.Test the restore path from a backup so the retainer promise is provable, not assumed
  • 3.Log every manual step that took over five minutes and decide whether to script it or price it in
  • 1.Finalize the retainer agreement language around flat PodBy billing with no metering or overage pass-through
  • 2.Publish the offer page and the internal delivery checklist
  • 3.Review egress headroom per client against the 100 GB static and 1 TB pod allowances before signing more accounts
Tool cost per client is 5 € monthly for a static site or 15 € monthly for a pod with databases, so a 10-client book mixing both plans runs roughly 100 € monthly in PodBy fees; setup labor of 16 hours per static launch is the dominant cost, not the platform.5-7 days
ROI Logic

PodBy charges 5 € monthly per static site and 15 € monthly per pod with databases included, with no metering or overage charges, so the agency's platform cost per client is fixed and predictable while the retainer is priced on management, deployment, and EU data residency rather than on hosting markup. A single static site retainer billed at a few hundred euros a year already covers years of the 5 € line, and the 15 € pod plan bundles PostgreSQL or MySQL plus backups that would otherwise be separate line items the agency has to reconcile. Margin comes from batching deployments through the CLI and API across many small clients, not from upselling features PodBy does not have.

Deliverables
  • PodBy deployment runbook covering zip, CLI, and Dockerfile paths plus database attach and volume mount
  • Client handover sheet with domain, HTTPS status, backup cadence, and access credentials
  • Retainer pricing sheet mapping each client to the 5 € static or 15 € pod line with margin shown
  • Backup restore test record proving the 2 daily and 3 weekly backups can be recovered
  • Scope document stating the platform limits (no serverless workers, no edge network, no analytics) so upsell expectations stay realistic
Definition of Done

Two pilot clients are live on PodBy, one static site with custom domain and HTTPS and one pod with an attached database and verified backup restore, and the retainer runbook is signed off for reuse.

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