Build Placid

YESreplaces $19/mosaves $228/yrback to the verdict

0%0 of 18 items done

Saved on this device only. Tick prerequisites first, then work the phases in order · do not start one until the checks above it pass.

A template-to-image service with a spreadsheet mindset: templates as code, batch rendering from CSV, and a signed HTTP endpoint with a cache. The same engine as the Bannerbear build, plus the CSV step Placid users think in.

estimated effort one sittingthe files for this build are in the project pack

Renderingsatori, @resvg/resvg-js, sharpRuntimeNode 22

Before step 1

Everything below is assumed from the first step. Tick each one when you actually have it, not when you plan to.

installfree
Why Everything in this build runs on it: the server, the scripts, the tests.
Get it Download the LTS installer from nodejs.org, or install with your package manager (brew install node, or nvm install 22). Restart the terminal afterwards. open ↗
Verify node --version prints v22 or higher
installfree
Why Every step below is a command you type or a file you edit.
Get it VS Code (code.visualstudio.com), Cursor or Zed. Open a folder for the project and use the editor's built-in terminal. open ↗
Verify You can open a folder and run a command in its terminal
installfree
Why History for your code, and the way most hosts deploy.
Get it Install from git-scm.com or with your package manager, then run git init in the project folder once it exists. open ↗
Verify git --version prints a version
have readyfree
Why satori needs files.
Get it Google Fonts, committed to the repo. open ↗
have readyfree
Why Phase 2 renders one image per row.
Get it Export from your spreadsheet: one column per template field plus a name column.
decidefree
Why For the endpoint.
Get it openssl rand -hex 32.
accountabout $5 a month
Why This needs one process running all the time with a public address.
Get it Hetzner Cloud (from about 4 EUR), DigitalOcean or Fly.io. Ubuntu 24.04, the smallest size. You need SSH access and a public IP. Only needed for the deploy phase; develop locally first. open ↗
installfree
Why Automatic HTTPS in front of the Node process. Without TLS the browser features this relies on (and your visitors' trust) do not work.
Get it On the VPS: follow the install steps at caddyserver.com/docs/install for Ubuntu. One Caddyfile with your domain and a reverse_proxy line is the whole config. open ↗
Verify caddy version prints a version on the server

Environment variables

These go in a .env file the app reads at startup. The pack's .env.example is this table as a file · copy it, never commit the filled-in version.

Variable	Needed	Example	Where the value comes from
`PORT`	required	`3000`	Any free port.
`SIGN_KEY`secret	required	`hex`	openssl rand -hex 32.
`CACHE_DIR`	required	`./renders`	Cache.

The build, in order

1
One template, one image
A crisp card from a satori tree.
1. terminal
  mkdir placid-diy && cd placid-diy && git init && npm init -y && npm pkg set type=module && npm install satori@0.29.0 @resvg/resvg-js@2.6.2 sharp@0.35.3 csv-parse@5 mkdir -p templates renders fonts && cp .env.example .env
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
2
Batch from CSV
One image per row, named by a column, resumable.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
3
The endpoint
Signed, cached, validated.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
4
Formats
JPEG, WebP, sizes, three templates.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
5
Operate
Eviction, healthz, README.
2. Files README.md
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
6
Operate it like a productproduct builder
Only for the product-builder path: know when the renderer is down, never lose the database, and keep the server patched.
1. Answer 200 with the build id and a quick database read. Point a free uptime monitor (or your own, from the Healthchecks entry on this site) at it so an outage is noticed before a user notices.
2. One JSON line per request: method, path, status, duration, no raw IPs. Rotate weekly with logrotate, keep eight.
3. SQLite's .backup command makes a consistent copy while the app runs. Copy it to object storage or a second machine; then, once, restore it into a fresh checkout and confirm the app reads it.
  terminal
  sqlite3 data/app.db ".backup '/tmp/app-$(date +%F).db'" rclone copy /tmp/app-$(date +%F).db remote:backups/
4. Firewall allowing only 22, 80 and 443; unattended security updates on; the app running as an unprivileged user under systemd with Restart=on-failure.
done when · tick each as it passes

what this build does not replace

The editor, video, the integrations catalogue.
the drag-and-drop template editor
video rendering
WordPress, Webflow, Ghost and Zapier integrations
hosted delivery

after v1, if you want it

A Google Sheets source
A preview page per template

Need the files? The project pack on the verdict page hands your agent the whole brief · more og images.