1What FoxPlug reads from FastSpring
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Active subscriptions | up to 5 pages of 50 live subscriptions with status active. Per subscription: its id, product, price, currency. |
| Overdue subscriptions | live subscriptions with status overdue: how many, and the monthly amount at risk. They are not counted as active. |
| New and cancelled in 30 days | FastSpring's list has no start date, so FastSpring is asked for subscriptions created and cancelled between 30 days ago and today, and the returned ones are counted. |
| Billing interval of each product | the interval and length from up to 25 of your products, to turn a price into a monthly figure. A product that cannot be read adds 0 and marks the result partial. |
| Monthly amount | the subscription price in whole currency units, multiplied by 100 (not for currencies with no minor unit) and spread over the product's interval. |
| Live mode only | every subscription request asks for live scope, so test orders are left out. |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in FastSpring worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
The first active subscription appears
The moment is titled like this: 💸 Got the first paying customer
A maker connects FastSpring and presses Check for what's new. One subscription is active, so the moment reads 'Got the first paying customer' with the line 'Someone is paying for the thing I'm building (counted from FastSpring).' A post is drafted for review.
Active subscriptions reach 10, 50 or 100
The moment is titled like this: Passed 10 paying subscribers
The 10th active subscription is read. The moment 'Passed 10 paying subscribers' is written once, described as '10 people now pay for it every month (counted from FastSpring).'
One or more subscriptions are past due
The moment is titled like this: No milestone. Brief line like '2 subscriptions are past due, $48 a month at risk.'
Two subscriptions show a past-due payment. The monthly amount at risk is added up from their amounts and the brief puts a Fix line ahead of any post.
Monthly revenue crosses a milestone number between two reads
The moment is titled like this: Brief line: 'You passed $1,000 a month. Tell people.'
A first read shows $940 a month and a later read at least a day on shows $1,060. The brief offers a Say line for crossing $1,000.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to FastSpring. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Past-due subscriptions become the fix line. How the brain decides
- The first paying customer, then 10, 50 and 100 subscribers, become say lines. How the brain decides
- Crossing a monthly revenue milestone ($100 up to $50,000) becomes a Say line. How the brain decides
- Card expiry, saving customers and win-back need each customer's details, so they stay Stripe only. How the brain decides
- When several revenue tools are connected the brief uses one: connected Stripe first, else another connected one. How the brain decides
4Set up FastSpring in a few steps
Access: FastSpring API username and password, joined by a colon, pasted into FoxPlug. What to give it: API credentials (username:password). FastSpring documents no read-only credential, so this credential can do more than FoxPlug uses.
- In FastSpring, go to Developer Tools, then APIs, then API Credentials, and choose Create.
- Copy the username and the password straight away; FastSpring shows the password only once.
- Join them with a colon, like username:password, and paste that into the FastSpring box in FoxPlug.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- The credential cannot be limited to reading: FastSpring documents no read-only option, though FoxPlug only sends GET requests.
- At most 250 active subscriptions are read (5 pages of 50); more marks the result partial.
- Trial subscriptions are not counted.
- The new and cancelled numbers rely on FastSpring's created and cancelled event filters; cancelled means a cancel was requested, which may be before the subscription ends.
- A product whose interval cannot be read adds 0 to monthly revenue and marks the result partial; at most 25 products are looked up.
- Add-ons, discounts and quantity are not added to the price.
- FastSpring allows 250 calls per IP per minute; a read uses at most 45.
- No failed-payment rescue, expiring card, saving or win-back drafts: those are Stripe only.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Customer names, emails, addresses and card details. The reader keeps only status, amounts, interval, currency and dates.
- Anything written back: only GET reads are made, nothing is created, changed or cancelled in FastSpring.
- Card details: FastSpring's subscription records include card type, last digits and expiry; the reader never takes those fields, and it keeps no account or customer detail.
7How FastSpring differs from the tools next to it
FastSpring is a seller-of-record like Paddle, but its subscription list has no dates or interval, so new and cancelled come from its event filters and the interval from a read of your products. It has no read-only credential, unlike Chargebee and Recurly.
8Questions
Does FoxPlug see my customers' names or emails from FastSpring?
No. It keeps only subscription ids, product, price, currency and counts. No name, email, address or card detail is read or stored.
Is the credential read-only?
No. FastSpring documents no read-only credential, so the one you make can do more than FoxPlug uses. FoxPlug only reads. Reset it in FastSpring any time to cut access.
What do I paste?
The API username and password joined by a colon, like username:password.
Why might some numbers be marked partial?
FastSpring's list does not carry the billing interval, so FoxPlug looks it up on your products. If one cannot be read, its monthly amount stays at 0 and the result says so.
When does it read FastSpring?
When you press Check for what's new or Build the brief.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.