Today’s customers are increasingly less willing to spend hours setting up environments, choosing technology stacks, and installing software. They need more than just virtual machines — they want a ready-to-use solution that can be put to work right away.
The BILLmanager team introduces the Application store — a module that turns infrastructure into a storefront for ready-to-use SaaS (Software as a Service) and PaaS (Platform as a Service) solutions.
What Is the Application store?
The Application store allows providers to create a software catalog and sell applications as fully configured services. A customer selects an application — a CMS, control panel, database, messenger, or other software — specifies the required parameters, and places an order. The result is more than just a server: it is a fully configured service that is ready to use.
What customers get:
- Faster time to market. There is no need to install applications or configure the environment manually — the service is ready to use as soon as the order is paid for.
- Lower DevOps costs. There is no need to involve a system administrator to deploy standard software.
- Predictability. Customers know exactly what they are paying for and get a ready-to-use tool for their business.
What providers get:
- A new revenue stream. Providers can sell software as an add-on service to traditional server rental and generate additional revenue from ready-to-use solutions.
- Full automation. The entire process, from ordering to delivering access credentials, is completed without manual operations.
- Less pressure on L1 support. Customers no longer need to contact support with common questions such as “How do I install WordPress/Nextcloud?”
Solution Architecture: What’s Under the Hood
The Application store is more than just a storefront — it is an orchestrator that seamlessly connects billing with infrastructure.
Three components work together:
- BILLmanager acts as the storefront: it stores application descriptions, manages pricing plans, processes orders, and issues invoices.
- VMmanager 6 creates virtual servers, allocates resources, and initiates deployments.
- Deployment scripts automatically install the selected software on the server.
How the Application store works:
- The provider installs the module and configures an application by selecting the OS, installation script, and minimum resource requirements.
- The provider creates an Application-type pricing plan and associates it with the required configurations and infrastructure resources.
- The customer places an order through the storefront.
- BILLmanager sends the task to VMmanager 6: a server is created, the OS is deployed, and the application installation script is executed.
- The customer receives a notification with the access credentials.
Application + Server
One of the module’s capabilities is linked service lifecycle management. When a customer places an order, the system automatically creates two linked entities: Application and Server. This helps prevent unused or “forgotten” servers from consuming infrastructure resources.
Linked service lifecycle:
- Deleting an application automatically deletes the server it was running on, helping providers save infrastructure resources.
- Turning off or suspending a server due to non-payment immediately stops the application as well.
- Renewing an application automatically renews the server rental.
Transparency for Customers
Although customers purchase an Application, the underlying infrastructure remains under their control. The server appears in the customer’s general list of services, while root credentials are delivered in a single notification. If needed, customers can configure the server and software environment themselves to meet their specific requirements.
