Understand Software as a Service (SaaS) within STACKIT Marketplace

A Software as a Service (SaaS) product is software that a STACKIT customer can use and pay for, but it is not directly connected to the STACKIT cloud infrastructure or the customer’s specific STACKIT project.

As a provider, you run and manage the software within your own STACKIT cloud organization and are fully responsible for the application’s entire lifecycle. This definition also encompasses various “as a Service” approaches, such as Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), that fit this delivery model.

Core concepts

A STACKIT subscription serves as the link between a customer’s project, a specific product, and you as the supplier.

• Subscription Scope: For SaaS products, customers are limited to one subscription per product for each of their STACKIT projects.
• Subscription Details: Each subscription records the delivery method, price type, specific plan, and validity period.
• Multi-User Access: Because a subscription is tied to a STACKIT project, multiple users within that project can be associated with a single subscription.

Provisioning types: asynchronous vs. synchronous

While standard SaaS products are expected to be available on-demand, the Marketplace also supports SaaS async. for products requiring manual setup steps.

• Standard SaaS: Provisioning happens automatically and immediately after the customer orders.
• SaaS async.: Designed for staggered delivery where providers perform manual implementation steps.
  • Provisioning Time: Delivery times can be adjusted per product, with process timeouts allowed for up to 30 days.
  • Billing: Costs only occur once the product is active and ready to use, not during the initial manual implementation phase.
  • Customer Coordination: For SaaS async. products, customers must provide an email address during the order process so vendors can contact them for manual setup requirements.

Identity management and privacy

To ensure maximum privacy, the STACKIT Marketplace operates under strict isolation rules regarding user data.

No Identity Federation: You cannot use the STACKIT user identity or federation for your SaaS product. The STACKIT Marketplace never reveals a user’s personal information.

• User Management: Your SaaS product is responsible for managing its own users. Users do not need a STACKIT account to be managed by your software.
• Identity Scenarios: Your system must handle cases where customers reuse a single user identity across different projects or create separate subscriptions for multiple projects.

User documentation

The STACKIT Marketplace does not provide product-specific user documentation. You must provide your own documentation, including:

• Onboarding: Instructions for user registration and login.
• Product Usage: How to use the software effectively.
• Marketplace Specifics: Any features unique to the STACKIT Marketplace version of your product.

Subscription management

Thanks to STACKIT IAM, all project and organization members with sufficient access can read and manage subscriptions.

• Required Roles: Only users with the owner or editor roles on the project can manage these subscriptions.
• Asynchronous Management: For SaaS async. products, vendors are provided with a graphical interface in the “Subscription management” menu to manage orders and manually approve them once the product is set up.

Integration roadmap

1. Prerequisites: Verify your vendor project and product data registration.
2. Technical Integration: Implement the sign-up redirect, JWT token verification, and the approval workflow.
3. Lifecycle Management: Prepare for plan changes, upgrades, and synchronizing subscription statuses.
4. Vendor API: Utilize the available endpoints to resolve customer identities and manage subscription lists.