tiersEssential

tiersEssential is a software framework and service designed to manage tiered feature access and pricing for software products and services. It provides a data-driven model for defining tiers, entitlements, and usage policies, and aims to simplify multi-tenant entitlement management across applications.

Its core model centers on plans (tiers), features, and quotas. Plans group a set of features and usage limits; entitlements grant specific capabilities to a user, team, or tenant. Feature gates enable or disable functionality based on the assigned tier or custom rules.

Architecturally, tiersEssential offers a REST API and client SDKs for multiple languages, plus a web-based administration console for creating and managing plans, entitlements, and billing rules. It supports webhooks for integration with external systems and can integrate with billing providers such as Stripe to automate plan upgrades and invoices.

Typical use cases include SaaS products that need clear tiering, mobile apps requiring feature gating, and enterprises that require centralized policy enforcement. The system supports multi-tenancy, localization, and policy versioning for auditability.

Security considerations include role-based access control, resource isolation per tenant, and audit logging. It emphasizes data integrity and compatibility with common identity providers via OpenID Connect or SSO integration.

Development and licensing: tiersEssential is released as an open-source project and maintained by a community of contributors. Documentation and example integrations are provided to help teams adopt the platform and extend its capabilities.