FAQ
Practical answers about what Ceiba is, who it is for, and how early access works today.
- What is Ceiba?
- Ceiba is a Node-first layer for protecting and productizing existing APIs. It helps teams add API keys, plans, quotas, usage tracking, and subscription-gated access without adopting a full gateway or building the whole access stack from scratch. The first version is API-key-first and focused on existing Node APIs. The first version is API-key-first and focused on existing Node APIs. Longer term, Ceiba is being designed with room for broader access rails, including payment-native API access.
- Who is Ceiba for?
- Ceiba is for developers and teams that already have an API and are starting to need more than raw endpoints — API-first SaaS, AI and data APIs, partner or customer APIs, and developer tools exposing APIs. It is especially relevant if you are on Node.js with Express or Fastify.
- What problem is Ceiba trying to solve?
- When an API becomes part of a product, teams usually need to answer who can use it, what plan they are on, how much they can consume, when access should be revoked, and how usage ties to product or commercial rules. Ceiba is being built to handle that layer cleanly for existing Node APIs.
- Is Ceiba a full API gateway?
- No. Ceiba is intentionally not a full gateway. The first version focuses on a practical access and productization layer — keys, policies, quotas, usage, and subscription-linked access. If you need enterprise API governance or platform-wide traffic management, a dedicated gateway platform is a better fit.
- Does Ceiba require gateway migration?
- No. Ceiba is shaped for teams that want keys, quotas, usage tracking, and subscription-linked access on the API they already run — without migrating to a full gateway architecture.
- What stack is Ceiba designed for first?
- Ceiba is Node-first. The strongest first fit is Node.js with Express or Fastify. Other stacks may matter later, but the first version stays intentionally narrow so integration stays practical.
- Is Ceiba only an API key product?
- No. API keys are the first access rail because they are familiar, practical, and useful for the first version. But Ceiba is not meant to stop at key issuance alone. The broader idea is controlled API access: keys, policies, plans, quotas, usage, subscription-linked access, and eventually additional access rails where they make sense.
- Why start with API keys?
- API keys are still the simplest first path for many teams that already expose an API. They are easy to understand, easy to test, and fit the first Ceiba use case: helping existing Node APIs add controlled, plan-aware access without a gateway migration. Starting with keys keeps the first version practical while leaving room for future payment-native access models later
- Does Ceiba support x402 or payment-native access?
- Not in the first release. Payment-native access, including x402-style flows, is part of the broader product direction. The goal is to support future ways of paying for API access without making payment protocols the first thing teams have to adopt.
- Will Ceiba become a payment platform?
- No. Ceiba’s focus is API access. Billing and payment rails matter only where they help decide who should be allowed to call an API, under what plan, quota, or access rule. The first version supports subscription-linked access. Future payment-native paths may expand how access can be granted or paid for, but Ceiba is not trying to replace a full billing, invoicing, or payments stack.
- Is Ceiba live today?
- Ceiba is in active development and is not broadly launched yet. Anyone interested can join the early access list while the first version, docs, examples, and onboarding mature with real developer feedback.
- What does early access mean?
- Early access means Ceiba is still being shaped, and the first rollout is opening gradually as the product, docs, examples, and onboarding improve with developer feedback. Anyone interested can join the early access list.
- Who is Ceiba especially useful for?
- Ceiba is especially useful if you already have a working API, need keys, revocation, quotas, or usage visibility, are starting to package or monetize access, and want a practical Node-first path without adopting a full gateway.
- Why not just build this in-house?
- Some teams can build the first slice themselves. The burden usually shows up in the long tail: revocation rules, quota logic, usage summaries, policy changes, subscription sync, admin UX, denial reasons, and keeping business rules out of request-path glue. Ceiba exists to reduce that ongoing work.
- Does Ceiba handle billing?
- The first version supports subscription-linked access as part of API productization. Ceiba is not a broad billing platform — think of billing as connected to who should have API access, not as a replacement for a full payments or invoicing stack.
- What happens after I join early access?
- You are on the early access list. Early responses will help shape onboarding, examples, docs, and preview rollout as the first version comes together. Access may open in stages while the product matures towards a broader launch.
Join the early access list
Ceiba is opening gradually for developers and teams with existing Node APIs. Share what you are building and help shape onboarding, examples, and the first preview rollout.