catarse
An open-source crowdfunding platform for creative projects, originally developed in Brazil.
What is catarse?
Catarse is an open-source crowdfunding platform specifically designed for creative projects. It enables creators to launch fundraising campaigns, accept backer contributions, and manage projects through a customizable web application. The platform solves the need for transparent, community-owned crowdfunding infrastructure.
Developers and organizations wanting to deploy their own crowdfunding sites for creative initiatives, or those contributing to open-source payment and community funding systems.
As the first open-source crowdfunding platform for creative projects, Catarse offers full control and customization, unlike proprietary alternatives. Its extensible payment engine architecture and active community development make it a versatile choice for tailored crowdfunding solutions.
Overview
The first open source crowdfunding platform for creative projects in the world
Use Cases
Best For
- Launching a self-hosted crowdfunding site for artistic communities
- Customizing crowdfunding logic and payment flows for specific regions
- Integrating with local payment gateways not supported by major platforms
- Academic or research projects studying crowdfunding dynamics
- Non-profits seeking transparent, open-source fundraising tools
- Developers contributing to open-source financial technology projects
Not Ideal For
- Teams needing a currently maintained codebase with regular updates
- Developers unfamiliar with legacy Ruby on Rails environments
- Projects requiring out-of-the-box support for multiple payment gateways beyond pagarme
- Rapid deployments where simple, modern setup is a priority
Pros & Cons
Pros
The entire source code is available on GitHub, allowing full modification and community contributions, as highlighted in the README's goal to stimulate a developer community.
Tailored specifically for funding artistic and innovative initiatives, making it ideal for communities centered around creative work, as stated in the project description.
Supports multiple payment engines like pagarme with an extensible architecture, evidenced by the listed engines such as catarse_pagarme, though others need development.
Includes a built-in translation framework to support multiple languages, thanks to external contributions mentioned in the README, facilitating global use.
Cons
The repository is explicitly marked as deprecated in the README, directing users to a new repo, indicating this version lacks active maintenance and updates.
Requires legacy dependencies like Ruby 2.4.1 and Rails 4.2, which are outdated and may pose security risks or compatibility issues, as noted in the setup instructions.
Setup involves multiple steps including postgREST configuration and JWT secret management, detailed in the README, making it cumbersome for quick deployment.
Payment gateway support is primarily for pagarme; other engines like PayPal are outdated or in early development, limiting immediate usability for diverse needs.
Open Source Alternative To
catarse is an open-source alternative to the following products:
Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform that helps entrepreneurs, artists, and individuals raise funds for creative projects, products, and causes.
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform where creators can raise funds for creative projects such as films, games, and technology products by offering rewards to backers.
Frequently Asked Questions
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