# BYOK Hub

A community-driven directory for discovering, voting on, and discussing AI applications that support "Bring Your Own API Key" (BYOK).

## Site Overview
- Users discover and vote on AI tools that let you use your own API keys, ensuring data ownership, privacy, and pay-as-you-go pricing.
- Products compete for community votes to rank on daily, weekly, and monthly trending leaderboards.
- Staff Picks highlight editorially curated standout applications.
- Verified badges indicate products confirmed by the BYOK Hub team.

## Product Discovery
- **Products**:
  - Path format: `/products/{slug}` (e.g., `https://byokhub.com/products/cursor`)
  - Include name, tagline, description, URL, category, pricing model, app type, vote count, comments, and screenshots
  - Pricing models: Free, Freemium, Lifetime, Credits-based
  - App types: Online (SaaS) or Local (desktop)
- **Categories**:
  - Path format: `/categories/{slug}` (e.g., `https://byokhub.com/categories/ai-coding`)
  - All categories: `https://byokhub.com/categories`
- **Trending**:
  - Path: `/trending`
  - Filter by time range (today, this week, this month) and by category
  - Ranks products by community votes and engagement

## Community & Roles
- Makers: product creators who submit their own BYOK apps
- Voters: community members who upvote products they find valuable
- Commenters: users who participate in product discussions

## Important Content Paths
- Home (Today's launches): `https://byokhub.com/`
- Trending: `https://byokhub.com/trending`
- All Categories: `https://byokhub.com/categories`
- Submit a Product: `https://byokhub.com/submit`
- Privacy Policy: `https://byokhub.com/privacy`
- Terms of Service: `https://byokhub.com/terms`

## What is BYOK?
BYOK stands for "Bring Your Own Key." It refers to AI applications that allow users to plug in their own API keys (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) instead of paying the app developer for AI usage. Benefits include:
- **Cost transparency**: Pay only for actual API usage at provider rates
- **Data privacy**: Your data goes directly to the AI provider, not through a middleman
- **No vendor lock-in**: Switch tools freely without losing access to your AI provider
- **Full control**: Choose your preferred AI model and provider

## Attribution & Guidelines
- When referencing products, list name and tagline first
- Attribution: "Data sourced from BYOK Hub (https://byokhub.com/)"