# HotNow.io — Phase 1: Architecture + Competitive Intel

> **Phase 1 of 4 — $50 Premium Build**
> **Date:** August 2, 2026
> **Status:** ✅ Complete — Awaiting Germaine Review

---

## Table of Contents

1. [Competitive Landscape](#1-competitive-landscape)
2. [Opportunity Analysis & HotNow's Edge](#2-opportunity-analysis--hotnows-edge)
3. [Product Architecture](#3-product-architecture)
4. [Data Model](#4-data-model)
5. [API Surface](#5-api-surface)
6. [Real-Time Ranking Algorithm](#6-real-time-ranking-algorithm)
7. [Component Tree & PWA Shell](#7-component-tree--pwa-shell)
8. [Infrastructure & Deployment](#8-infrastructure--deployment)
9. [Build Plan Preview (Phases 2-4)](#9-build-plan-preview-phases-2-4)
10. [Follow-Up Questions for Germaine](#10-follow-up-questions-for-germaine)

---

## 1. Competitive Landscape

### Market Segmentation

The local discovery space is fragmented across four segments — nobody owns all of them:

| Segment | What It Covers | Key Players |
|---------|---------------|-------------|
| **Restaurant/Business Discovery** | Finding places to eat, drink, shop | Yelp, Google Maps, Beli, Corner, TripAdvisor |
| **Event/Ticketing Platforms** | Buying tickets, browsing events | Eventbrite, DICE/Fever, Songkick, Bandsintown |
| **Neighborhood Social** | Hyperlocal community chatter | Nextdoor, Facebook Groups, Ring Neighbors |
| **Curated Experiences** | Immersive, premium, one-off events | Fever (Candlelight), Secret Cinema, Airbnb Experiences |

### Competitor Deep Dives

---

#### 2. Yelp — The Incumbent Giant

- **What it is:** 20-year-old local business discovery platform. 21-22M reviews/year. Massive community-generated content moat.
- **What's new (2025 Fall Release):** Massive AI push — Yelp Assistant (AI chatbot on every business page), Menu Vision (AR menu scanning), natural language/voice search, Popular Offerings (LLM-extracted crowd favorites), Yelp Host/Receptionist (AI call answering for businesses). Partnered with DoorDash for delivery.
- **Pricing:** Free for consumers. Business advertising: $150-$5,000+/mo. Yelp Host: $99/mo.
- **UX Pattern:** List-first with map secondary. Search-driven discovery.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Not real-time — Yelp ranks on accumulated review history, not "what's hot right now"
  - Weak on events — events are an afterthought, not core UX
  - Gen Z exodus — Beli and Corner are eating its lunch with younger demographics
  - No social buzz integration — no TikTok/Instagram trend signals
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Real-time trending that Yelp's batch-oriented ranking can't match. Social buzz as a ranking signal. Event-first UX.

---

#### 3. Fever — The Experience Curator

- **What it is:** Global ticketing platform for curated experiences. 30+ cities worldwide. Known for Candlelight Concerts, immersive Van Gogh exhibits, themed pop-ups.
- **Big news:** **Acquired DICE in 2025** — combined entity now dominates curated event ticketing
- **Pricing:** Free to browse. Fever takes a commission on ticket sales (service fees added). No consumer subscription.
- **UX Pattern:** Feed-first (curated hero cards). List + grid browse. Map only for venue lookup.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Curated, not comprehensive — Fever only shows its own catalog (events they ticket)
  - Not real-time — no trending algorithm, fixed listings
  - Not local-discovery — it's a ticketing platform, not a "what's happening around me" tool
  - B2C curation model — doesn't surface grassroots/pop-up/unlisted happenings
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Comprehensive vs. curated. Real-time vs. scheduled. Discovery vs. ticketing.

---

#### 4. DICE — Transparent Ticketing

- **What it is:** Music-first ticketing platform with transparent pricing (no hidden fees). Strong in UK/Europe, expanding in US. Acquired by Fever.
- **Pricing:** No consumer fees — built into ticket price. Artist/venue revenue share.
- **UX Pattern:** Feed-first with personalized recommendations based on listening history (Spotify/Apple Music integration).
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Music-only — no restaurant/bar/pop-up discovery
  - Ticketing-centric — useless if you just want to know what's happening without buying a ticket
  - Post-acquisition uncertainty — Fever integration may shift focus
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Cross-category discovery (not just music). Free-form exploration without ticket purchase obligation.

---

#### 5. Eventbrite — The Event Marketplace

- **What it is:** Largest self-service event platform. 5M+ events/year. 2025 rebrand from utility to "cultural hub."
- **New initiatives:** AI personalization, Listener.com partnership for audience reach, AI-powered event recommendations.
- **Pricing:** Free to browse. Organizers pay: free tier (up to 25 tickets), then 2% + $0.79 per paid ticket, or subscription plans.
- **UX Pattern:** Search-first with category browse. List results. Map secondary.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Quantity over quality — lots of spam, online webinars, low-quality listings
  - No real-time signal — static listings sorted by date/relevance
  - Brand perception: "event Craigslist" — utilitarian, not aspirational
  - Not Gen Z cool — zero social features
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Quality-filtered, social-buzz ranked. Cool brand. Map-first UX.

---

#### 6. Nextdoor — Neighborhood Social

- **What it is:** Hyperlocal social network for neighborhoods. 15 years old. User-generated content: recommendations, alerts, events.
- **2025 redesign:** AI-powered "Faves" for local business discovery, real-time emergency alerts (weather/traffic/power), local news from 3,500+ publisher partners, LLM per neighborhood trained on 15 years of conversations.
- **Pricing:** Free. Ad-supported + promoted business posts.
- **UX Pattern:** Feed-first (social). Map for alerts. List for businesses.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Brand damage — associated with racism, misinformation, "Karen" culture
  - Demographic skew — older homeowners, not Gen Z/Millennials going out
  - Events are buried — not a discovery tool, it's a neighborhood bulletin board
  - Reactive, not proactive — "lost cat" dominates over "cool thing happening"
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Aspirational, cool brand. Discovery-first. Young demographic. No neighborhood baggage.

---

#### 7. Beli — Gen Z Restaurant Ranking

- **What it is:** Restaurant ranking + social app. Goodreads/Letterboxd for food. 80% of users under 35. 30M reviews in 2024 (surpassing Yelp's 21M).
- **How it works:** Log restaurants, compare them head-to-head (pairwise ranking algorithm assigns scores /10), follow friends, browse feeds. No star ratings.
- **Growth engine:** College campus ambassador program. Leaderboards by school. Dating app integration (sharing rankings to vet dates). TikTok/Instagram virality.
- **Pricing:** Free (currently). No ads. No monetization yet.
- **UX Pattern:** Feed-first (social). Profile-centric. No map.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Restaurant-only — no events, bars (as venues), pop-ups, activities
  - Past-tense — about where you've been, not what's happening right now
  - No map — poor for real-time exploration
  - No monetization path yet — unclear business model
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Real-time + events + map. Broader than restaurants. Clear revenue model from day one.

---

#### 8. Corner — Gen Z Social Map

- **What it is:** Map-first social app for Gen Z. User-curated map of places (restaurants, bars, shops, sunset spots). No star ratings. Mood-board style lists. $3.75M raised.
- **Key features:** AI semantic search ("sexy wine bar" → results), Instagram/TikTok bookmark import, user-generated descriptions (Gen Z voice: "performative male wine bar to break someone's heart"), Mapbox-powered.
- **Stats:** 55,000 users, 275,000+ places, 450 cities. Hubs: NYC, SF, Tokyo, LA, Seoul.
- **Pricing:** Free. Considering premium trip-planning tier. No sponsored placements (stated philosophy).
- **UX Pattern:** Map-first. Feed of friend activity. Profile + lists.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Tiny scale — 55K users vs. Yelp's millions
  - User-generated only — no data if nobody has added a place yet
  - No events — purely place discovery (static)
  - Gen Z monoculture — alienates 30+ demographic
  - No monetization — pre-revenue, burning VC
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Events + real-time + broader demographic. Data-rich from day one (Super Search v2). Revenue from launch.

---

#### 9. Google Maps — The 800-Pound Gorilla

- **What it is:** Default map for 1B+ users. 20 years old. "Explore" tab surfaces nearby restaurants, attractions, activities.
- **Recent AI:** Gemini-powered conversational search, AR Live View, "Popular Times" (historical foot traffic data), AI-summarized place descriptions.
- **Pricing:** Free for consumers. Google Ads for businesses.
- **UX Pattern:** Map-first. Everything is on the map. Unbeatable directions + navigation.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Not events-first — events are buried, inconsistent, often missing
  - Static data — "Popular Times" is historical, not real-time
  - No social — no friend activity, no trending rankings
  - Generic UX — one-size-fits-all, no personality
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Events-first UX. Real-time trending. Social layer. Brand personality.

---

#### 10. Songkick / Bandsintown — Live Music Trackers

- **What it is:** Track artists you follow → get notified when they're playing near you. Songkick acquired by Suno (AI music company). Bandsintown is independent.
- **Pricing:** Free for fans. Bandsintown: artist promo packages ($25-$100+/mo).
- **UX Pattern:** List-first (concerts by date). Artist-centric.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Music-only — no other event categories
  - Artist-dependent — you must follow artists to get value
  - No real-time trending — chronological, not ranked by buzz
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** All categories. Buzz-ranked. No following required — discover without pre-configuring.

---

#### 11. Resident Advisor (RA) — Electronic Music Authority

- **What it is:** The definitive electronic music events platform. Global listings, reviews, news, ticket sales.
- **Pricing:** Free to browse. Ticket commission + promoted event listings.
- **UX Pattern:** List-first. Deep filtering by genre/city/date.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - Niche (electronic music only) — tiny addressable market
  - Community-specific — not for general audience
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Mass-market appeal. All genres + all categories.

---

#### 12. Seeker.io — B2B AI Event Aggregation

- **What it is:** AI-native event discovery for tourism boards, CVBs, local media. Crawls any website to extract events. Used by SF Peninsula (500+ sources, 16 cities), Tennessee Tourism (statewide), Calgary Co-op (4 orgs, 1 feed).
- **Pricing:** Enterprise B2B SaaS (not publicly listed — likely $500-$5K+/mo depending on scale).
- **UX Pattern:** Embeddable calendar widget for partner websites. REST API for custom integrations.
- **Weaknesses:**
  - B2B, not consumer-facing — no social, no map UX, no mobile app
  - No real-time trending — chronological curation
  - Expensive — not for small businesses
- **🔴 HotNow opportunity:** Consumer experience. Real-time social ranking. Affordable business tiers.

---

## 2. Opportunity Analysis & HotNow's Edge

### The White Space

After analyzing 12 competitors, **nobody is doing all of these together:**

| Capability | Yelp | Fever/DICE | Eventbrite | Nextdoor | Beli | Corner | Google Maps | **HotNow** |
|------------|------|-----------|------------|----------|------|--------|-------------|-------------|
| Real-time trending | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Social buzz signals | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Map-first UX | 🔶 | ❌ | ❌ | 🔶 | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Events + Places | ❌ | 🔶 | ✅ | 🔶 | ❌ | ❌ | 🔶 | ✅ |
| AI ranking | 🔶 | ❌ | 🔶 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 🔶 | ✅ |
| Gen Z cool factor | ❌ | 🔶 | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Business monetization | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Offline mode (PWA) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PWA (no app store) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |

**🔶 = partially / second-class feature**

### HotNow's Core Differentiators

1. **Real-Time Trending Ranking** — The single biggest gap. Everyone ranks by reviews, dates, or manual curation. HotNow ranks by what's buzzing *right now* — social signals, check-in velocity, search volume, AI sentiment.

2. **Super Search v2 Integration** — Already live on Core server with 7 providers. This is HotNow's data engine — aggregates events, venues, reviews, and social signals from multiple sources without needing to build every scraper from scratch.

3. **Map-First PWA** — No app store friction. Instant onboarding. Works offline. Lower CAC than native app competitors.

4. **Three-Tier Consumer Monetization** — Explorer (free), Pro ($4.99/mo), Concierge ($19.99/mo). Competitors are either free/ad-supported or ticket-commission-only. Recurring subscription revenue from day one.

5. **Business Revenue from Launch** — Featured Placement ($97/mo) + Event Boost ($47/event). Affordable for small businesses (unlike Yelp's $500+ minimums).

6. **Brand Identity** — Dark theme, warm gradient accent. "What's good, right now, near you." Gen Z/Millennial voice without alienating 30+.

---

## 3. Product Architecture

### System Overview

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        USERS (PWA)                               │
│  app.hotnow.io  ───  Map View  ───  Discovery Feed  ───  etc.   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    CLOUDFLARE CDN                                │
│  Static assets (JS/CSS/icons)  │  API proxy  │  DDoS protection  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    CADDY REVERSE PROXY                           │
│  SSL termination  │  Rate limiting  │  Route by subdomain       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
          ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
          ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│   app.hotnow.io  │ │  api.hotnow.io   │ │ dashboard.hotnow │
│   (Static PWA)   │ │  (FastAPI)       │ │  (Business Dash)  │
│   SvelteKit SPA  │ │  Port 8001       │ │  Static + API     │
└──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
                              │
          ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
          ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐
│ PostgreSQL   │  │ Redis        │  │ Super Search v2   │
│ + PostGIS    │  │ Cache + Queue│  │ (7 providers)    │
│              │  │ + Real-time  │  │ Existing on Core  │
└──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────────┘
```

### Tech Stack

| Layer | Technology | Why |
|-------|-----------|-----|
| **PWA Frontend** | SvelteKit (static adapter) | Fast, small bundles, great PWA support |
| **Map** | Leaflet.js + OpenStreetMap tiles | Free, no API keys, works offline with cached tiles |
| **Backend API** | FastAPI (Python 3.11) | Async, auto-docs, Python matches existing Core stack |
| **Database** | PostgreSQL 16 + PostGIS | Geospatial queries (proximity, radius, bounding box) |
| **Cache** | Redis | Trending scores, session cache, rate limit counters, real-time pub/sub |
| **Task Queue** | Redis + ARQ (or Celery) | Background: Super Search ingestion, trend recalculation, notifications |
| **Auth** | JWT tokens + refresh | Stateless, PWA-friendly, no cookies needed |
| **Payments** | Stripe | Consumer subs + business placements, Webhook integration |
| **Search** | PostgreSQL full-text search + Super Search v2 | Hybrid: own DB for quick lookups, Super Search for deep aggregation |
| **Offline** | Service Worker + IndexedDB | Cache map tiles, event data, user preferences |
| **Push Notifications** | Web Push API + VAPID | PWA native, no app store needed |
| **Email** | Postmark or SendGrid | Transactional + marketing |

### Subdomain Architecture

| Subdomain | Purpose | Technology |
|-----------|---------|------------|
| `hotnow.io` | Marketing/SEO landing page | Static HTML (existing `/var/www/hotnow/index.html`) |
| `app.hotnow.io` | PWA shell | SvelteKit SPA, static export, served by Caddy |
| `api.hotnow.io` | REST API backend | FastAPI on Core server (`152.53.192.33`), port 8001 |
| `dashboard.hotnow.io` | Business dashboard | SvelteKit SPA (shared component library with app) |
| `cdn.hotnow.io` | Static assets (optional) | Cloudflare CDN caching |
| `admin.hotnow.io` | Internal admin panel | Protected by Tailscale, minimal FastAPI admin |

---

## 4. Data Model

### Core Entities

#### Events

```sql
CREATE TABLE events (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    description TEXT,
    category event_category NOT NULL,  -- enum: music, food_drink, arts_culture, nightlife, sports, family, pop_up, other
    start_time TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
    end_time TIMESTAMPTZ,
    timezone VARCHAR(50) DEFAULT 'America/Chicago',
    is_recurring BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
    recurrence_rule VARCHAR(255),  -- RRULE format
    is_featured BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,

    -- Venue relationship
    venue_id UUID REFERENCES venues(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,

    -- Media
    cover_image_url VARCHAR(500),
    media_urls JSONB DEFAULT '[]',  -- [{url, type, order}]

    -- Pricing
    price_info JSONB DEFAULT NULL,  -- {type: free|paid|varies, range: {min, max}, currency}
    ticket_url VARCHAR(500),

    -- Source attribution
    source VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,  -- 'manual', 'super_search', 'user_submitted', 'api_partner'
    source_event_id VARCHAR(255),  -- external ID for dedup
    source_url VARCHAR(500),

    -- Real-time signals (updated by background worker)
    trending_score FLOAT DEFAULT 0.0,
    popularity_pulse INTEGER DEFAULT 0,  -- short-term velocity (last 2 hours)
    social_mention_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
    search_volume_24h INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
    check_in_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
    ai_sentiment_score FLOAT DEFAULT 0.0,  -- -1.0 to 1.0

    -- Metadata
    tags TEXT[] DEFAULT '{}',
    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT true,
    reviewed_by_admin BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Geospatial: events inherit location from venue, but can override
-- Indexes
CREATE INDEX idx_events_trending ON events (trending_score DESC) WHERE is_active = true;
CREATE INDEX idx_events_time_range ON events (start_time, end_time) WHERE is_active = true;
CREATE INDEX idx_events_category ON events (category) WHERE is_active = true;
CREATE INDEX idx_events_venue ON events (venue_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_events_source_dedup ON events (source, source_event_id);
```

#### Venues

```sql
CREATE TABLE venues (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    description TEXT,
    venue_type venue_type NOT NULL,  -- enum: bar, restaurant, club, theater, park, gallery, pop_up, other

    -- Contact
    address VARCHAR(500),
    city VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    state VARCHAR(50),
    postal_code VARCHAR(20),
    country VARCHAR(2) DEFAULT 'US',

    -- Geospatial (PostGIS)
    location GEOGRAPHY(POINT, 4326),  -- lat/lng for proximity queries
    geo_json JSONB DEFAULT NULL,  -- polygon for venues with boundaries

    -- Contact
    phone VARCHAR(20),
    website VARCHAR(500),
    social_links JSONB DEFAULT '{}',  -- {instagram, facebook, twitter, tiktok}

    -- Hours
    hours JSONB DEFAULT NULL,  -- [{day, open, close}]
    is_permanently_closed BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,

    -- Media
    cover_image_url VARCHAR(500),
    media_urls JSONB DEFAULT '[]',

    -- Real-time signals
    trending_score FLOAT DEFAULT 0.0,
    current_busy_level busy_level DEFAULT 'unknown',  -- enum: quiet, moderate, busy, packed

    -- Business owner (links to Stripe customer)
    owner_user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id),

    -- Metadata
    source VARCHAR(100) DEFAULT 'manual',
    source_venue_id VARCHAR(255),
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_venues_location ON venues USING GIST (location);
CREATE INDEX idx_venues_city ON venues (city, state);
CREATE INDEX idx_venues_type ON venues (venue_type);
```

#### Users

```sql
CREATE TABLE users (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    email VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE,
    display_name VARCHAR(100),
    avatar_url VARCHAR(500),

    -- Auth
    password_hash VARCHAR(255),
    auth_provider auth_provider DEFAULT 'email',  -- enum: email, google, apple
    auth_provider_id VARCHAR(255),
    email_verified BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,

    -- Subscription
    tier subscription_tier DEFAULT 'explorer',  -- explorer, pro, concierge
    stripe_customer_id VARCHAR(100),
    subscription_status subscription_status DEFAULT 'inactive',  -- active, past_due, canceled, inactive
    subscription_expires_at TIMESTAMPTZ,

    -- Preferences
    home_city VARCHAR(100),
    home_location GEOGRAPHY(POINT, 4326),
    preferred_categories TEXT[] DEFAULT '{}',
    preferred_radius_km INTEGER DEFAULT 10,
    notification_prefs JSONB DEFAULT '{}',  -- {push, email, sms, categories}

    -- PWA
    push_subscription JSONB DEFAULT NULL,  -- Web Push subscription object

    -- Metadata
    is_business BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
    is_admin BOOLEAN DEFAULT false,
    last_active_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users (email);
CREATE INDEX idx_users_stripe ON users (stripe_customer_id);
```

#### Search/Discover Events (Lightweight for feed)

```sql
CREATE TABLE discover_events (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    event_id UUID REFERENCES events(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    user_id UUID NOT NULL,  -- anonymized session UUID for anonymous users
    action discover_action NOT NULL,  -- enum: view, click, save, share, check_in
    source_context VARCHAR(50),  -- 'map', 'feed', 'search', 'detail'
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_discover_events_user_time ON discover_events (user_id, created_at DESC);
CREATE INDEX idx_discover_events_event ON discover_events (event_id, created_at);
```

#### Business Features

```sql
CREATE TABLE business_features (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    venue_id UUID REFERENCES venues(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
    feature_type feature_type NOT NULL,  -- featured_placement, event_boost, promoted_listing
    status feature_status DEFAULT 'active',
    starts_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
    ends_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
    stripe_payment_id VARCHAR(100),
    amount_paid_cents INTEGER,
    metadata JSONB DEFAULT '{}',
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);
```

#### Cached/Search Index (Redis)

```redis
# Trending events by city (sorted set, scored by trending_score)
trending:{city}:{category}  →  Sorted Set {event_id: score}

# Real-time pulse (current activity, 15-min TTL)
pulse:{event_id}  →  {view_count, click_count, save_count, last_updated}

# User sessions (JWT refresh tokens)
session:{user_id}:{device_id}  →  {refresh_token, expires_at, device_info}

# Rate limiting
ratelimit:{ip}:{endpoint}  →  counter with TTL

# Geo-index cache (pre-computed bounding boxes)
geo:{lat}:{lng}:{radius_km}  →  Set of event_ids (TTL: 5 min)
```

---

## 5. API Surface

### REST API (api.hotnow.io/v1)

#### Events

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/events/trending` | Optional | Trending events (paginated, filtered by location/category) |
| `GET` | `/events/nearby` | Optional | Events within radius of lat/lng |
| `GET` | `/events/:id` | Optional | Full event detail with venue info |
| `GET` | `/events/search` | Optional | Full-text search + Super Search v2 aggregation |
| `POST` | `/events/submit` | User | User-submitted event (goes to review queue) |
| `POST` | `/events/:id/save` | User | Save/bookmark event |
| `POST` | `/events/:id/check-in` | User | Check in (anonymized, feeds trending) |
| `GET` | `/events/:id/pulse` | Optional | Real-time activity data for this event |

#### Venues

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/venues/nearby` | Optional | Venues within radius |
| `GET` | `/venues/:id` | Optional | Venue detail + upcoming events |
| `GET` | `/venues/:id/busy` | Optional | Current busy level estimate |

#### Discovery

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/discover/feed` | Optional | Personalized feed (AI if Pro tier, trending if free) |
| `GET` | `/discover/recommendations` | Pro | AI-powered recommendations |
| `POST` | `/discover/action` | Optional | Log view/click/save for trending signals |

#### Auth

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `POST` | `/auth/register` | None | Create account (email + password) |
| `POST` | `/auth/login` | None | Login → JWT access + refresh token |
| `POST` | `/auth/refresh` | Refresh | Get new access token |
| `POST` | `/auth/logout` | Access | Revoke refresh token |
| `POST` | `/auth/oauth/google` | None | Google OAuth login |
| `GET` | `/auth/me` | Access | Current user profile |

#### Subscriptions

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/billing/plans` | None | Available subscription tiers |
| `POST` | `/billing/subscribe` | User | Create Stripe checkout session |
| `GET` | `/billing/portal` | User | Redirect to Stripe Customer Portal |
| `POST` | `/billing/webhook` | Stripe | Stripe webhook receiver |

#### Business

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/business/dashboard` | Business | Business metrics and active features |
| `POST` | `/business/featured` | Business | Purchase Featured Placement |
| `POST` | `/business/boost` | Business | Purchase Event Boost |
| `GET` | `/business/analytics` | Business | Impressions, clicks, conversions |

#### Admin (internal)

| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|--------|----------|------|-------------|
| `GET` | `/admin/review-queue` | Admin | Events/venues pending review |
| `POST` | `/admin/review/:id` | Admin | Approve/reject submission |
| `POST` | `/admin/recalculate-trending` | Admin | Force trend recalculation |
| `GET` | `/admin/stats` | Admin | Platform metrics |

### Auth Flow

```
1. User registers/logs in → receives:
   - access_token (JWT, 15 min expiry)
   - refresh_token (opaque, 30 day expiry, stored in Redis)

2. Every API call: Authorization: Bearer <access_token>

3. Access token expires → POST /auth/refresh → new access_token

4. Logout → revoke refresh_token in Redis

5. Anonymous users: session_id (UUID v4, stored in localStorage)
   - Limited rate: 100 requests/hour
   - Cannot save/bookmark (no persistence without account)
```

### Rate Limits

| Tier | Requests/Hour | Special Limits |
|------|--------------|----------------|
| Anonymous | 100 | Search: 10/hr |
| Explorer (Free) | 300 | AI recs: none, Save: 50 |
| Pro ($4.99/mo) | 1000 | AI recs: 100/hr, Offline: full |
| Concierge ($19.99/mo) | 5000 | AI recs: unlimited, Concierge chat: 50/day |
| Business | 500 | Dashboard + analytics |
| Admin | Unlimited | All endpoints |

---

## 6. Real-Time Ranking Algorithm

### The HotNow Score

The core innovation. Every event has a `trending_score` recalculated every 5 minutes by a background worker.

```
HOT_SCORE = (
    SOCIAL_BUZZ × 0.30 +
    ENGAGEMENT_VELOCITY × 0.25 +
    RECENCY_DECAY × 0.20 +
    AI_SENTIMENT × 0.15 +
    MANUAL_BOOST × 0.10
) × CITY_NORMALIZATION
```

#### Signal Components

| Signal | Weight | Sources | Decay |
|--------|--------|---------|-------|
| **SOCIAL_BUZZ** | 30% | Instagram geotag mentions, X/Twitter mentions, TikTok location tags (via Super Search) | Half-life: 4 hours |
| **ENGAGEMENT_VELOCITY** | 25% | HotNow own telemetry: views/min, clicks/min, saves/min, check-ins/min | Half-life: 2 hours |
| **RECENCY_DECAY** | 20% | Time until event start. Events starting soon get boost. | Linear ramp: peaks 2h before, decays after start |
| **AI_SENTIMENT** | 15% | Super Search v2 NLP sentiment on social mentions about the venue/event | 24h rolling window |
| **MANUAL_BOOST** | 10% | Featured Placement ($97/mo), Event Boost ($47/event) | Fixed duration |

#### City Normalization

```
CITY_NORMALIZATION = log10(active_users_in_city + 1) / log10(total_events_in_city + 1)
```

Prevents NYC/London from dominating. Small cities can compete.

#### Anti-Gaming Measures

- Velocity caps: engagement increase >300% in 15 min → throttled
- Bot detection: suspicious patterns (same IP, rapid fire) → excluded
- Review queue: user-submitted events require admin approval before trending
- Manual boost transparency: clearly labeled in UI ("Promoted")

### Data Pipeline

```
┌─────────────────┐
│ Super Search v2  │  ← 7 providers, already live on Core
│ (aggregator)     │
└────────┬────────┘
         │ Every 15 min
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Ingestion Worker │  ← Redis queue (ARQ), dedup by source_event_id
│                  │     enrich with geocoding, AI sentiment
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ PostgreSQL       │  ← Events + Venues tables
└────────┬────────┘
         │ Every 5 min
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Trend Calculator │  ← Compute HOT_SCORE for all active events
│ (ARQ cron job)   │     Update trending_score, write to Redis sorted sets
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Redis            │  ← Sorted sets: trending:{city}:{category}
│                  │     API reads directly from Redis (sub-millisecond)
└─────────────────┘
```

---

## 7. Component Tree & PWA Shell

### PWA Architecture

```
app.hotnow.io (SvelteKit SPA, static export)
│
├── src/
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── +layout.svelte          # Shell (nav, bottom tabs, auth state)
│   │   ├── +page.svelte            # Map view (default/home)
│   │   ├── discover/
│   │   │   └── +page.svelte        # Discovery feed (list)
│   │   ├── event/
│   │   │   └── [id]/
│   │   │       └── +page.svelte    # Event detail
│   │   ├── venue/
│   │   │   └── [id]/
│   │   │       └── +page.svelte    # Venue detail
│   │   ├── search/
│   │   │   └── +page.svelte        # Search + filters
│   │   ├── profile/
│   │   │   └── +page.svelte        # User profile, saved events
│   │   ├── settings/
│   │   │   └── +page.svelte        # Preferences, notifications
│   │   ├── auth/
│   │   │   ├── login/+page.svelte
│   │   │   └── register/+page.svelte
│   │   └── concierge/
│   │       └── +page.svelte        # Concierge chat (Pro tier)
│   │
│   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── Map.svelte           # Leaflet wrapper
│   │   │   ├── EventCard.svelte     # Horizontal/vertical card variant
│   │   │   ├── EventDetail.svelte   # Full modal/page detail
│   │   │   ├── VenueCard.svelte
│   │   │   ├── TrendPulse.svelte    # Live activity indicator
│   │   │   ├── CategoryFilter.svelte
│   │   │   ├── SearchBar.svelte
│   │   │   ├── BottomNav.svelte     # Mobile bottom tab bar
│   │   │   ├── ConciergeChat.svelte # AI chat interface
│   │   │   └── PwaInstall.svelte    # Install prompt
│   │   ├── stores/
│   │   │   ├── auth.ts             # JWT + refresh logic
│   │   │   ├── location.ts         # Geolocation watcher
│   │   │   ├── events.ts           # Event cache + trending
│   │   │   └── settings.ts         # User preferences
│   │   ├── api/
│   │   │   ├── client.ts           # Fetch wrapper with auth
│   │   │   ├── events.ts
│   │   │   ├── venues.ts
│   │   │   ├── discover.ts
│   │   │   └── auth.ts
│   │   └── utils/
│   │       ├── geo.ts              # Distance, bounding box calc
│   │       ├── offline.ts          # IndexedDB + SW helpers
│   │       └── format.ts           # Date, price, category formatting
│   │
│   ├── service-worker.ts           # PWA offline cache
│   └── app.css                     # Tailwind + brand colors
│
├── static/
│   ├── manifest.json               # PWA manifest
│   ├── icons/                      # PWA icons (192, 512)
│   └── favicon.ico
│
├── svelte.config.js
├── vite.config.ts
├── tailwind.config.ts
└── package.json
```

### Key UI Patterns

#### Map View (Home Screen)
- Full-screen Leaflet map (OpenStreetMap tiles pre-cached for offline)
- Clustered markers colored by category
- Pulsing markers for "hot right now" (pulse speed = trending_score)
- Bottom sheet (swipeable): list of nearby trending events
- Filter chip bar: All | Music | Food/Drink | Arts | Nightlife | Pop-ups
- Location button: recenter, radius slider

#### Discovery Feed
- Vertical scroll list of EventCards
- Each card: cover image, title, venue, distance, trending badge, time
- Pull-to-refresh (recalculates location + trending)
- "Happening Now" horizontal carousel at top
- Skeleton loading states

#### Event Detail
- Hero image with gradient overlay
- Title, venue name (tappable → venue detail), distance
- "Hot right now" pulse indicator
- Description, category badges, tags
- Price info + ticket link
- Actions: Save, Share, Check In, Get Directions
- Map snippet showing location
- "Nearby" section: other trending events nearby

#### Business Dashboard (dashboard.hotnow.io)
- Auth-gated, only for users with `is_business = true`
- Overview: impressions, clicks, saves for their venue/events
- Purchase flow: Featured Placement, Event Boost
- Analytics: 7-day, 30-day charts
- Manage venue details, hours, photos

---

## 8. Infrastructure & Deployment

### Server: Netcup RS 2000 (Core — 152.53.192.33)

```yaml
Services:
  PostgreSQL 16 + PostGIS:
    database: hotnow
    user: hotnow_app
    extensions: postgis, pg_trgm, uuid-ossp

  Redis 7:
    instance: hotnow
    maxmemory: 256mb
    policy: allkeys-lru

  FastAPI (api.hotnow.io):
    port: 8001
    workers: 4 (gunicorn + uvicorn)
    systemd service: hotnow-api

  ARQ Workers:
    service: hotnow-worker
    queues: ingestion, trending, notifications, cleanup

  Caddy:
    config: /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
    routes:
      hotnow.io → /var/www/hotnow/index.html (landing page)
      app.hotnow.io → /var/www/hotnow-app/ (SvelteKit build)
      api.hotnow.io → reverse_proxy localhost:8001
      dashboard.hotnow.io → /var/www/hotnow-dashboard/ (SvelteKit build)
```

### Cloudflare DNS

```
A  hotnow.io          → 152.53.192.33
A  app.hotnow.io       → 152.53.192.33  (or CNAME → hotnow.io)
A  api.hotnow.io       → 152.53.192.33  (or CNAME → hotnow.io)
A  dashboard.hotnow.io → 152.53.192.33  (or CNAME → hotnow.io)
CNAME  www.hotnow.io   → hotnow.io
```

### Environment Variables

```bash
# /etc/hotnow/.env
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://hotnow_app:${DB_PASSWORD}@localhost:5432/hotnow
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379/0
JWT_SECRET=${JWT_SECRET}
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=${JWT_REFRESH_SECRET}
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=${STRIPE_SECRET_KEY}
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=${STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET}
SUPER_SEARCH_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:8000  # Super Search v2 MCP
SUPER_SEARCH_API_KEY=${SUPER_SEARCH_API_KEY}
ENVIRONMENT=production
CORS_ORIGINS=https://app.hotnow.io,https://dashboard.hotnow.io
```

---

## 9. Build Plan Preview (Phases 2-4)

### Phase 2: Core Build ($20-25 budget, premium models)

**What gets built:**

1. **Database setup** — PostgreSQL + PostGIS on Core server. Run migrations for all tables.
2. **FastAPI backend** — All API endpoints listed above. Auth flow (JWT + refresh). Stripe integration (subscriptions + business payments).
3. **Super Search v2 integration** — Event ingestion pipeline. Dedup logic. Geocoding enrichment.
4. **Trending algorithm** — HOT_SCORE calculator. ARQ cron job. Redis sorted set population.
5. **PWA shell** — SvelteKit SPA. Map view with Leaflet. Discovery feed. Event detail. Search. Auth. Bottom navigation.
6. **Business dashboard** — Basic dashboard with analytics and purchase flow.
7. **Caddy + Cloudflare** — Subdomain routing. SSL. Rate limiting.

**Models used:** `claude-sonnet-4-20250514` for complex backend logic, `gpt-4o` for frontend, `deepseek-v4-pro` for architecture decisions.

---

### Phase 3: Review + Hardening ($8-10 budget)

**What gets hardened:**

1. **Security audit** — JWT hardening, input validation, SQL injection check, CORS review.
2. **Performance** — API response time optimization, database query tuning, Redis cache hit rate.
3. **Error handling** — Graceful degradation, offline fallbacks, rate limit UX, payment failure flows.
4. **PWA audit** — Lighthouse PWA score, offline functionality, install flow, push notifications.
5. **Mobile testing** — iOS Safari, Chrome Android, Samsung Internet. Responsive breakpoints.
6. **Seed data** — Populate with real events for launch city. Verify trending algorithm with live data.
7. **Business onboarding flow** — Stripe Connect setup, venue claim flow, payment testing.

**Models used:** `claude-sonnet-4-20250514` for code review, `gpt-4o` for testing, `deepseek-v4-pro` for security analysis.

---

### Phase 4: Launch Package ($5-7 budget)

**What gets packaged:**

1. **Launch city campaign** — SEO landing page for target city. Social media post templates.
2. **Email sequence** — Welcome email, weekly digest ("What's Hot This Weekend"), re-engagement.
3. **Analytics dashboard** — Simple admin analytics: DAU/MAU, event engagement, revenue tracking.
4. **Business outreach kit** — One-page pitch for venues to advertise. "Claim your venue" email template.
5. **Documentation** — Deployment runbook, API docs (auto-generated by FastAPI), admin guide.
6. **Monitoring** — Uptime Kuma check for api.hotnow.io health endpoint. Error alerting.
7. **Launch checklist** — Pre-launch verification items. Go/no-go criteria.

---

## 10. Follow-Up Questions for Germaine

### Launch Strategy

1. **Launch city?** You mentioned Savannah in the doc. Is that the definite first market? Pros: manageable size, tourist economy, strong local culture, your home base. Cons: smaller user base, seasonal tourism. Alternatives to consider: Austin (tech-forward, young demo), Nashville (music + nightlife), Charleston (tourism + culture, close to Savannah).

2. **Savannah-specific considerations?** SCAD students are a natural early adopter demographic. Should we do a SCAD ambassador program (similar to Beli's campus model)? Are there local event organizers / venues we should partner with pre-launch?

3. **City-rollout strategy?** One city at a time (depth-first) or multi-city from launch (breadth-first)? Depth-first: build strong network effects in one market, then expand. Breadth-first: broader appeal but thinner data per city.

### Data Strategy

4. **Seed data sources?** Super Search v2 gives us web crawl + search aggregation. But for launch, should we also:
   - Manually curate 50-100 events/venues in the launch city to ensure quality?
   - Partner with local event organizers, venues, tourism boards?
   - Scrape existing platforms (Eventbrite, Facebook Events) as seed data?
   - User submissions from day one (UGC)?

5. **Data quality vs. quantity?** Fever/DICE has 100% quality (curated) but narrow scope. Eventbrite has massive scope but low quality. Where should HotNow start on this spectrum?

### Revenue Priority

6. **Consumer subscriptions vs. business placements — which is Priority A?**
   - Consumer-first: requires user acquisition → conversion to Pro/Concierge. Longer path to revenue.
   - Business-first: sell Featured Placement + Event Boost to venues immediately. Faster revenue, but need traffic to sell.
   - Hybrid: launch with free tier + business placements, add Pro/Concierge in month 2-3.

7. **Concierge tier ($19.99/mo) — what should it actually offer at launch?** Curated experiences require human or AI curation effort. Options:
   - AI-powered concierge chat (lower cost, always available)
   - Human-curated weekly picks (higher value, higher cost)
   - Hybrid: AI for instant answers, human for weekly curated lists

### Technical Choices

8. **Map provider — Leaflet (OpenStreetMap) free or splurge on Mapbox?**
   - Leaflet + OSM: free, no API keys, works offline. Less polished tiles.
   - Mapbox: beautiful tiles, better dark theme, 3D buildings. $0 for first 50K monthly loads, then ~$200+/mo at scale.
   - Recommendation: start with Leaflet, swap to Mapbox when revenue supports it.

9. **Hard constraints on tech stack?** You've already chosen FastAPI + SvelteKit + PostgreSQL. Any of these non-negotiable? Any you'd prefer to swap?

10. **Progressive Web App vs. native mobile?** PWA is the plan (no app store, instant updates, offline). When/if should we invest in native iOS/Android? Trigger points: 10K MAU? Revenue milestone?

### Timeline & Budget

11. **Phase 2 timeline expectations?** At $20-25 budget with premium models, I estimate Phase 2 takes about 8-12 hours of build time (subagent + human orchestration). Does that match your timeframe?

12. **MVP definition — what's the absolute minimum for "go live"?**
    - Must have: map, trending events, search, event detail, basic auth
    - Nice to have: AI recommendations, offline mode, Concierge chat, business dashboard
    - Your call on the cutoff for launch

---

## Appendix A: Existing Assets Snapshot

| Asset | Path | Status |
|-------|------|--------|
| Landing page | `/var/www/hotnow/index.html` | ✅ Live (1342 lines, 38KB) |
| Mockup | `/var/www/mockup/hotnow/index.html` | ✅ Complete (432 lines, 14KB) |
| Project doc | `/root/projects/itpp-infrastructure/projects/hotnow.md` | ✅ Comprehensive (827 lines) |
| Domain | `hotnow.io` | ✅ Registered at Cloudflare |
| Server | Core (152.53.192.33), Netcup RS 2000 | ✅ Operational |
| Super Search v2 | MCP on Core | ✅ 7 providers, all healthy |
| Caddy | Reverse proxy on Core | ✅ Configured |
| PostgreSQL 16 | On Core | ✅ Running |
| Redis | On Core | ✅ Running |

## Appendix B: Key Market Signals

- **Gen Z discovery:** 77% discover restaurants on social media (Eater/Vox 2025 survey)
- **Beli growth:** 30M reviews in 2024 (surpassing Yelp's 21M) — demand for social-forward discovery
- **Fever acquired DICE:** Consolidation in curated event space — leaves gap for comprehensive real-time
- **Nextdoor AI pivot:** "LLM for every neighborhood" — validates AI + hyperlocal
- **Corner's $3.75M raise:** VCs betting on map-first social discovery for Gen Z
- **Yelp's AI transformation:** Incumbent feels threat from new discovery paradigms
- **Eventbrite rebrand:** Moving from utility to cultural hub — validates shift toward experience economy