Before you start
Four things. If you have a phone and a computer, you probably have most of them.
A computer
Mac, Windows or Linux. The guide shows you how to install the one free tool it needs, Node.js.
A free Cloudflare account
This is where your book lives, and it’s yours, not ours.
A card on that account
Cloudflare asks for one before it turns on photo storage. The first 10 GB are free.
A phone with Face ID or a fingerprint
That’s how you’ll sign in to write. Family never needs it.
Setting it up
Most of the work is done by the setup that comes with the template. You open the Terminal app on your computer, type one command, and it walks you through the rest in plain words. There’s no code to write. Here is the whole thing, start to finish.
Install Node.js
about 5 minA free tool the setup runs on. Download it from nodejs.org and install it like any other app.
You’ll know it worked when the installer says it’s done.
Run the setup
about 15 minOpen the Terminal app in the book’s folder (the instructions show how on a Mac or a PC) and type
npm run setup. It asks three things: what to call your book, your time zone, and a setup code to write down. Then it signs you in to Cloudflare, makes the private storage for your stories and photos, publishes your book and locks it.npm run setup Step 1 of 6 Getting the tools ready ✓ Installed. Step 2 of 6 Signing in to Cloudflare ✓ Signed in as you@example.com. Step 3 of 6 Naming your book Book address name: [our-storybook] Time zone: [America/New_York] … Step 6 of 6 Publishing your book ✓ Published. Your book is live. Your book: https://our-storybook.yourname.workers.dev
What you’ll see, shortened. Press Return to keep a suggestion in [brackets]. If it ever stops, run it again and it picks up where it left off. You’ll know it worked when it says “Your book is live” and shows your address.
Set up your phone
about 5 minOpen the studio, enter your setup code, and your phone becomes the key, with Face ID or your fingerprint.
You’ll know it worked when the studio opens on your phone.
Share it
about 2 minChoose the family code in Settings and send the link.
You’ll know it worked when someone in your family opens the book.
Everyday use
Everything after setup happens on your phone, in the studio. Each of these takes about a minute.
Add a moment
Pick photos or videos, write a few lines and save. The date fills in from the photo, and the moment lands in the right chapter.
Write a sealed letter
Choose their 12th, 16th or 18th birthday. Until then they see an envelope with a countdown. Not even you can open it from the book.
Log a checkup
Type it the way the doctor wrote it, like 3′10″ or 99.5 cm. It joins the growth chart.
- Measurements can be typed however the doctor wrote them: 41 in, 3′5″, 99.5 cm, 7 lb 11 oz, 3.57 kg.
- Videos are shrunk to 1080p on your phone before they upload, so a one-minute clip is usually 20 to 60 MB.
- Sealed letters hide their photos too, until the day they open.
Sharing with family
Share with family
Choose a family code and send the link. Grandparents type the code once and their browser remembers it.
Family opens the book with a code you choose in Settings. Capital letters and extra spaces don’t matter when they type it, and their browser remembers it.
Change the code any time. Everyone will need the new one to get back in.
The code page never shows your child’s name or birthday. Family can read and save photos; only you can add or change things.
Keeping it safe
Backups
Run one command every few months. It saves the database and downloads every photo and video to a folder you can copy to a drive or iCloud.
New or lost phone
Sign-ins sync through iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager, so a new phone usually just works. If not, enter your setup code on the new phone and remove the old one in Settings.
Privacy
Photos are re-encoded on your phone, which removes their location. Videos have where they were filmed removed too. There are no ads, analytics or trackers in the book.
Costs
Most families pay once and nothing after. Here’s everything that could ever cost money.
| What | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Little Storybook | $49 once, or $129 with the setup call |
| Pages, database, sign-in | Free on Cloudflare’s free plan |
| Photo and video storage | First 10 GB free, then about 1.5¢ per GB a month |
| Family viewing photos and videos | Free |
| Your own web address (optional) | About $10 a year |
As a rough guide, 2,000 photos take about 1 GB and an hour of video about 4 GB.
Prefer help?
Choose the template and setup call on the waitlist. When it’s on sale, we’ll book a video call and do the setup together. You leave with the book live and your phone signed in.