diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index aa0926a..caf428f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@ node_modules/
 dist/
 .env
 *.log
+data/
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index a1ec12f..9a0458c 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -13,5 +13,10 @@ services:
       - STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=${STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET}
       - BASE_URL=${BASE_URL:-https://docfast.dev}
       - PRO_KEYS=${PRO_KEYS}
+    volumes:
+      - docfast-data:/app/data
     mem_limit: 512m
     cpus: 1.0
+
+volumes:
+  docfast-data:
diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html
index 4d58cd4..ec99b8d 100644
--- a/public/index.html
+++ b/public/index.html
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 body { font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, sans-serif; background: var(--bg); color: var(--fg); line-height: 1.6; }
 a { color: var(--accent); text-decoration: none; }
 a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
-
 .container { max-width: 960px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 0 24px; }
 
 /* Hero */
@@ -20,10 +19,10 @@ a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
 .hero h1 span { color: var(--accent); }
 .hero p { font-size: 1.25rem; color: var(--muted); max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto 40px; }
 .hero-actions { display: flex; gap: 16px; justify-content: center; flex-wrap: wrap; }
-.btn { display: inline-block; padding: 14px 32px; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 600; transition: all 0.2s; }
+.btn { display: inline-block; padding: 14px 32px; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 600; transition: all 0.2s; border: none; cursor: pointer; }
 .btn-primary { background: var(--accent); color: #000; }
 .btn-primary:hover { background: #6fb; text-decoration: none; }
-.btn-secondary { border: 1px solid var(--border); color: var(--fg); }
+.btn-secondary { border: 1px solid var(--border); color: var(--fg); background: transparent; }
 .btn-secondary:hover { border-color: var(--muted); text-decoration: none; }
 
 /* Code block */
@@ -65,6 +64,24 @@ a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
 
 /* Footer */
 footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.85rem; border-top: 1px solid var(--border); }
+
+/* Modal */
+.modal-overlay { display: none; position: fixed; inset: 0; background: rgba(0,0,0,0.7); z-index: 100; align-items: center; justify-content: center; }
+.modal-overlay.active { display: flex; }
+.modal { background: var(--card); border: 1px solid var(--border); border-radius: 16px; padding: 40px; max-width: 440px; width: 90%; }
+.modal h2 { margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: 1.5rem; }
+.modal p { color: var(--muted); margin-bottom: 24px; font-size: 0.95rem; }
+.modal input { width: 100%; padding: 14px 16px; border-radius: 8px; border: 1px solid var(--border); background: var(--bg); color: var(--fg); font-size: 1rem; margin-bottom: 16px; outline: none; }
+.modal input:focus { border-color: var(--accent); }
+.modal .btn { width: 100%; text-align: center; }
+.modal .error { color: #f66; font-size: 0.85rem; margin-bottom: 12px; display: none; }
+.modal .close { position: absolute; top: 16px; right: 20px; color: var(--muted); font-size: 1.5rem; cursor: pointer; background: none; border: none; }
+
+/* Key result */
+.key-result { display: none; }
+.key-result .key-box { background: var(--bg); border: 1px solid var(--accent); border-radius: 8px; padding: 16px; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.85rem; word-break: break-all; margin: 16px 0; cursor: pointer; transition: background 0.2s; }
+.key-result .key-box:hover { background: #111; }
+.key-result .copy-hint { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.8rem; text-align: center; }
 </style>
 </head>
 <body>
@@ -74,12 +91,12 @@ footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.
     <h1>HTML & Markdown to <span>PDF</span></h1>
     <p>One API call. Beautiful PDFs. Built-in invoice templates. No headless browser setup, no dependencies, no hassle.</p>
     <div class="hero-actions">
-      <a href="#pricing" class="btn btn-primary">Get API Key</a>
+      <button class="btn btn-primary" onclick="openSignup()">Get Free API Key</button>
       <a href="#endpoints" class="btn btn-secondary">View Docs</a>
     </div>
     <div class="code-hero">
       <span class="comment">// Convert markdown to PDF in one call</span><br>
-      <span class="key">curl</span> -X POST https://api.docfast.dev/v1/convert/markdown \<br>
+      <span class="key">curl</span> -X POST https://docfast.dev/v1/convert/markdown \<br>
       &nbsp;&nbsp;-H <span class="string">"Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"</span> \<br>
       &nbsp;&nbsp;-H <span class="string">"Content-Type: application/json"</span> \<br>
       &nbsp;&nbsp;-d <span class="string">'{"markdown": "# Invoice\\n\\nAmount: $500"}'</span> \<br>
@@ -139,6 +156,11 @@ footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.
       <span class="endpoint-path">/v1/convert/markdown</span>
       <div class="endpoint-desc">Convert Markdown to styled PDF with syntax highlighting.</div>
     </div>
+    <div class="endpoint">
+      <span class="endpoint-method">POST</span>
+      <span class="endpoint-path">/v1/convert/url</span>
+      <div class="endpoint-desc">Navigate to a URL and convert the page to PDF.</div>
+    </div>
     <div class="endpoint">
       <span class="endpoint-method">GET</span>
       <span class="endpoint-path">/v1/templates</span>
@@ -171,7 +193,7 @@ footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.
           <li>All templates</li>
           <li>Community support</li>
         </ul>
-        <a href="mailto:hello@docfast.dev?subject=Free API Key" class="btn btn-secondary" style="width:100%">Get Free Key</a>
+        <button class="btn btn-secondary" style="width:100%" onclick="openSignup()">Get Free Key</button>
       </div>
       <div class="price-card featured">
         <h3>Pro</h3>
@@ -183,7 +205,7 @@ footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.
           <li>Priority support</li>
           <li>Custom templates</li>
         </ul>
-        <a href="#" class="btn btn-primary" style="width:100%" onclick="checkout(event)">Get Started</a>
+        <button class="btn btn-primary" style="width:100%" onclick="checkout()">Get Started</button>
       </div>
     </div>
   </div>
@@ -195,9 +217,102 @@ footer { padding: 40px 0; text-align: center; color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.
   </div>
 </footer>
 
+<!-- Signup Modal -->
+<div class="modal-overlay" id="signupModal">
+  <div class="modal" style="position:relative">
+    <button class="close" onclick="closeSignup()">&times;</button>
+    <div id="signupForm">
+      <h2>Get Your Free API Key</h2>
+      <p>Enter your email and get an API key instantly. No credit card required.</p>
+      <div class="error" id="signupError"></div>
+      <input type="email" id="signupEmail" placeholder="you@example.com" autofocus>
+      <button class="btn btn-primary" style="width:100%" onclick="submitSignup()" id="signupBtn">Get API Key</button>
+    </div>
+    <div class="key-result" id="keyResult">
+      <h2>🚀 You're in!</h2>
+      <p>Here's your API key. <strong>Save it now</strong> — it won't be shown again.</p>
+      <div class="key-box" id="apiKeyDisplay" onclick="copyKey()" title="Click to copy"></div>
+      <div class="copy-hint">Click to copy</div>
+      <p style="margin-top:24px;color:var(--muted);font-size:0.9rem;">100 free PDFs/month • All endpoints • <a href="#endpoints">View docs →</a></p>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
 <script>
-async function checkout(e) {
-  e.preventDefault();
+function openSignup() {
+  document.getElementById('signupModal').classList.add('active');
+  document.getElementById('signupForm').style.display = 'block';
+  document.getElementById('keyResult').style.display = 'none';
+  document.getElementById('signupEmail').value = '';
+  document.getElementById('signupError').style.display = 'none';
+  setTimeout(() => document.getElementById('signupEmail').focus(), 100);
+}
+
+function closeSignup() {
+  document.getElementById('signupModal').classList.remove('active');
+}
+
+// Close on overlay click
+document.getElementById('signupModal').addEventListener('click', function(e) {
+  if (e.target === this) closeSignup();
+});
+
+// Submit on Enter
+document.getElementById('signupEmail').addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {
+  if (e.key === 'Enter') submitSignup();
+});
+
+async function submitSignup() {
+  const email = document.getElementById('signupEmail').value.trim();
+  const errEl = document.getElementById('signupError');
+  const btn = document.getElementById('signupBtn');
+
+  if (!email) {
+    errEl.textContent = 'Please enter your email.';
+    errEl.style.display = 'block';
+    return;
+  }
+
+  btn.textContent = 'Creating...';
+  btn.disabled = true;
+
+  try {
+    const res = await fetch('/v1/signup/free', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ email })
+    });
+    const data = await res.json();
+
+    if (!res.ok) {
+      errEl.textContent = data.error || 'Something went wrong.';
+      errEl.style.display = 'block';
+      btn.textContent = 'Get API Key';
+      btn.disabled = false;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Show key
+    document.getElementById('signupForm').style.display = 'none';
+    document.getElementById('keyResult').style.display = 'block';
+    document.getElementById('apiKeyDisplay').textContent = data.apiKey;
+  } catch (err) {
+    errEl.textContent = 'Network error. Please try again.';
+    errEl.style.display = 'block';
+    btn.textContent = 'Get API Key';
+    btn.disabled = false;
+  }
+}
+
+function copyKey() {
+  const key = document.getElementById('apiKeyDisplay').textContent;
+  navigator.clipboard.writeText(key).then(() => {
+    document.querySelector('.copy-hint').textContent = '✓ Copied!';
+    setTimeout(() => document.querySelector('.copy-hint').textContent = 'Click to copy', 2000);
+  });
+}
+
+async function checkout() {
   try {
     const res = await fetch('/v1/billing/checkout', { method: 'POST' });
     const data = await res.json();
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 492e2d1..01e60ed 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -6,22 +6,27 @@ import rateLimit from "express-rate-limit";
 import { convertRouter } from "./routes/convert.js";
 import { templatesRouter } from "./routes/templates.js";
 import { healthRouter } from "./routes/health.js";
+import { signupRouter } from "./routes/signup.js";
+import { billingRouter } from "./routes/billing.js";
 import { authMiddleware } from "./middleware/auth.js";
 import { usageMiddleware } from "./middleware/usage.js";
 import { getUsageStats } from "./middleware/usage.js";
 import { initBrowser, closeBrowser } from "./services/browser.js";
-import { billingRouter } from "./routes/billing.js";
+import { loadKeys, getAllKeys } from "./services/keys.js";
 
 const app = express();
 const PORT = parseInt(process.env.PORT || "3100", 10);
 
+// Load API keys from persistent store
+loadKeys();
+
 app.use(helmet());
 // Raw body for Stripe webhook signature verification
 app.use("/v1/billing/webhook", express.raw({ type: "application/json" }));
 app.use(express.json({ limit: "2mb" }));
 app.use(express.text({ limit: "2mb", type: "text/*" }));
 
-// Rate limiting: 100 req/min for free tier
+// Rate limiting
 const limiter = rateLimit({
   windowMs: 60_000,
   max: 100,
@@ -30,17 +35,16 @@ const limiter = rateLimit({
 });
 app.use(limiter);
 
-// Public
+// Public routes
 app.use("/health", healthRouter);
+app.use("/v1/signup", signupRouter);
+app.use("/v1/billing", billingRouter);
 
-// Authenticated
+// Authenticated routes
 app.use("/v1/convert", authMiddleware, usageMiddleware, convertRouter);
 app.use("/v1/templates", authMiddleware, usageMiddleware, templatesRouter);
 
-// Billing (public — Stripe handles auth)
-app.use("/v1/billing", billingRouter);
-
-// Admin: usage stats (protected by auth)
+// Admin: usage stats
 app.get("/v1/usage", authMiddleware, (_req, res) => {
   res.json(getUsageStats());
 });
@@ -49,24 +53,26 @@ app.get("/v1/usage", authMiddleware, (_req, res) => {
 const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, "../public")));
 
-// API root (for programmatic discovery)
+// API root
 app.get("/api", (_req, res) => {
   res.json({
     name: "DocFast API",
-    version: "0.1.0",
-    docs: "/health",
+    version: "0.2.0",
     endpoints: [
+      "POST /v1/signup/free — Get a free API key",
       "POST /v1/convert/html",
       "POST /v1/convert/markdown",
       "POST /v1/convert/url",
       "POST /v1/templates/:id/render",
       "GET  /v1/templates",
+      "POST /v1/billing/checkout — Start Pro subscription",
     ],
   });
 });
 
 async function start() {
   await initBrowser();
+  console.log(`Loaded ${getAllKeys().length} API keys`);
   app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`DocFast API running on :${PORT}`));
 
   const shutdown = async () => {
diff --git a/src/middleware/auth.ts b/src/middleware/auth.ts
index 31e43c2..72f5b20 100644
--- a/src/middleware/auth.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/auth.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 import { Request, Response, NextFunction } from "express";
-
-const API_KEYS = new Set(
-  (process.env.API_KEYS || "test-key-123").split(",").map((k) => k.trim())
-);
+import { isValidKey, getKeyInfo } from "../services/keys.js";
 
 export function authMiddleware(
   req: Request,
@@ -15,9 +12,11 @@ export function authMiddleware(
     return;
   }
   const key = header.slice(7);
-  if (!API_KEYS.has(key)) {
+  if (!isValidKey(key)) {
     res.status(403).json({ error: "Invalid API key" });
     return;
   }
+  // Attach key info to request for downstream use
+  (req as any).apiKeyInfo = getKeyInfo(key);
   next();
 }
diff --git a/src/middleware/usage.ts b/src/middleware/usage.ts
index d2e8076..3a94827 100644
--- a/src/middleware/usage.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/usage.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,13 @@
 import { Request, Response, NextFunction } from "express";
+import { isProKey } from "../services/keys.js";
 
 interface UsageRecord {
   count: number;
   monthKey: string;
 }
 
-// In-memory usage tracking (replace with Redis/DB for production)
 const usage = new Map<string, UsageRecord>();
-
-const FREE_TIER_LIMIT = 100; // 100 PDFs/month for free tier
-import { isProKey as isRuntimeProKey } from "../routes/billing.js";
-
-const PRO_KEYS = new Set(
-  (process.env.PRO_KEYS || "").split(",").map((k) => k.trim()).filter(Boolean)
-);
+const FREE_TIER_LIMIT = 100;
 
 function getMonthKey(): string {
   const d = new Date();
@@ -28,8 +22,8 @@ export function usageMiddleware(
   const key = req.headers.authorization?.slice(7) || "unknown";
   const monthKey = getMonthKey();
 
-  // Pro keys have no limit (env-configured or runtime-provisioned via Stripe)
-  if (PRO_KEYS.has(key) || isRuntimeProKey(key)) {
+  // Pro keys have no limit
+  if (isProKey(key)) {
     trackUsage(key, monthKey);
     next();
     return;
diff --git a/src/routes/billing.ts b/src/routes/billing.ts
index 78cedf9..31298f9 100644
--- a/src/routes/billing.ts
+++ b/src/routes/billing.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Router, Request, Response } from "express";
 import Stripe from "stripe";
-import { nanoid } from "nanoid";
+import { createProKey, revokeByCustomer } from "../services/keys.js";
 
 const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY || "", {
   apiVersion: "2025-01-27.acacia" as any,
@@ -8,22 +8,17 @@ const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY || "", {
 
 const router = Router();
 
-// In-memory store of customer → API key mappings
-// In production, this would be a database
-const customerKeys = new Map<string, string>();
-
 // Create a Stripe Checkout session for Pro subscription
 router.post("/checkout", async (_req: Request, res: Response) => {
   try {
-    // Find or create the Pro plan product+price
     const priceId = await getOrCreateProPrice();
 
     const session = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
       mode: "subscription",
       payment_method_types: ["card"],
       line_items: [{ price: priceId, quantity: 1 }],
-      success_url: `${process.env.BASE_URL || "https://docfast.dev"}/billing/success?session_id={CHECKOUT_SESSION_ID}`,
-      cancel_url: `${process.env.BASE_URL || "https://docfast.dev"}/pricing`,
+      success_url: `${process.env.BASE_URL || "https://docfast.dev"}/v1/billing/success?session_id={CHECKOUT_SESSION_ID}`,
+      cancel_url: `${process.env.BASE_URL || "https://docfast.dev"}/#pricing`,
     });
 
     res.json({ url: session.url });
@@ -33,7 +28,7 @@ router.post("/checkout", async (_req: Request, res: Response) => {
   }
 });
 
-// Success page — retrieve API key after checkout
+// Success page — provision Pro API key after checkout
 router.get("/success", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
   const sessionId = req.query.session_id as string;
   if (!sessionId) {
@@ -44,27 +39,35 @@ router.get("/success", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
   try {
     const session = await stripe.checkout.sessions.retrieve(sessionId);
     const customerId = session.customer as string;
+    const email = session.customer_details?.email || "unknown@docfast.dev";
 
     if (!customerId) {
       res.status(400).json({ error: "No customer found" });
       return;
     }
 
-    // Generate or retrieve API key for this customer
-    let apiKey = customerKeys.get(customerId);
-    if (!apiKey) {
-      apiKey = `df_pro_${nanoid(32)}`;
-      customerKeys.set(customerId, apiKey);
-      // Add to PRO_KEYS runtime set
-      addProKey(apiKey);
-    }
+    const keyInfo = createProKey(email, customerId);
 
-    res.json({
-      message: "Welcome to DocFast Pro! 🎉",
-      apiKey,
-      docs: "/api",
-      note: "Save this API key — it won't be shown again.",
-    });
+    // Return a nice HTML page instead of raw JSON
+    res.send(`<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html><head><title>Welcome to DocFast Pro!</title>
+<style>
+body { font-family: system-ui; background: #0a0a0a; color: #e8e8e8; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; min-height: 100vh; margin: 0; }
+.card { background: #141414; border: 1px solid #222; border-radius: 16px; padding: 48px; max-width: 500px; text-align: center; }
+h1 { color: #4f9; margin-bottom: 8px; }
+.key { background: #1a1a1a; border: 1px solid #333; border-radius: 8px; padding: 16px; margin: 24px 0; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9rem; word-break: break-all; cursor: pointer; }
+.key:hover { border-color: #4f9; }
+p { color: #888; line-height: 1.6; }
+a { color: #4f9; }
+</style></head><body>
+<div class="card">
+<h1>🎉 Welcome to Pro!</h1>
+<p>Your API key:</p>
+<div class="key" onclick="navigator.clipboard.writeText('${keyInfo.key}')" title="Click to copy">${keyInfo.key}</div>
+<p><strong>Save this key!</strong> It won't be shown again.</p>
+<p>10,000 PDFs/month • All endpoints • Priority support</p>
+<p><a href="/#endpoints">View API docs →</a></p>
+</div></body></html>`);
   } catch (err: any) {
     console.error("Success page error:", err.message);
     res.status(500).json({ error: "Failed to retrieve session" });
@@ -72,68 +75,38 @@ router.get("/success", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
 });
 
 // Stripe webhook for subscription lifecycle events
-router.post(
-  "/webhook",
-  // Raw body needed for signature verification
-  async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
-    const sig = req.headers["stripe-signature"] as string;
-    const webhookSecret = process.env.STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET;
+router.post("/webhook", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
+  const sig = req.headers["stripe-signature"] as string;
+  const webhookSecret = process.env.STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET;
 
-    let event: Stripe.Event;
+  let event: Stripe.Event;
 
-    if (webhookSecret && sig) {
-      try {
-        event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
-          req.body,
-          sig,
-          webhookSecret
-        );
-      } catch (err: any) {
-        console.error("Webhook signature verification failed:", err.message);
-        res.status(400).json({ error: "Invalid signature" });
-        return;
-      }
-    } else {
-      // No webhook secret configured — accept all events (dev mode)
-      event = req.body as Stripe.Event;
+  if (webhookSecret && sig) {
+    try {
+      event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(req.body, sig, webhookSecret);
+    } catch (err: any) {
+      console.error("Webhook signature verification failed:", err.message);
+      res.status(400).json({ error: "Invalid signature" });
+      return;
     }
-
-    switch (event.type) {
-      case "customer.subscription.deleted": {
-        const sub = event.data.object as Stripe.Subscription;
-        const customerId = sub.customer as string;
-        const key = customerKeys.get(customerId);
-        if (key) {
-          removeProKey(key);
-          customerKeys.delete(customerId);
-          console.log(`Subscription cancelled for ${customerId}, key revoked`);
-        }
-        break;
-      }
-      default:
-        // Ignore other events
-        break;
-    }
-
-    res.json({ received: true });
+  } else {
+    event = req.body as Stripe.Event;
   }
-);
 
-// --- Pro key management ---
-// These integrate with the usage middleware's PRO_KEYS set
-const runtimeProKeys = new Set<string>();
+  switch (event.type) {
+    case "customer.subscription.deleted": {
+      const sub = event.data.object as Stripe.Subscription;
+      const customerId = sub.customer as string;
+      revokeByCustomer(customerId);
+      console.log(`Subscription cancelled for ${customerId}, key revoked`);
+      break;
+    }
+    default:
+      break;
+  }
 
-export function addProKey(key: string): void {
-  runtimeProKeys.add(key);
-}
-
-export function removeProKey(key: string): void {
-  runtimeProKeys.delete(key);
-}
-
-export function isProKey(key: string): boolean {
-  return runtimeProKeys.has(key);
-}
+  res.json({ received: true });
+});
 
 // --- Price management ---
 let cachedPriceId: string | null = null;
@@ -141,21 +114,12 @@ let cachedPriceId: string | null = null;
 async function getOrCreateProPrice(): Promise<string> {
   if (cachedPriceId) return cachedPriceId;
 
-  // Search for existing product
-  const products = await stripe.products.search({
-    query: "name:'DocFast Pro'",
-  });
-
+  const products = await stripe.products.search({ query: "name:'DocFast Pro'" });
   let productId: string;
 
   if (products.data.length > 0) {
     productId = products.data[0].id;
-    // Find active price
-    const prices = await stripe.prices.list({
-      product: productId,
-      active: true,
-      limit: 1,
-    });
+    const prices = await stripe.prices.list({ product: productId, active: true, limit: 1 });
     if (prices.data.length > 0) {
       cachedPriceId = prices.data[0].id;
       return cachedPriceId;
@@ -170,7 +134,7 @@ async function getOrCreateProPrice(): Promise<string> {
 
   const price = await stripe.prices.create({
     product: productId,
-    unit_amount: 900, // $9.00
+    unit_amount: 900,
     currency: "usd",
     recurring: { interval: "month" },
   });
diff --git a/src/routes/signup.ts b/src/routes/signup.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..acfd013
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/signup.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { Router, Request, Response } from "express";
+import { createFreeKey } from "../services/keys.js";
+
+const router = Router();
+
+// Self-service free API key signup
+router.post("/free", (req: Request, res: Response) => {
+  const { email } = req.body;
+
+  if (!email || typeof email !== "string") {
+    res.status(400).json({ error: "Email is required" });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Basic email validation
+  if (!/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email)) {
+    res.status(400).json({ error: "Invalid email address" });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const keyInfo = createFreeKey(email.trim().toLowerCase());
+
+  res.json({
+    message: "Welcome to DocFast! 🚀",
+    apiKey: keyInfo.key,
+    tier: "free",
+    limit: "100 PDFs/month",
+    docs: "https://docfast.dev/#endpoints",
+    note: "Save this API key — it won't be shown again.",
+  });
+});
+
+export { router as signupRouter };
diff --git a/src/services/keys.ts b/src/services/keys.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5601c7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/keys.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+import { randomBytes } from "crypto";
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from "fs";
+import path from "path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "url";
+
+const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const DATA_DIR = path.join(__dirname, "../../data");
+const KEYS_FILE = path.join(DATA_DIR, "keys.json");
+
+export interface ApiKey {
+  key: string;
+  tier: "free" | "pro";
+  email: string;
+  createdAt: string;
+  stripeCustomerId?: string;
+}
+
+interface KeyStore {
+  keys: ApiKey[];
+}
+
+let store: KeyStore = { keys: [] };
+
+function ensureDataDir(): void {
+  if (!existsSync(DATA_DIR)) {
+    mkdirSync(DATA_DIR, { recursive: true });
+  }
+}
+
+export function loadKeys(): void {
+  ensureDataDir();
+  if (existsSync(KEYS_FILE)) {
+    try {
+      store = JSON.parse(readFileSync(KEYS_FILE, "utf-8"));
+    } catch {
+      store = { keys: [] };
+    }
+  }
+  // Also load seed keys from env
+  const envKeys = process.env.API_KEYS?.split(",").map((k) => k.trim()).filter(Boolean) || [];
+  for (const k of envKeys) {
+    if (!store.keys.find((e) => e.key === k)) {
+      store.keys.push({ key: k, tier: "pro", email: "seed@docfast.dev", createdAt: new Date().toISOString() });
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function save(): void {
+  ensureDataDir();
+  writeFileSync(KEYS_FILE, JSON.stringify(store, null, 2));
+}
+
+export function isValidKey(key: string): boolean {
+  return store.keys.some((k) => k.key === key);
+}
+
+export function getKeyInfo(key: string): ApiKey | undefined {
+  return store.keys.find((k) => k.key === key);
+}
+
+export function isProKey(key: string): boolean {
+  const info = getKeyInfo(key);
+  return info?.tier === "pro";
+}
+
+function generateKey(prefix: string): string {
+  return `${prefix}_${randomBytes(24).toString("hex")}`;
+}
+
+export function createFreeKey(email: string): ApiKey {
+  // Check if email already has a free key
+  const existing = store.keys.find((k) => k.email === email && k.tier === "free");
+  if (existing) return existing;
+
+  const entry: ApiKey = {
+    key: generateKey("df_free"),
+    tier: "free",
+    email,
+    createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+  };
+  store.keys.push(entry);
+  save();
+  return entry;
+}
+
+export function createProKey(email: string, stripeCustomerId: string): ApiKey {
+  const existing = store.keys.find((k) => k.stripeCustomerId === stripeCustomerId);
+  if (existing) {
+    existing.tier = "pro";
+    save();
+    return existing;
+  }
+
+  const entry: ApiKey = {
+    key: generateKey("df_pro"),
+    tier: "pro",
+    email,
+    createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    stripeCustomerId,
+  };
+  store.keys.push(entry);
+  save();
+  return entry;
+}
+
+export function revokeByCustomer(stripeCustomerId: string): boolean {
+  const idx = store.keys.findIndex((k) => k.stripeCustomerId === stripeCustomerId);
+  if (idx >= 0) {
+    store.keys.splice(idx, 1);
+    save();
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+export function getAllKeys(): ApiKey[] {
+  return [...store.keys];
+}
