Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions and answers about PulseGen.

Table of contents

  1. General
    1. What is PulseGen?
    2. Is PulseGen free?
    3. What makes PulseGen different from SurveyMonkey or Typeform?
    4. Do I need technical skills to use PulseGen?
  2. Installation
    1. What are the minimum requirements?
    2. Can I run PulseGen without Docker?
    3. How do I update PulseGen?
    4. Can I run PulseGen on shared hosting?
  3. Features
    1. How many question types are supported?
    2. Is there a limit on responses?
    3. Can I use custom domains?
    4. Does PulseGen support multiple languages?
  4. AI Features
    1. Which AI providers are supported?
    2. Do I need an AI provider to use PulseGen?
    3. How much do AI features cost?
    4. Is my survey data sent to AI providers?
  5. Security
    1. Is PulseGen secure?
    2. Where is my data stored?
    3. Is PulseGen GDPR compliant?
    4. Can I use PulseGen for healthcare surveys (HIPAA)?
  6. Integration
    1. Does PulseGen have an API?
    2. Can I embed surveys on my website?
    3. Does PulseGen integrate with other tools?
  7. Performance
    1. How many concurrent users can PulseGen handle?
    2. How do I improve performance?
    3. Is there a response time SLA?
  8. Troubleshooting
    1. The application won’t start
    2. Database connection failed
    3. AI features aren’t working
    4. Surveys aren’t loading
  9. Getting Help
    1. Where can I get support?
    2. How can I contribute?
    3. Is commercial support available?

General

What is PulseGen?

PulseGen is an open-source survey platform that lets you create beautiful surveys, collect responses, and analyze data with AI assistance. It’s designed for self-hosting, giving you complete control over your data.

Is PulseGen free?

Yes! PulseGen is free and open-source under the MIT license. You can use it for personal and commercial projects without any licensing fees.

What makes PulseGen different from SurveyMonkey or Typeform?

Feature PulseGen Others
Data ownership Your servers, your data Their cloud
Pricing Free forever Per response/seat
AI features Bring your own keys Paid add-ons
Customization Full source access Limited
Lock-in Export everything Proprietary

Do I need technical skills to use PulseGen?

Basic Docker knowledge helps for installation, but our setup scripts make it easy. Once running, the interface is user-friendly and requires no coding.

Installation

What are the minimum requirements?

  • CPU: 2+ cores
  • RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)
  • Storage: 20GB SSD
  • OS: Any system that runs Docker

Can I run PulseGen without Docker?

Yes, but it’s not recommended. You’d need to:

  1. Set up PostgreSQL manually
  2. Install Node.js 20+
  3. Configure and run the backend
  4. Build and serve the frontend

Docker Compose handles all this automatically.

How do I update PulseGen? 

1
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git pull origin main
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d --build
docker-compose exec backend npx prisma migrate deploy

Can I run PulseGen on shared hosting?

No, PulseGen requires a VPS or dedicated server with Docker support. Shared hosting typically doesn’t support Docker containers.

Features

How many question types are supported?

PulseGen supports 24 question types:

  • Choice: Multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, yes/no
  • Scale: Rating, NPS, Likert, slider
  • Text: Short text, long text, email, number
  • Advanced: Matrix, ranking, file upload, signature
  • Date/Time: Date picker, time picker, date-time

Is there a limit on responses?

No! Unlike SaaS survey tools, there are no response limits. Collect as many responses as your server can handle.

Can I use custom domains?

Yes. Configure your domain in the .env file and set up DNS to point to your server. See the Deployment Guide.

Does PulseGen support multiple languages?

Yes, PulseGen supports:

  • Interface: 10+ languages
  • Survey content: Unlimited languages per survey
  • AI translation: Instant translation to 12+ languages
  • RTL support: Arabic, Hebrew, etc.

AI Features

Which AI providers are supported?

  • OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-3.5)
  • Anthropic (Claude 3.5, Claude 3)
  • Google AI (Gemini Pro, Gemini Ultra)
  • Azure OpenAI (for enterprise)

Do I need an AI provider to use PulseGen?

No! AI features are completely optional. PulseGen works perfectly as a standalone survey tool.

How much do AI features cost?

PulseGen itself is free. You pay only for API usage to your chosen provider:

Task Approx. Cost
Generate 10-question survey $0.02-0.05
Analyze 100 responses $0.05-0.10
Translate survey $0.01-0.03

Costs vary by provider and model.

Is my survey data sent to AI providers?

Only when you explicitly use AI features. Data is sent for processing and not stored by providers (check their policies). You can enable PII anonymization before sending.

Security

Is PulseGen secure?

Yes. Security features include:

  • AES-256 encryption for sensitive data
  • JWT authentication with refresh tokens
  • Rate limiting and brute force protection
  • HTTPS enforcement
  • CSRF protection
  • Input sanitization

Where is my data stored?

On YOUR server. Unlike SaaS tools, your data never leaves your infrastructure (unless you use AI features, which process data externally).

Is PulseGen GDPR compliant?

PulseGen provides tools for GDPR compliance:

  • Data export for respondents
  • Data deletion (right to erasure)
  • Consent management
  • Data minimization options
  • Audit logging

You’re responsible for implementing appropriate policies.

Can I use PulseGen for healthcare surveys (HIPAA)?

With additional configuration, yes. Required steps:

  1. Enable encryption everywhere
  2. Sign BAA with cloud providers
  3. Implement access controls
  4. Enable audit logging
  5. Conduct security assessment

Consult your compliance team.

Integration

Does PulseGen have an API?

Yes! A comprehensive REST API supports:

  • Survey management
  • Response collection
  • Analytics retrieval
  • User management
  • Webhook configuration

See the API Reference.

Can I embed surveys on my website?

Yes, multiple options:

  • iFrame embed: Simple HTML snippet
  • JavaScript SDK: Custom styling
  • API integration: Full control

Does PulseGen integrate with other tools?

Built-in integrations:

  • Webhooks: Real-time notifications
  • API: Custom integrations
  • Export: CSV, Excel, JSON, PDF

Community integrations:

  • Zapier (via webhooks)
  • n8n
  • Custom connectors

Performance

How many concurrent users can PulseGen handle?

Depends on your infrastructure:

Setup Concurrent Users
2 CPU, 4GB RAM ~100
4 CPU, 8GB RAM ~500
Clustered setup 1000+

How do I improve performance?

  1. Enable Redis caching
  2. Use a CDN for static assets
  3. Scale horizontally with load balancer
  4. Use managed database (RDS, Cloud SQL)
  5. Enable response caching

Is there a response time SLA?

For self-hosted, you control the SLA. Typical response times:

  • API endpoints: <100ms
  • Survey submission: <200ms
  • AI generation: 2-10s (depends on provider)

Troubleshooting

The application won’t start

  1. Check Docker is running: docker info
  2. Verify .env file exists and is configured
  3. Check logs: docker-compose logs
  4. Ensure ports aren’t in use: lsof -i :3001

Database connection failed

  1. Check PostgreSQL is running: docker-compose ps
  2. Verify DATABASE_URL in .env
  3. Test connection: docker-compose exec postgres pg_isready

AI features aren’t working

  1. Verify API key is correct
  2. Check provider status page
  3. Review rate limits
  4. Test with: curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" https://api.openai.com/v1/models

Surveys aren’t loading

  1. Clear browser cache
  2. Check backend logs: docker-compose logs backend
  3. Verify CORS settings match your domain
  4. Check browser console for errors

Getting Help

Where can I get support?

How can I contribute?

We welcome contributions!

Is commercial support available?

Contact us for enterprise support options, custom development, or consulting services.