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MoneyMatter Docs

Self-host MoneyMatter with Docker

MoneyMatter is open source, and you can run the whole app on your own server for free. Your data stays in your own database and nothing is sent to moneymatter.app.

This page is the short version. The full guides live next to the code on GitHub and are linked from each section.

What you get

Section titled “What you get”
  • The same app as the cloud. Every feature is on for every user. There are no plans, no trial and no billing.
  • As many users as you like. You can cap the number of sign-ups or close them.
  • Exchange rates and stock prices work without any API key.
  • No analytics. A self-hosted install sends none.

Some features need a key or an account of your own. They stay off until you set them up:

FeatureWhat you need
Bank connectionsYour own account with the provider. See Bank connections.
AI featuresYour own AI key, or a model running on your own network.
Crypto pricesA CoinGecko API key.
Email (invitations, verification)A Resend API key. Without it, you share invitation links by hand.
Google or GitHub sign-inYour own OAuth app with that provider.
Payee logosA logo.dev key.

The environment reference lists every setting.

On the cloud, hosting, updates, security patches and these data feeds are handled for you. See Plans and billing.

What you need

Section titled “What you need”
  • A machine with Docker Engine and the Compose plugin. A small VPS running Ubuntu or Debian is the common choice, but any Docker host works.
  • At least 2 GB of RAM.
  • An amd64 (x86-64) processor for the published images. On an ARM machine, such as a Raspberry Pi, build the images from source or run them under emulation, which is slower.
  • For access from the internet: a domain and a reverse proxy that handles HTTPS. You don’t need either to try it on your own computer or home network.

Docker Compose is the only supported setup.

Quickstart

Section titled “Quickstart”

  1. Get the files:

    Terminal window
    git clone https://github.com/letehaha/moneymatter.git
    cd moneymatter/self-hosting
    cp .env.example .env

  2. Open .env and fill in the REQUIRED section. Four values must be replaced with secrets of your own: APPLICATION_JWT_SECRET, APP_SESSION_ID_SECRET, BETTER_AUTH_SECRET and APPLICATION_DB_PASSWORD. Generate each one separately with:

    Terminal window
    openssl rand -base64 32

  3. Start the app:

    Terminal window
    docker compose up -d

  4. Wait about a minute. On the first start the app sets up its database before it responds.

  5. Open http://<your-server>:8080 and create your account.

To use a different port, set HTTP_PORT in .env.

The setup guide walks through each step in detail. To deploy from the Portainer UI instead, see the Portainer guide.

Put it on the internet

Section titled “Put it on the internet”
  1. Point your reverse proxy at http://<your-server>:8080.
  2. In .env, set BETTER_AUTH_URL and AUTH_ORIGIN to the address people type in the browser, for example https://budget.example.com. Both always hold the same value.
  3. Run docker compose up -d again.
  4. Close direct access to port 8080, so the app is only reachable through the proxy.

The reverse proxy guide has recipes for Nginx Proxy Manager, Caddy, Traefik and plain nginx, and explains how to close the port. If you don’t run a proxy, the Traefik overlay adds one with free Let’s Encrypt certificates.

Update

Section titled “Update”
Terminal window
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Both commands are needed: up -d on its own doesn’t download a newer version. Take a backup first.

Back up your server

Section titled “Back up your server”

Two things hold your data: the database and the files attached to transactions. Back up both.

Terminal window
docker compose exec -T db \
  sh -c 'pg_dump -U "$POSTGRES_USER" "$POSTGRES_DB"' \
  | gzip > "backup-$(date +%F).sql.gz"

The setup guide has the command for attachments and for restoring. The same backup moves your install to another server.

Move between the cloud and your own server

Section titled “Move between the cloud and your own server”

You can move in either direction with a backup file from inside the app. It carries one account’s data.

  1. On the install you’re leaving, open Settings, then Security, then the Backup & restore tab, and click Download.
  2. On the install you’re moving to, create an account.
  3. Open the same tab there, click Select backup file and choose the zip.

A few things to know first:

  • Restoring replaces everything in the account you restore into.
  • Bank connections, your AI keys and transaction attachments aren’t in the backup. Reconnect your banks and enter your keys again afterwards.
  • Moving to the cloud: the cloud account must use the same email address as the account the backup came from, and restoring needs a paid plan. It isn’t available during the free trial.
  • Moving to your own server: there’s no email check, and after the restore your stocks and crypto get their past prices fetched again.

See Backup and restore for the full steps.

If something goes wrong

Section titled “If something goes wrong”

The troubleshooting guide covers the usual problems: sign-in loops, a 502 error, large imports failing and missing exchange rates. For anything else, open an issue on GitHub.

Section titled “Related”