Actual Budget Manager

beginner

Actual Budget local-first personal finance app with sync server.

Overview

Actual Budget is an open-source personal finance application that follows a local-first architecture, meaning your financial data stays on your device by default. Built as a modern alternative to You Need A Budget (YNAB), Actual Budget emerged from the need for privacy-focused budgeting software that doesn't require mandatory cloud subscriptions. The actual-server component provides the synchronization backend that enables data sharing across multiple devices while maintaining end-to-end encryption. The actual-server acts as a sync hub for Actual Budget clients, storing encrypted budget files and coordinating changes between desktop, web, and mobile applications. Unlike traditional cloud-based budgeting apps, actual-server gives users complete control over their financial data location and access. The server handles conflict resolution when multiple devices modify budgets simultaneously and provides secure user authentication without exposing budget contents. This configuration is ideal for privacy-conscious individuals and families who want YNAB-style envelope budgeting without recurring subscriptions or data privacy concerns. Financial advisors, small business owners, and anyone seeking granular control over their budgeting infrastructure will benefit from actual-server's self-hosted approach. The ability to import existing YNAB and Mint data makes it particularly valuable for users migrating from discontinued or expensive commercial alternatives.

Key Features

Zero-knowledge sync server that stores encrypted budget data without access to actual financial information
Multi-device synchronization supporting desktop apps, web browsers, and mobile clients simultaneously
Direct import compatibility with YNAB4, YNAB5, and Mint CSV exports for easy migration
Envelope budgeting methodology with real-time balance tracking and overspending alerts
Custom transaction categorization with rule-based automatic sorting and payee recognition
Goal tracking for savings targets, debt paydown, and irregular expenses with timeline visualization
Split transaction support for complex purchases across multiple budget categories
Offline-first operation allowing full budget management without internet connectivity

Common Use Cases

1Privacy-focused families wanting shared budget access without cloud service dependencies
2Financial advisors managing multiple client budgets on controlled infrastructure
3YNAB refugees seeking feature parity without ongoing subscription costs
4Small business owners tracking personal and business finances on isolated networks
5Digital nomads requiring reliable budget sync across international internet connections
6Homelab enthusiasts integrating budgeting into personal cloud ecosystems
7Couples coordinating finances across different devices and operating systems

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed on host system with container orchestration support
Minimum 512MB available RAM for actual-server container and data processing
Port 5006 available and not conflicting with existing web services
Basic understanding of budget envelope methodology and transaction categorization
Web browser supporting modern JavaScript for initial setup and administration
Backup strategy for Docker volumes containing encrypted budget databases

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  actual-server: 
3    image: actualbudget/actual-server:latest
4    container_name: actual
5    volumes: 
6      - actual_data:/data
7    ports: 
8      - "5006:5006"
9    restart: unless-stopped
10    networks: 
11      - actual-network
12
13volumes: 
14  actual_data: 
15
16networks: 
17  actual-network: 
18    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Actual Budget
2# No environment variables required for basic setup

Usage Notes

1UI at http://localhost:5006
2Create password on first visit
3Local-first with optional sync
4Import from YNAB, Mint
5End-to-end encrypted sync

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  actual-server:
5    image: actualbudget/actual-server:latest
6    container_name: actual
7    volumes:
8      - actual_data:/data
9    ports:
10      - "5006:5006"
11    restart: unless-stopped
12    networks:
13      - actual-network
14
15volumes:
16  actual_data:
17
18networks:
19  actual-network:
20    driver: bridge
21EOF
22
23# 2. Create the .env file
24cat > .env << 'EOF'
25# Actual Budget
26# No environment variables required for basic setup
27EOF
28
29# 3. Start the services
30docker compose up -d
31
32# 4. View logs
33docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/actual-budget/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Connection refused on port 5006: Verify container is running with 'docker ps' and check firewall rules blocking the port
Password creation fails on first visit: Clear browser cache and cookies, ensure JavaScript is enabled for the domain
Sync conflicts between devices: Stop all clients, restart actual-server container, then reconnect devices one at a time
Import from YNAB fails with format error: Ensure exported file is unzipped CSV format, not the compressed .zip download
Container exits immediately on startup: Check Docker logs with 'docker logs actual' for permission errors on /data volume mount
Budget data appears corrupted after restart: Restore from Docker volume backup and verify filesystem integrity on host

Community Notes

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Download Recipe Kit

Get all files in a ready-to-deploy package

Includes docker-compose.yml, .env template, README, and license

Components

actual-server

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