How the app layout keeps the month in focus
The layout stays focused on the month
- The overview points you toward setup tasks or the month that needs attention next.
- The main month area gives you Budget, Breakdown, and Plan and Edit without making you leave the month.
- Budget contains the Grouped, Full List, and Calendar modes for reviewing entries from different angles.
- Previous and next month arrows make it easier to review nearby months while keeping the same view in focus.
- Accounts, recurring, backup tools, and help stay in the main navigation so the workflow is easy to revisit.
You can switch the app theme
- The app includes built-in color themes if you want a different look and feel.
- Your theme choice is remembered for later visits on the same browser.
- Changing themes affects the interface styling, not your month data or account setup.
How backup and restore keep your data portable
What the backup area supports
- Versioned JSON exports for recurring transactions, months, account data, and workflow preferences.
- Optional password encryption for export files.
- Import previews before anything is restored.
- Sample backup downloads so you can inspect the expected structure first.
How account links are preserved
- Recurring transaction exports include account names so links can be restored across systems.
- Credit card exports include both the card account and the payment account name.
- Month entry exports include account context, the recurring item they came from when available, auto-completion markers, generated-entry identity, and money-leaves/money-goes-to account links when available.
- Preference exports include supported workflow settings such as landing page and preferred month view.
- Account activity and institution-import records are included in the current versioned backup format.
- Account-only restores recreate accounts first, then reconnect existing recurring transactions and entries by preserved account names where possible.
- Restore stays backward compatible with older backup shapes and relinks where possible.
Use backup preview before importing.
Preview shows what will be restored before the import runs, which is especially useful when moving between installs or restoring older backup files.
How self-hosted updates work
Use release tags when stability matters
- Pin production installs to a versioned image such as
ghcr.io/taimoorq/expense_tracker:v0.9.0.
- Read release notes before changing the tag.
- Pull the new image, restart the app, and let database preparation run as part of startup.
- Open the app, check the current month, then export a fresh backup after the update.
Use source updates when you run from git
- Export a backup before pulling changes.
- Pull the repository, review environment variable changes, and restart through the normal setup flow.
- Do not run demo seed data as part of a routine production update.
- Keep the README update instructions nearby for HTTPS, Docker, and environment-specific details.
Where update notices show up
The app compares the version it is running with the latest GitHub Release and can show an Update Available prompt inside the app when a newer release exists.
Where the detailed instructions live
The GitHub README remains the place to check for published Docker images, production Compose commands, source updates, HTTPS, and environment variables.
Do the reversible step first.
Export a backup before changing image tags, pulling source changes, moving servers, or testing a restore path you have not used before.
Where help, release notes, and docs live
In-app help
The Help page inside the app stays useful for first-run orientation, screen-by-screen reminders, and
quick links to the most common next steps.
Release notes and this hosted guide
Product updates now have their own in-app release notes page, and this hosted guide stays useful when
you want the broader user documentation outside the repository or something easier to share before sign-in.
Related workflow pages
Need setup help?
Go to Getting Started for accounts, Overview context, and connecting recurring transactions to accounts.
Need month-building help?
Go to Monthly Workflow for cloning, recurring transactions, imports, and month review.