Actual Budget

Application256MB+ RAM

Privacy-focused local-first personal finance app with envelope budgeting and bank sync

Download Server Compass View Documentation

budgetingfinancepersonal-financeenvelope-budgeting

Deploy Actual Budget in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Actual Budget

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Terminal Deployment

Actual Budget CLI Deployment

Deploy Actual Budget the traditional way with SSH and Docker Compose.

Connect to Your Remote Server

Begin by establishing a secure connection to your server through the terminal.

terminal

# Access your VPS
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# With SSH key authentication
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-private-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

First time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Set Up Your App Folder

Create a dedicated folder for your application files.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/actual-budget
cd ~/apps/actual-budget

Set Up Docker Compose

Create the following docker-compose.yml in your project directory:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  actual:
    image: actualbudget/actual-server:latest
    ports:
      - "5006:5006"
    volumes:
      - actual_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  actual_data:

Deployment Settings

PORTHost port to expose(default: 5006)

Spin Up the Stack

Run Docker Compose to launch your application.

terminal

# Launch the stack
docker compose up -d

# Verify container status
docker compose ps

# Follow the logs
docker compose logs --follow

Open the Application Port

Configure UFW to allow traffic to your application.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 5006/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:5006

Skip the Terminal

Make it simple with Server Compass.

Server Compass makes deploying Actual Budget effortless. Visual setup, one-click deploy, done.

No terminal required
Point-and-click setup
Auto SSL certificates
Rolling deployments
Health monitoring
Instant rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Actual Budget with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Open the Actual Budget URL in your browser

Create a password for your server

Create your first budget file

Set up accounts and budget categories

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Actual Budget FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Actual Budget

How do I deploy Actual Budget with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Actual Budget from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Actual Budget?

Actual Budget requires a minimum of 256MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Actual Budget data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Actual Budget backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Actual Budget to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Actual Budget image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Actual Budget free to self-host?

Actual Budget is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.