Firefly III

Application256MB+ RAM

Free and open-source personal finance manager with budgeting, expense tracking, and reporting

Download Server Compass View Documentation

financebudgetingexpense-trackingpersonal-finance

Deploy Firefly III in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Firefly III

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

DIY Deployment

Self-Host Firefly III with Docker

Take the DIY route and deploy Firefly III on your own server using Docker.

Access Your VPS Terminal

Use your terminal to securely access your server. You'll need your server's IP address.

terminal

# Connect via SSH
ssh root@your-vps-ip

# Alternative with key file
ssh -i /path/to/key root@your-vps-ip

First time? Make sure Docker is installed on your VPS. Run: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Set Up the Deployment Folder

Initialize a project folder on your server.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/firefly-iii
cd ~/apps/firefly-iii

Set Up the Stack Definition

Use this Docker Compose configuration for your deployment:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  app:
    image: fireflyiii/core:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - APP_KEY=<your-app-key>
      - APP_URL=http://localhost:8080
      - DB_CONNECTION=mysql
      - DB_HOST=db
      - DB_PORT=3306
      - DB_DATABASE=firefly
      - DB_USERNAME=firefly
      - DB_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
      - [email protected]
      - TZ=UTC
      - STATIC_CRON_TOKEN=<your-cron-token>
    volumes:
      - firefly_upload:/var/www/html/storage/upload
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy

  db:
    image: mariadb:lts
    environment:
      - MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD=yes
      - MYSQL_USER=firefly
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=firefly
    volumes:
      - firefly_db:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "mysqladmin ping -h localhost -u root -p$$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD || exit 1"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 30s

  cron:
    image: alpine:latest
    command: >
      sh -c "echo '0 3 * * * wget -qO- http://app:8080/api/v1/cron/<your-cron-token>' | crontab - && crond -f -L /dev/stdout"
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - app

volumes:
  firefly_upload:
  firefly_db:

Configurable Options

PORTHost port to expose(default: 8080)

APP_KEYApplication encryption key

DB_NAMEDatabase name(default: firefly)

DB_USERDatabase user(default: firefly)

DB_PASSWORDDatabase password

CRON_TOKENCron authentication token

Start the Containers

Bring up your containers in detached mode.

terminal

# Start all services
docker compose up -d

# List running containers
docker compose ps

# Watch the logs
docker compose logs -f

Set Up Firewall Rules

Allow the application port through your server's firewall.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:8080

Skip the Terminal

Let Server Compass do the heavy lifting.

Forget SSH and YAML files. Deploy Firefly III visually with Server Compass in just a few clicks.

Beautiful interface
One-click deploys
Let's Encrypt SSL
Zero downtime
Container monitoring
Easy rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Firefly III with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Open the Firefly III URL in your browser

Create your account

Set up your bank accounts and budgets

Start tracking transactions

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Firefly III FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Firefly III

How do I deploy Firefly III with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Firefly III 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 Firefly III?

Firefly III 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 Firefly III data?

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

How do I update Firefly III to the latest version?

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

Is Firefly III free to self-host?

Firefly III 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.