Can I import transactions from my bank?

Yes. Firefly III accepts CSV and OFX files exported from most banks. For European banks, it also supports GoCardless (formerly Nordigen) connectors for automatic sync. The import wizard handles column mapping and deduplication.

How do I back up Firefly III data?

Firefly III stores data in PostgreSQL. Back up the database with: docker compose exec db pg_dump -U appuser appdb > backup.sql. Run this daily via cron and store the file outside the VPS for disaster recovery.

What is the APP_KEY and why is it important?

APP_KEY is a 32-byte AES encryption key that Firefly III uses to encrypt session data. It is generated automatically at deployment. Never change it after the first launch — doing so invalidates all sessions and makes encrypted data unreadable.

Run commercial and administrative operations.

Firefly III

Firefly III: open-source budget and expense tracker — full financial control on your own VPS, zero subscription.

1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended RAM 1 vCPU Port 8080 In validation

In validation

Automatic installation for this solution is ready and currently going through our tests on a real server. Ordering will open as soon as validation is complete.

Tech stack

DockerPHP/LaravelPostgreSQL 16

Minimum RAM1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended

Minimum CPU1 vCPU

Default port8080

Compatible OSChoice of Linux distributions

Firefly III est un gestionnaire de finances personnelles et professionnelles open source (AGPL-3.0), auto-hébergé sur votre VPS. Il suit vos transactions sur plusieurs comptes — courant, épargne, carte de crédit, portefeuilles crypto — applique des budgets mensuels par catégorie, génère des rapports détaillés exportables et automatise la catégorisation de vos dépenses via des règles configurables.

Les outils SaaS du marché (YNAB, Mint, Budgea) hébergent vos données bancaires sur leurs serveurs américains ou français, facturent un abonnement annuel et peuvent fermer leur service. Firefly III règle ces trois problèmes : licence libre (AGPL-3.0), déploiement en deux conteneurs Docker sur votre VPS ServOrbit en quelques minutes, et données dans votre propre base PostgreSQL. Avec plus de 24 000 étoiles sur GitHub et une communauté active depuis 2013, c'est l'un des projets de finances personnelles auto-hébergées les plus matures du catalogue. L'import bancaire est possible via des fichiers OFX, QFX ou CSV exportés par votre banque, ou via des connecteurs GoCardless (EU) pour une synchronisation automatique.

Key features

Multi-account management: checking, savings, credit cards and crypto wallets in one place.

Budgets and envelopes: set monthly budgets by category and track consumption in real time.

Automation rules: automatically categorise and tag transactions based on description, amount or account.

Advanced reports: period, account and category charts, exportable to CSV for your accountant.

Bank import: CSV/OFX files or GoCardless connectors for European banks.

Full REST API: automate transaction creation from any script or third-party tool.

AGPL-3.0 licence — open source, 24 000+ GitHub stars, actively maintained.

When to use this solution?

1

Replace YNAB or Mint

Import your bank statements (CSV, OFX) or connect via GoCardless and replicate the zero-based budgeting method with full data sovereignty. No $99/year subscription, your data stays on your VPS.

2

Freelancer and SME accounting

Track professional income and expenses per client or project. Export clean CSV reports by period for your accountant, with custom categories and automation rules that sort transactions automatically.

3

Multi-account financial dashboard

Consolidate multiple bank accounts, credit cards and savings in a single dashboard. Set alerts for budget overruns and visualise your net worth over time with Firefly III's built-in reports.

Deploy Firefly III on your VPS

Guide optimized for ServOrbit Cloud VPS.

01

Create the VPS

Choose a plan with at least 1 GB RAM and 10 GB SSD. The Firefly III template deploys PostgreSQL and the Firefly III core application via Docker Compose on Ubuntu 24.04. No domain required — access is via your VPS IP address or any domain you choose.

02

Open Firefly III

Open your VPS address in a browser. Firefly III shows a registration form on first visit — create your admin account with email and password. No pre-set credentials to change.

03

Add your accounts

In Firefly III, go to Accounts → Create new account and add each of your bank accounts, credit cards or savings accounts. Give each account a name, currency and opening balance.

04

Import your transactions

Download a CSV or OFX export from your online banking portal. In Firefly III, go to Import and upload the file. The import wizard maps columns (date, amount, description) and assigns transactions to the right account. Run it for each account.

05

Set up budgets and rules

Go to Budgets to define monthly spending limits per category (groceries, utilities, software…). Then go to Automation → Rules to create rules that automatically categorise transactions matching keywords or amounts — no manual tagging needed.

Frequently asked questions

Firefly III is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) self-hosted personal and professional finance manager. It tracks transactions across multiple accounts, enforces budgets, generates reports, and can import bank statements — all on your own server.

No. Firefly III works without a domain name. Without an attached domain, you access it via an SSH tunnel: run ssh -L 8080:127.0.0.1:8080 root@VPS_IP locally, then open http://localhost:8080. For permanent browser access from a custom address, ServOrbit sets up the Nginx vhost and HTTPS certificate automatically.

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Firefly III isn't orderable yet.