Self-host InvoiceShelf

updated Oct 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Oct 2026 · how we test

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An open-source web application for creating invoices and estimates, tracking payments and managing expenses, with customers and items, taxes, recurring invoices and reports. A Laravel and Vue application; the project's Compose files run it with SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL.

QuickBooks / yr$456

Self-hosted / yr~$283

You keep$173/yr

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Key facts

CategoryInvoicing

LicenseAGPL-3.0

StackPHP, Laravel, Vue, SQLite

Min RAM512 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM111 MB

Last commitOctober 24, 2026

Last release2.4.7, October 21, 2026

CheckedGitHub, October 25, 2026

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/InvoiceShelf/InvoiceShelf

Websiteinvoiceshelf.com

Runs on a VPS from $6/mo (Kamatera 2GB, 2 GB RAM) · prices checked Sep 2026

Our recommendation

Pick InvoiceShelf when you want to send invoices and estimates, record payments and track expenses from a web app you host yourself. The docs list invoices, estimates and recurring invoices, payment tracking, expense management, customer and item management, taxes, reports and a dashboard; it is AGPL-3.0 Laravel and Vue. Our snippet is the repository's SQLite Compose file with the published image pinned to a release tag. We did not find an upstream RAM minimum, so our 512 MB floor is an estimate. The catalog's Invoice Ninja is source-available under the Elastic licence and Akaunting under the Business Source Licence, so InvoiceShelf is the one here under an OSI-approved licence.

What you need

Any VPS with at least 512 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

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Kamaterafree trial

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DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# InvoiceShelf — invoicing — based on the project's SQLite Compose file, pinned to 2.4.7
cat > docker-compose.yml <<'EOF'
services:
  invoiceshelf:
    image: invoiceshelf/invoiceshelf:2.4.7
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - 8090:8080
    environment:
      APP_NAME: InvoiceShelf
      APP_ENV: production
      APP_DEBUG: "false"
      APP_URL: http://SERVER_IP:8090
      DB_CONNECTION: sqlite
      DB_DATABASE: /var/www/html/storage/app/database.sqlite
      CACHE_STORE: file
      SESSION_DRIVER: file
      SESSION_LIFETIME: "240"
      SANCTUM_STATEFUL_DOMAINS: SERVER_IP:8090
    volumes:
      - invoiceshelf_storage:/var/www/html/storage
      - invoiceshelf_modules:/var/www/html/Modules
volumes:
  invoiceshelf_storage:
  invoiceshelf_modules:
EOF
docker compose up -d
timeout 240 bash -c 'until curl -fsSL http://localhost:8090/ >/dev/null; do sleep 5; done'
# → http://SERVER_IP:8090 (the installation wizard opens on first visit)

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What you take on

InvoiceShelf's README and Docker files flag these before you put real invoices in it:

non-negotiableThe README says this branch is the stable v2 line, which receives security patches only through 2027-09-01, and that new feature work is focused on the next major version. The registry already carries 3.0.0-alpha tags next to the 2.x ones, so check which line you are installing and what the migration guide says before you plan a long-term setup.

non-negotiableThe first visit redirects to an installation wizard (/installation) where you create the company and the admin account, so complete it before the port is reachable by anyone else. Set APP_URL and SANCTUM_STATEFUL_DOMAINS to the address you use, as in the Compose file; we use the SERVER_IP placeholder.

non-negotiableOur snippet uses SQLite stored in the invoiceshelf_storage volume (the Compose file warns not to touch the DB_DATABASE path); the repository also provides MySQL and PostgreSQL Compose variants. Back up the storage and modules volumes; the image also runs Laravel's scheduler itself, which generates recurring invoices and flags overdue documents.

non-negotiablePort 8090 is plain HTTP, so put a TLS reverse proxy in front before entering client details. The production images are built from a separate InvoiceShelf/docker repository according to the README; we pin the published 2.4.7 tag.

An alternative to

QuickBooks →

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