How to Install Actual Budget on Ubuntu 24.04

Actual Budget on Ubuntu 24.04 (Docker + Nginx + SSL)

Actual Budget is an open-source, self-hosted personal finance and budgeting application inspired by the envelope-based budgeting philosophy popularized by tools like YNAB. It allows you to track income, expenses, accounts, and categories with full control over your financial data. Actual Budget is designed for users who want powerful budgeting features without subscriptions, ads, or cloud lock-in.

Running Actual Budget on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) provides a modern, secure, and long-term supported platform. Ubuntu 24.04 includes systemd 255, OpenSSL 3, and up-to-date Docker and Nginx packages, making it ideal for deploying Actual Budget in a production-ready, self-hosted environment secured with HTTPS.

Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	Stable, long-term supported Linux base
Container Runtime	Docker / Docker Compose	Runs Actual Budget server
Application	Actual Budget (Node.js)	Core budgeting engine and web interface
Data Storage	Local storage / SQLite	Stores budgets, transactions, and user data
Reverse Proxy	Nginx	HTTPS termination, routing, compression
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Secure web access to the UI

Actual Budget runs as a lightweight Node.js service, making it efficient and suitable even for small VPS instances.

Why Use Actual Budget?

Envelope-based budgeting – assign every euro or dollar a job
Self-hosted & open-source – complete control over your financial data
No subscriptions – free to use, no monthly fees
Privacy-first – no tracking, no third-party analytics
Multi-account support – track bank accounts, cash, and credit cards
Powerful reports – spending trends, category analysis, cash flow
Web-based UI – accessible from desktop, tablet, or mobile browser

Actual Budget vs Other Budgeting Tools

Feature / Capability	Actual Budget	YNAB	Mint	Firefly III
Hosting	Self-hosted	Cloud only	Cloud only	Self-hosted
Cost	Free, open-source	Subscription	Free (ads/data)	Free
Privacy	Full control	Cloud-based	Data-driven ads	Full control
Envelope budgeting	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ Partial
Complexity	Simple & focused	Moderate	Simple	Advanced
Best for	Personal budgeting	Power users	Casual users	Accounting-heavy users

Actual Budget is ideal for users who want YNAB-style budgeting without recurring costs or cloud dependency.

Security & Best Practices

Run Actual Budget behind Nginx with HTTPS enabled.
Bind the application container to localhost and expose only Nginx.
Store secrets and configuration using environment variables.
Enable UFW and allow only ports 80 and 443.
Automate SSL certificate renewals using Certbot.
Back up Actual Budget data directories regularly.
Keep Ubuntu, Docker, and Actual Budget images updated.
Use strong passwords and restrict access to trusted users.

Typical Use Cases

Personal budgeting – track monthly income and expenses
Family finance management – shared household budgets
Privacy-focused users – avoid SaaS budgeting platforms
Long-term financial planning – savings goals and spending control
Minimalist finance tracking – simple, distraction-free budgeting

Deploying Actual Budget on Ubuntu 24.04 with Docker, Nginx, and SSL gives you a secure, private, and subscription-free budgeting platform — combining modern usability with full data ownership and long-term reliability.

Create a Cloud Server Instance on Shape.Host

Before installing Actual Budget, you need a clean Ubuntu 24.04 VPS.

Go to https://shape.host and log in.

Click Create.

Select Instance.

Choose a data center close to your location or users.

Select Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as the operating system.

Choose a plan (recommended minimum):

2 vCPUs

4 GB RAM

20 GB NVMe SSD

Click Create Instance.

Wait about 30 seconds for provisioning.

Copy the public IP address of your server.

Your Ubuntu server is now ready.

Step 1: Connect to the Server via SSH

Linux / macOS

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Windows (PowerShell or Windows Terminal)

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Accept the fingerprint when prompted. You are now logged in as root.

Step 2: Update the System

apt update
apt upgrade

These commands refresh the package index and upgrade installed packages to the latest versions.

Step 3: Install Required Dependencies

apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

These packages are required to securely add and verify the Docker repository.

Step 4: Create Docker Keyrings Directory

mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

This directory stores trusted GPG keys.

Step 5: Add Docker GPG Key

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Imports Docker’s official signing key.

Step 6: Add Docker Repository

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(lsb_release -cs) stable" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list

Allows Docker to be installed from the official Docker repository.

Step 7: Update Package List Again

apt update

Loads the newly added Docker repository.

Step 8: Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose

apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Installs Docker Engine and Docker Compose v2.

Step 9: Verify Docker Installation

docker version
docker compose version

Confirms Docker and Docker Compose are installed correctly.

Step 10: Create Actual Budget Directory

mkdir -p /opt/actual

This directory will store the Docker configuration and application data.

Step 11: Enter the Directory

cd /opt/actual

Step 12: Create Docker Compose Configuration

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the exact configuration from your history:

services:
  actual:
    image: ghcr.io/actualbudget/actual-server:latest
    container_name: actual-budget
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:5006:5006"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    environment:
      - ACTUAL_SERVER_URL=https://budget.example.com
      - TZ=Europe/Bucharest

Explanation:

Actual Budget runs inside a Docker container
Port 5006 is bound only to localhost for security
Budget data is stored persistently in ./data
ACTUAL_SERVER_URL must match the final domain

Save and exit the editor.

Step 13: Start Actual Budget

docker compose up -d

Starts the Actual Budget server in the background.

Step 14: Verify the Container Is Running

docker ps

You should see the actual-budget container listed as running.

Step 15: Test Actual Budget Locally

curl http://127.0.0.1:5006

Confirms the application responds locally before exposing it via Nginx.

Step 16: Install Nginx

apt install nginx

Step 17: Enable and Start Nginx

systemctl enable nginx
systemctl start nginx

Step 18: Create Nginx Reverse Proxy Configuration

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/actual

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name budget.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5006;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Step 19: Enable the Nginx Site

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/actual /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/actual
rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Step 20: Test and Reload Nginx

nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

Step 21: Install Certbot and Enable SSL

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
certbot --nginx -d ubuntu-tutorials.shape.host

Certbot automatically issues and configures a free SSL certificate.

Access Actual Budget Securely

https://your-domain.com

Actual Budget is now fully installed and secured on Ubuntu 24.04.

Applications like Actual Budget, ChangeDetection.io, Miniflux, Ghostfolio, NocoDB, and HedgeDoc require fast and reliable infrastructure.

Shape.Host provides:

High-performance NVMe Cloud VPS
Instant provisioning
Clean OS templates
Excellent uptime
Easy scalability

Visit https://shape.host to deploy your next self-hosted application with confidence.

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