What is Actual?

Actual is an open-source, privacy-focused personal budgeting software designed to help individuals track spending, manage budgets, and maintain financial clarity. Unlike cloud-based platforms like YNAB (You Need a Budget) or Mint, Actual is designed to run entirely offline (or self-hosted), offering users full control over their financial data.

It uses zero-based budgeting—a system where every dollar is assigned a job—and includes features like account reconciliation, categorization, reporting, and multi-account support.

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Key Features of Actual

Zero-Based Budgeting

• Allocate all your income to categories such as bills, savings, and discretionary spending.
• Helps eliminate overspending and increases awareness of financial habits.

Offline & Privacy-Oriented

• By default, Actual runs entirely offline, keeping your financial data private and secure.
• Supports self-hosting if you want to access it via browser on different devices.

Multi-Account Support

• Track checking, savings, credit card, and cash accounts.
• Manual entry or file import (CSV, OFX) for transaction data.

Reporting & Insights

• View income vs. expense trends, category breakdowns, and net worth.
• Monthly budget progress visualization.

Transaction Import and Reconciliation

• Import transactions from bank files and match them with budget categories.
• Mark transactions as cleared or uncleared for account reconciliation.

Custom Categories & Goals

• Create custom budget categories and assign financial goals (e.g., save $500 for vacation).

Developer-Friendly & Extensible

• Built with React and Electron for cross-platform desktop use.
• Available as both desktop app and self-hosted web app.

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Running Actual on Debian 12

On Debian 12, you can:

• Use the desktop app (AppImage) directly.
• Run it as a self-hosted web app using Node.js and Docker (via the open-source server project actual-server).
• Store data locally or host your own encrypted database for syncing across devices.

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Actual vs. Other Budgeting Tools

Feature	Actual	YNAB	Mint	Firefly III
Open Source	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Offline Use	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Self-Hosted Option	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Mobile App	🔜 In progress	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Privacy	✅ Full	❌ Cloud-based	❌ Cloud-based	✅ Full
Budgeting Approach	✅ Zero-based	✅ Zero-based	❌ Tracking only	✅ Zero-based
Bank Sync	❌ Manual (import)	✅ Auto	✅ Auto	❌ Manual (import)
Ease of Use	✅ Simple	✅ Simple	✅ Simple	⚠️ Moderate
Custom Reports	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Advanced

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Advantages of Using Actual on Debian 12

• Data sovereignty: You own your data—no third-party access.
• Low resource use: Lightweight and fast on Linux systems.
• Customization: You can host your own server and even tweak the codebase.
• Cost: 100% free and open source.

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Limitations

• No automatic bank sync (manual import required).
• Mobile support is still limited (although community workarounds exist).
• Development is active but slower compared to commercial products.

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Ideal Use Cases

• Privacy-conscious users who don’t want to store financial data in the cloud.
• Linux users seeking a native or self-hosted budgeting tool.
• Users familiar with YNAB-style zero-based budgeting who want a free alternative.
• Developers and tinkerers interested in customizing their finance tools.

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Actual Budgeting on Debian 12 is a solid, privacy-first choice for users who want full control over their finances without depending on commercial platforms. While it may lack some of the automation features found in tools like YNAB or Mint, it shines in simplicity, transparency, and user autonomy. Ideal for open-source enthusiasts and anyone committed to secure, offline money management.

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Step 1: Set Up a Debian 12 Server

If you’re starting fresh, create a VPS instance running Debian 12 on Shape.Host:

Log into your Shape.Host dashboard.

Click “Create” > “Instances”.

Select Debian 12 as the OS.

Choose a server plan based on your usage.

Finalize and deploy the instance.

Once the instance is created, go to the Resources section to find the public IP address of your instance. You will use this to connect to the instance remotely.

Once ready, connect via SSH:

ssh root@your-server-ip

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Step 2: Update Your System and Install Dependencies

Start by making sure your system is up to date:

apt update

Install the required packages:

apt install nodejs npm git
apt install build-essential python3 make g++ -y

Install Yarn globally:

npm install --global yarn

Check the versions:

node --version
yarn --version

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Step 3: Download and Configure Actual Server

Clone the official Actual Server repository:

git clone https://github.com/actualbudget/actual-server.git

Install server dependencies:

cd actual-server
yarn install

Create a basic config file:

nano config.json

Paste the following:

{
  "hostname": "127.0.0.1",
  "port": 5006
}

You can test the server:

yarn start

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Step 4: Set Up Actual as a Systemd Service

Create a service unit file:

nano /etc/systemd/system/actual.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Actual-Server (https://actualbudget.org)
After=network.target

[Service]
User=root
Group=root
WorkingDirectory=/root/actual-server/
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/yarn start
Restart=on-watchdog

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable --now actual.service
systemctl status actual.service

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Step 5: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Install Nginx and Certbot:

apt install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Create an Nginx virtual host config:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/actual-budget

Add this configuration (replace with your domain):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name debian-tutorials.shape.host;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";

        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5006;
    }
}

Enable the site:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/actual-budget /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Check syntax and reload:

nginx -t
systemctl restart nginx
systemctl status nginx

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Step 6: Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

Secure the domain with Certbot:

certbot --nginx --agree-tos --redirect --hsts --staple-ocsp
--email contact@shape.host -d debian-tutorials.shape.host

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Access the Actual Server

Once the setup is complete, open your browser and visit:

https://debian-tutorials.shape.host

You can now create an account and start managing your finances securely using Actual.

Enter your new password and repeat, then click ‘OK‘.

Once the password is configured, input your password to log in to the Actual Dashboard.

If you’re familiar with Actual, you can click the ‘Start fresh‘, but if you’re new to Actual, click the ‘View demo‘ to get a grasp of the Actual basic usage.

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This installation gives you a private budgeting server with SSL encryption. For reliable hosting, consider using Shape.Host Linux SSD VPS to power your applications with performance and stability in mind.