beenvoice-web/README.md

beenvoice-web

Web application and API for beenvoice — invoicing for freelancers and small businesses. Includes the Next.js dashboard, tRPC API, better-auth, PostgreSQL persistence, PDF/email delivery, time tracking, and an MCP automation endpoint.

Repository: git.soconnor.dev/soconnor/beenvoice-web
Architecture: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
Mobile companion: beenvoice-app (separate repo; often checked out beside this one in a workspace)

Stack

Layer	Technology
App	Next.js 16 App Router, React 19
API	tRPC 11 + SuperJSON
Database	PostgreSQL 17, Drizzle ORM
Auth	better-auth (email/password, optional Authentik OIDC, Expo mobile)
UI	shadcn/ui, Tailwind CSS v4
Email / PDF	Resend, @react-pdf/renderer
Runtime	Bun

Features

• Clients, businesses, invoices (line items, tax, status workflow)
• Time clock with one running timer per user; clock-out can append invoice lines
• Expenses, payments, recurring invoices, invoice templates
• PDF export and email delivery (Resend)
• Public invoice links (/i/[token])
• CSV import, reports, platform branding / admin settings
• MCP API (/api/mcp) for automation via API keys (bv_…)
• Optional Authentik OIDC SSO

Prerequisites

• Bun 1.x
• Docker & Docker Compose (for PostgreSQL locally or full-stack deploy)
• Git

Local development

1. Clone and install

git clone https://git.soconnor.dev/soconnor/beenvoice-web.git
cd beenvoice-web
bun install

2. Environment

cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local for local dev. Minimum:

DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/postgres
DB_DISABLE_SSL=true
AUTH_SECRET=your-dev-secret          # openssl rand -base64 32
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

Email and SSO are optional for local work — leave RESEND_* and AUTHENTIK_* blank unless you need them.

3. Database

Start Postgres (dev compose exposes port 5432):

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

After a fresh volume (docker compose down -v), Postgres starts empty — you must apply schema before registering or signing in.

Apply schema (pick one):

bun run db:push      # fast iteration during development
# bun run db:migrate # same migrations the Docker image runs in production

4. Run

bun run dev

Open http://localhost:3000, register at /auth/register, then sign in.

Docker deployment (app + database)

The production compose file runs the Next.js app and PostgreSQL.

Container startup runs bun migrate.ts && bun run start (see Dockerfile). Drizzle only applies pending migrations — safe to run on every restart; already-applied migrations are skipped.

The Docker build runs next build on Node 22 (Bun can crash on Linux arm64 during the page-data worker phase). The runtime image still uses Bun for migrations and next start. docker-compose.yml does not set container memory or CPU limits — containers can use whatever the Docker host provides.

1. Configure

cp .env.example .env

Set at least:

AUTH_SECRET=<openssl rand -base64 32>
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://your-public-hostname
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://your-public-hostname

BETTER_AUTH_URL and NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL must match the URL users actually use in the browser (scheme + host + port). If they point at localhost but you access the app via another hostname, sign-up and sign-in will fail (often with a vague "REQUIRED" toast).

NEXT_PUBLIC_* values are embedded at image build time. Rebuild after changing NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL, white-label defaults, or NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ENABLED:

docker compose build --no-cache app

BETTER_AUTH_URL and AUTH_SECRET are read at container runtime from .env — you can change them without rebuilding, then restart the app container.

2. First start (or after code changes)

docker compose up -d --build

--build is important. A plain docker compose up -d reuses the existing image and does not pick up new code from git pull.

App listens on ${WEB_PORT:-${PORT:-3000}} on the host (container port is always 3000). Postgres stays on the internal compose network.

3. Updating an existing deploy

git pull
docker compose up -d --build   # rebuild image, restart app, run any new migrations

Command	New code?	Migrations run?
git pull only	No	No
docker compose up -d (no --build)	No — old image	Only if the app container restarts (same image)
docker compose up -d --build	Yes	Yes — on app container start
docker compose restart app	No	Yes — migrate runs again (no-op if up to date)

To verify migration files match the journal before deploy: bun run db:verify-journal.

4. Sign-ups

Registration is enabled by default. To block new email/password accounts:

DISABLE_SIGNUPS=true

Use the literal strings true or false (or omit the variable). Do not rely on bare boolean coercion from shell/compose — the app parses these explicitly.

5. Optional services

Variable	Purpose
RESEND_API_KEY, RESEND_DOMAIN	Invoice and password-reset email
AUTHENTIK_ISSUER, AUTHENTIK_CLIENT_ID, AUTHENTIK_CLIENT_SECRET	OIDC SSO (also set NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTHENTIK_ENABLED=true and rebuild)
CRON_SECRET	Protects /api/cron/generate-recurring
DISABLE_SIGNUPS=true	Block new registrations

Project structure

beenvoice-web/
├── src/app/              # Routes (dashboard, auth, /api/*)
├── src/server/api/       # tRPC routers
├── src/server/db/        # Drizzle schema, pool, migrate.ts
├── src/components/       # UI (ui/, forms/, layout/, branding/)
├── src/lib/              # auth, PDF, email, branding helpers
├── drizzle/              # SQL migrations
├── Dockerfile            # Production image (migrate + next start)
├── docker-compose.yml    # App + Postgres (deploy)
├── docker-compose.dev.yml # Postgres only (local dev)
└── docs/                 # Architecture and UI guides

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for routers, schema, auth flows, and MCP.

Scripts

# App
bun run dev              # next dev --turbo
bun run build            # production build
bun run start            # next start
bun run check            # eslint + tsc

# Database
bun run db:push          # push schema (local dev)
bun run db:migrate       # run drizzle migrations
bun run db:generate      # generate new migration SQL
bun run db:studio        # Drizzle Studio

# Formatting
bun run lint
bun run lint:fix
bun run format:write
bun run typecheck

# Docker helpers (Postgres only — uses Colima on macOS)
bun run docker:up        # colima start + docker-compose.dev.yml up -d
bun run docker:down      # stop dev Postgres + colima

Full-stack deploy uses docker compose up (see Docker deployment), not bun run docker:up.

API surface

Endpoint	Auth	Purpose
/api/trpc	Session cookie or API key	Primary API (web + mobile)
/api/auth/*	Varies	better-auth + custom register/reset REST
/api/mcp	API key only	JSON-RPC automation tools
/i/[token]	Public token	Client invoice view
/api/i/[token]/pdf	Public token	Invoice PDF download

Business logic lives in src/server/api/routers/ with Zod validation.

Customization

• Runtime branding: Dashboard → Administration (platform settings)
• Build-time defaults: NEXT_PUBLIC_BRAND_* in .env (rebuild Docker image to apply)
• Theme / fonts: src/styles/globals.css, appearance settings in the app
• Logo component: src/components/branding/logo.tsx

Documentation

Doc	Contents
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md	Stack, routers, schema, auth, Docker, MCP
docs/README.md	Index of UI and product guides
AGENTS.md	Conventions for AI-assisted development

License

MIT — see LICENSE.