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Deploying WYGIWYH

Introduction

WYGIWYH (What You Get Is What You Have) is a self-hosted personal finance application designed around a simple philosophy: track what you actually have and spend, not what you think you should have. Built for simplicity and privacy, WYGIWYH helps you manage your finances without the complexity of traditional budgeting apps.

Key highlights of WYGIWYH:

  • Simple Philosophy: Focus on actual money in, money out tracking
  • Transaction Tracking: Log income and expenses easily
  • Category Management: Organize spending by custom categories
  • Balance Tracking: Monitor account balances over time
  • Visual Reports: Charts and graphs for spending analysis
  • Multi-Account: Track multiple bank accounts and cash
  • Self-Hosted: Your financial data stays private on your server
  • Mobile Friendly: Responsive design for on-the-go logging
  • No Cloud Sync: Complete control over your data

This guide walks through deploying WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh using Docker, configuring the application, and setting up your personal finance tracking.

Why Deploy WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh

Deploying WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh provides several advantages for personal finance:

Simplified Deployment: Klutch.sh automatically detects your Dockerfile and builds WYGIWYH without complex orchestration. Push to GitHub, and your finance tracker deploys automatically.

Persistent Storage: Attach persistent volumes for your financial data. Your transaction history survives container restarts.

HTTPS by Default: Klutch.sh provides automatic SSL certificates for secure access to your financial data.

GitHub Integration: Connect your configuration repository directly from GitHub. Updates trigger automatic redeployments.

Privacy: Your sensitive financial data stays on infrastructure you control.

Prerequisites

Before deploying WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh, ensure you have:

Preparing Your Repository

Create a GitHub repository containing your Dockerfile for WYGIWYH deployment.

Repository Structure

wygiwyh-deploy/
├── Dockerfile
└── .dockerignore

Creating the Dockerfile

FROM angad/wygiwyh:latest


# Set environment variables
ENV DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL:-sqlite:///data/wygiwyh.db}
ENV SECRET_KEY=${SECRET_KEY}
ENV FLASK_ENV=${FLASK_ENV:-production}


# Create data directory
RUN mkdir -p /data


# Expose the web interface port
EXPOSE 5000


# Volume for persistent data
VOLUME ["/data"]


# Health check
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=30s --retries=3 \
  CMD wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:5000/health || exit 1

Environment Variables Reference

VariableRequiredDefaultDescription
DATABASE_URLNosqlite:///data/wygiwyh.dbDatabase connection string
SECRET_KEYYes-Secret key for session encryption
FLASK_ENVNoproductionFlask environment mode

Deploying WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh

    Generate a Secret Key

    Generate a secure secret key:

    Terminal window
    openssl rand -hex 32

    Push Your Repository to GitHub

    Initialize your repository and push to GitHub with your Dockerfile.

    Create a New Project on Klutch.sh

    Navigate to the Klutch.sh dashboard and create a new project. Give it a descriptive name like “wygiwyh” or “finances”.

    Create a New App

    Within your project, create a new app. Connect your GitHub account if you haven’t already, then select the repository containing your WYGIWYH Dockerfile.

    Configure HTTP Traffic

    In the deployment settings:

    • Select HTTP as the traffic type
    • Set the internal port to 5000

    Set Environment Variables

    Add the following environment variables:

    VariableValue
    SECRET_KEYYour generated secret key

    Attach Persistent Volumes

    Add the following volume:

    Mount PathRecommended SizePurpose
    /data1 GBSQLite database with financial data

    Deploy Your Application

    Click Deploy to start the build process. Klutch.sh will build the container, attach volumes, and provision an HTTPS certificate.

    Access WYGIWYH

    Once deployment completes, access your WYGIWYH instance at https://your-app-name.klutch.sh. Create an account to start tracking.

Setting Up Your Finances

Creating Accounts

  1. Navigate to Accounts after logging in
  2. Click Add Account
  3. Enter account details:
    • Name (e.g., “Checking”, “Savings”, “Cash”)
    • Starting balance
    • Account type
  4. Save the account

Adding Transactions

  1. Click Add Transaction
  2. Select the account
  3. Enter transaction details:
    • Amount (positive for income, negative for expenses)
    • Description
    • Category
    • Date
  4. Save the transaction

Managing Categories

Create categories that match your spending:

  • Housing: Rent, utilities, insurance
  • Food: Groceries, dining out
  • Transportation: Gas, parking, public transit
  • Entertainment: Subscriptions, hobbies
  • Health: Medical, gym, prescriptions

Analyzing Your Spending

Dashboard Overview

The main dashboard shows:

  • Total balance across all accounts
  • Recent transactions
  • Spending by category (current month)
  • Balance trends over time

Reports

Generate detailed reports:

  • Monthly spending breakdown
  • Category comparison over time
  • Income vs. expenses analysis
  • Account balance history

Filtering Data

  • Select specific date ranges
  • Filter by category or account
  • Search for specific transactions

Best Practices

Daily Tracking

  • Log transactions as they happen
  • Use mobile access for immediate entry
  • Keep receipts for reference

Monthly Review

  • Review spending by category
  • Identify areas for improvement
  • Adjust budget goals as needed
  • Reconcile with bank statements

Data Backup

  • Regularly export your data
  • Keep secure backups of the database
  • Consider automated backup solutions

Troubleshooting

Transactions Not Saving

  • Verify volume is mounted correctly
  • Check database file permissions
  • Review application logs for errors

Balance Discrepancies

  • Review recent transactions for errors
  • Check for duplicate entries
  • Verify starting balances are correct

Login Issues

  • Check SECRET_KEY is set correctly
  • Clear browser cookies
  • Verify database is accessible

Additional Resources

Conclusion

Deploying WYGIWYH on Klutch.sh gives you a simple, privacy-focused personal finance tracker. The combination of WYGIWYH’s straightforward approach and Klutch.sh’s deployment simplicity means you can quickly start tracking your finances without sharing your data with third-party services.