# hledger-web

This doc is for version **1.3**. []{.docversions}

-   toc

## NAME

hledger-web - web interface for the hledger accounting tool

## SYNOPSIS

`hledger-web [OPTIONS]`\
`hledger web -- [OPTIONS]`

## DESCRIPTION

hledger is a cross-platform program for tracking money, time, or any
other commodity, using double-entry accounting and a simple, editable
file format. hledger is inspired by and largely compatible with
ledger(1).

<style>
.highslide img {max-width:200px; border:thin grey solid; margin:0 0 1em 1em; }
.highslide-caption {color:white; background-color:black;}
</style>
<div style="float:right; max-width:200px; text-align:right;">

<a href="images/hledger-web/normal/register.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-web/normal/register.png" title="Account register view with accounts sidebar" /></a>
<a href="images/hledger-web/normal/journal.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-web/normal/journal.png" title="Journal view" /></a>
<a href="images/hledger-web/normal/help.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-web/normal/help.png" title="Help dialog" /></a>
<a href="images/hledger-web/normal/add.png" class="highslide" onclick="return hs.expand(this)"><img src="images/hledger-web/normal/add.png" title="Add form" /></a>

</div>

hledger-web is hledger's web interface. It starts a simple web
application for browsing and adding transactions, and optionally opens
it in a web browser window if possible. It provides a more user-friendly
UI than the hledger CLI or hledger-ui interface, showing more at once
(accounts, the current account register, balance charts) and allowing
history-aware data entry, interactive searching, and bookmarking.

hledger-web also lets you share a ledger with multiple users, or even
the public web. There is no access control, so if you need that you
should put it behind a suitable web proxy. As a small protection against
data loss when running an unprotected instance, it writes a numbered
backup of the main journal file (only ?) on every edit.

Like hledger, it reads data from one or more files in hledger journal,
timeclock, timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f`, or
`$LEDGER_FILE`, or `$HOME/.hledger.journal` (on windows, perhaps
`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal`). For more about this see hledger(1),
hledger\_journal(5) etc.

By default, hledger-web starts the web app in "transient mode" and also
opens it in your default web browser if possible. In this mode the web
app will keep running for as long as you have it open in a browser
window, and will exit after two minutes of inactivity (no requests and
no browser windows viewing it). With `--serve`, it just runs the web app
without exiting, and logs requests to the console.

By default the server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible only
to local requests. You can use `--host` to change this, eg
`--host 0.0.0.0` to listen on all configured addresses.

Similarly, use `--port` to set a TCP port other than 5000, eg if you are
running multiple hledger-web instances.

You can use `--base-url` to change the protocol, hostname, port and path
that appear in hyperlinks, useful eg for integrating hledger-web within
a larger website. The default is `http://HOST:PORT/` using the server's
configured host address and TCP port (or `http://HOST` if PORT is 80).

With `--file-url` you can set a different base url for static files, eg
for better caching or cookie-less serving on high performance websites.

Note there is no built-in access control (aside from listening on
127.0.0.1 by default). So you will need to hide hledger-web behind an
authenticating proxy (such as apache or nginx) if you want to restrict
who can see and add entries to your journal.

Command-line options and arguments may be used to set an initial filter
on the data. This is not shown in the web UI, but it will be applied in
addition to any search query entered there.

With journal and timeclock files (but not CSV files, currently) the web
app detects changes made by other means and will show the new data on
the next request. If a change makes the file unparseable, hledger-web
will show an error until the file has been fixed.

## OPTIONS

Note: if invoking hledger-web as a hledger subcommand, write `--` before
options as shown above.

`--serve`
:   serve and log requests, don't browse or auto-exit

`--host=IPADDR`
:   listen on this IP address (default: 127.0.0.1)

`--port=PORT`
:   listen on this TCP port (default: 5000)

`--base-url=URL`
:   set the base url (default: http://IPADDR:PORT). You would change
    this when sharing over the network, or integrating within a larger
    website.

`--file-url=URL`
:   set the static files url (default: BASEURL/static). hledger-web
    normally serves static files itself, but if you wanted to serve them
    from another server for efficiency, you would set the url with this.

hledger input options:

`-f FILE --file=FILE`
:   use a different input file. For stdin, use - (default:
    `$LEDGER_FILE` or `$HOME/.hledger.journal`)

`--rules-file=RULESFILE`
:   Conversion rules file to use when reading CSV (default: FILE.rules)

`--alias=OLD=NEW`
:   rename accounts named OLD to NEW

`--anon`
:   anonymize accounts and payees

`--pivot TAGNAME`
:   use some other field/tag for account names

`-I --ignore-assertions`
:   ignore any failing balance assertions

hledger reporting options:

`-b --begin=DATE`
:   include postings/txns on or after this date

`-e --end=DATE`
:   include postings/txns before this date

`-D --daily`
:   multiperiod/multicolumn report by day

`-W --weekly`
:   multiperiod/multicolumn report by week

`-M --monthly`
:   multiperiod/multicolumn report by month

`-Q --quarterly`
:   multiperiod/multicolumn report by quarter

`-Y --yearly`
:   multiperiod/multicolumn report by year

`-p --period=PERIODEXP`
:   set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once
    (overrides the flags above)

`--date2`
:   show, and match with -b/-e/-p/date:, secondary dates instead

`-U --unmarked`
:   include only unmarked postings/txns (can combine with -P or -C)

`-P --pending`
:   include only pending postings/txns

`-C --cleared`
:   include only cleared postings/txns

`-R --real`
:   include only non-virtual postings

`--depth=N`
:   hide accounts/postings deeper than N

`-E --empty`
:   show items with zero amount, normally hidden

`-B --cost`
:   convert amounts to their cost at transaction time (using the
    [transaction price](journal.html#transaction-prices), if any)

`-V --value`
:   convert amounts to their market value on the report end date (using
    the most recent applicable [market
    price](journal.html#market-prices), if any)

hledger help options:

`-h`
:   show general usage (or after COMMAND, command usage)

`--help`
:   show this program's manual as plain text (or after an add-on
    COMMAND, the add-on's manual)

`--man`
:   show this program's manual with man

`--info`
:   show this program's manual with info

`--version`
:   show version

`--debug[=N]`
:   show debug output (levels 1-9, default: 1)

## ENVIRONMENT

**LEDGER\_FILE** The journal file path when not specified with `-f`.
Default: `~/.hledger.journal` (on windows, perhaps
`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal`).

## FILES

Reads data from one or more files in hledger journal, timeclock,
timedot, or CSV format specified with `-f`, or `$LEDGER_FILE`, or
`$HOME/.hledger.journal` (on windows, perhaps
`C:/Users/USER/.hledger.journal`).

## BUGS

The need to precede options with `--` when invoked from hledger is
awkward.

`-f-` doesn't work (hledger-web can't read from stdin).

Query arguments and some hledger options are ignored.

Does not work in text-mode browsers.

Does not work well on small screens.
