# hledger-api

This doc is for version **1.9 (dev)**. []{.docversions}

-   toc

## NAME

hledger-api - web API server for the hledger accounting tool

## SYNOPSIS

`hledger-api [OPTIONS]`\
`hledger api -- [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).

hledger-api is a simple web API server, intended to support client-side
web apps operating on hledger data. It comes with a series of simple
client-side app examples, which drive its evolution.

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.

The server listens on IP address 127.0.0.1, accessible only to local
requests, by default. You can change this with `--host`, eg
`--host 0.0.0.0` to listen on all addresses. Note there is no other
access control, and hledger-api allows file browsing, so on shared
machines you will certainly need to put it behind an authenticating
proxy to restrict access.

You can change the TCP port it listens on (default: 8001) with
`-p PORT`.

API methods look like:

    /api/v1/accountnames
    /api/v1/transactions
    /api/v1/prices
    /api/v1/commodities
    /api/v1/accounts
    /api/v1/accounts/ACCTNAME

See `/api/swagger.json` for a full list in Swagger 2.0 format. (Or you
can run `hledger-api --swagger` to print this in the console.)

hledger-api also serves files, from the current directory by default,
and the `/` path will also show a directory listing. This is convenient
for serving client-side web code, in addition to the server-side api.

## OPTIONS

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

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

`-d --static-dir=DIR`
:   serve files from a different directory (default: `.`)

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

`-p --port=PORT`
:   listen on this TCP port (default: 8001)

`--swagger`
:   print API docs in Swagger 2.0 format, and exit

`--version`
:   show version

`-h --help`
:   show usage

## 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.
