Full-stack personal finance web app. Track income and expenses, visualise spending patterns, and get automated savings advice. Built with Node.js + Express on the backend and React 18 + Redux Toolkit on the frontend.
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/finedge.git
cd finedge
bash setup.shAfter setup completes, open backend/.env and set a strong JWT_SECRET, then:
# Production — single URL, single port
cd backend && NODE_ENV=production npm start
# → http://localhost:3000finedge/
├── backend/ ← Node.js + Express REST API
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── config/ ← env.js — centralised dotenv config
│ │ ├── controllers/ ← thin request handlers
│ │ ├── middlewares/ ← auth, logger, validator, rateLimiter, errorHandler
│ │ ├── models/ ← User and Transaction factory functions
│ │ ├── routes/ ← modular Express routers
│ │ ├── services/ ← business logic (user, transaction, summary, cache)
│ │ ├── utils/ ← AppError.js, fileStore.js
│ │ └── app.js ← Express app + server boot
│ ├── data/
│ │ ├── users.json ← persisted users (auto-created)
│ │ └── transactions.json ← persisted transactions (auto-created)
│ ├── tests/ ← Jest + Supertest (28 tests)
│ ├── .env.example ← copy to .env and fill in JWT_SECRET
│ └── package.json
├── frontend/ ← React 18 + Vite SPA
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── app/ ← Redux store
│ │ ├── features/auth/ ← authSlice + PrivateRoute
│ │ ├── services/ ← RTK Query API slice (all endpoints)
│ │ ├── components/ ← Navbar, StatCard, Charts, Modal, TransactionRow
│ │ ├── pages/ ← Login, Register, Dashboard, Transactions
│ │ ├── App.jsx ← route tree
│ │ └── main.jsx ← entry point
│ ├── index.html
│ ├── vite.config.js ← dev proxy: /api → :3000
│ ├── tailwind.config.js
│ └── package.json
├── setup.sh ← first-time setup script
├── .env.example ← environment variable template
├── .gitignore
└── package.json ← root scripts (install:all, build, start, test)
Everything runs on http://localhost:3000. Express serves both the API and the built React app.
# First time only
bash setup.sh
# Every time after
cd backend && NODE_ENV=production npm startThe React dev server (Vite) runs on port 5173 and proxies all /api/* requests to Express on port 3000 — no CORS configuration needed.
# Terminal 1 — backend with nodemon hot reload
cd backend && npm run dev
# Terminal 2 — frontend with Vite HMR
cd frontend && npm run dev
# → Open http://localhost:5173# 1. Install all dependencies
cd backend && npm install
cd ../frontend && npm install
# 2. Create and configure .env
cp .env.example backend/.env
# Open backend/.env — set JWT_SECRET to any long random string
# 3. Ensure data files exist
mkdir -p backend/data
echo "[]" > backend/data/users.json
echo "[]" > backend/data/transactions.json
# 4. Build frontend (required for production mode)
cd frontend && npm run build
# 5. Start
cd ../backend && NODE_ENV=production npm startAll variables live in backend/.env. Use backend/.env.example as your template.
| Variable | Default | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
PORT |
3000 |
No | Port Express listens on |
JWT_SECRET |
— | Yes | Secret for signing JWTs. Must be a long random string. |
JWT_EXPIRES_IN |
7d |
No | Token expiry (7d, 24h, 3600, etc.) |
CACHE_TTL_MS |
60000 |
No | How long /summary is cached (milliseconds) |
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS |
60000 |
No | Rate limiter window (milliseconds) |
RATE_LIMIT_MAX_REQUESTS |
30 |
No | Max requests per IP per window |
DATA_DIR |
./data |
No | Directory for JSON persistence files |
Tip: Generate a strong JWT_SECRET with:
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(64).toString('hex'))"
Base URL: http://localhost:3000
All protected routes require: Authorization: Bearer <token>
| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /health |
No | Server status + uptime |
| POST | /api/users |
No | Register — returns JWT + user |
| POST | /api/users/login |
No | Login — returns JWT + user |
| GET | /api/users/me |
Yes | Current user profile |
| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| POST | /api/transactions |
Yes | Add income or expense |
| GET | /api/transactions |
Yes | List all (filter: type, category, startDate, endDate) |
| GET | /api/transactions/:id |
Yes | Single transaction |
| PATCH | /api/transactions/:id |
Yes | Update fields |
| DELETE | /api/transactions/:id |
Yes | Delete |
| Method | Endpoint | Auth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /api/summary |
Yes | Income · Expenses · Balance · byCategory · monthlyTrend · savingsTips |
cd backend && npm test28 tests across 5 files — all passing.
| File | Tests | Covers |
|---|---|---|
health.test.js |
2 | /health 200, 404 for unknown routes |
users.test.js |
6 | Register, duplicate 409, validation 422, login, wrong password 401 |
transactions.test.js |
12 | Full CRUD, auth guard, invalid input, filters, 404 after delete |
summary.test.js |
3 | Correct totals, cache hit on 2nd request, auth guard |
cache.test.js |
5 | Set/get, TTL expiry, prefix invalidation, flush |
- Push this repository to GitHub (public)
- Go to render.com → New Web Service → connect your repo
- Configure:
- Build Command:
cd frontend && npm install && npm run build && cd ../backend && npm install - Start Command:
cd backend && NODE_ENV=production node src/app.js
- Build Command:
- Add environment variables in the Render dashboard:
JWT_SECRET→ your long random stringNODE_ENV→productionPORT→3000
- Deploy → your app is live at
https://your-app.onrender.com
npm install -g @railway/cli
railway login
railway init # inside the finedge repo
railway upAdd a railway.toml at the repo root:
[build]
builder = "nixpacks"
[deploy]
startCommand = "cd frontend && npm ci && npm run build && cd ../backend && npm ci && NODE_ENV=production node src/app.js"Set env vars via railway variables set JWT_SECRET=<secret> NODE_ENV=production.
Backend: Node.js · Express.js · JWT (jsonwebtoken) · bcryptjs · fs/promises · dotenv · uuid · Jest · Supertest
Frontend: React 18 · Vite · Redux Toolkit · RTK Query · React Router v6 · React Hook Form · Recharts · Tailwind CSS · date-fns
Gaurav Sinha — Senior Frontend Engineer & Tech Lead Airtribe AI-First Backend Developer Course, Cohort 19
Twitter: @TheDevWhoShips