# Crater — Open Source Invoicing for Freelancers and Small Businesses

> Crater is a self-hosted invoicing application built with Laravel and Vue.js. It handles invoices, estimates, expenses, and payments with a clean dashboard and PDF generation.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Crater — Open Source Invoicing for Freelancers and Small Businesses

## Quick Use
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater.git
cd crater

# Install dependencies
composer install
npm install && npm run build

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

# Run migrations and start the server
php artisan migrate --seed
php artisan serve
```

## Introduction
Crater is a free, open-source invoicing application designed for freelancers and small businesses. Built with Laravel and Vue.js, it provides a modern web interface for managing invoices, estimates, expenses, and payment tracking without relying on a SaaS subscription.

## What Crater Does
- Creates and sends professional invoices and estimates with PDF export
- Tracks expenses and categorizes them for reporting
- Records payments and maps them to outstanding invoices
- Supports multiple currencies and tax configurations
- Provides a dashboard with revenue and expense analytics

## Architecture Overview
Crater follows a standard Laravel monolith architecture with a Vue.js single-page application on the frontend. The backend exposes a RESTful API that the Vue frontend consumes. PDF generation is handled server-side via a rendering engine. Data is stored in MySQL or MariaDB, and the application supports queue workers for background jobs like email delivery.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Requires PHP 8.0+, MySQL 5.7+, and Composer for the backend
- Run `composer install` and `npm install && npm run build` to set up dependencies
- Configure database credentials and mail settings in the `.env` file
- Deploy with Docker using the community Docker Compose setup
- Set up a cron job for `php artisan schedule:run` to handle recurring invoices

## Key Features
- Professional invoice templates with customizable branding
- Recurring invoices that auto-generate on a set schedule
- Multi-currency support with configurable exchange rates
- Tax management with compound and group tax options
- RESTful API for integrating with external accounting or CRM tools

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Invoice Ninja** — more features and integrations but heavier and more complex to self-host
- **Akaunting** — broader accounting scope but less focused invoicing experience
- **FreshBooks** — polished SaaS invoicing but requires a monthly subscription
- **Wave** — free cloud invoicing but not self-hostable and ad-supported
- **SolidInvoice** — Symfony-based alternative with fewer active contributors

## FAQ
**Q: Is Crater free for commercial use?**
A: Yes. Crater is released under the AGPLv3 license, which allows commercial use with the requirement to share modifications.

**Q: Does Crater support recurring invoices?**
A: Yes. You can configure invoices to recur on daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly schedules.

**Q: Can I customize the invoice template?**
A: Yes. Crater includes several built-in templates, and you can add your company logo, colors, and custom fields.

**Q: Does Crater have a mobile app?**
A: Yes. Crater provides companion mobile apps for iOS and Android for on-the-go invoice management.

## Sources
- https://github.com/crater-invoice-inc/crater
- https://craterapp.com/docs

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-2b654876
Author: Script Depot