Configuration Guide¶

Learn how to configure FRacker for your specific needs.

Environment Variables¶

FRacker uses environment variables for configuration. These are typically set in a .env file.

Core Settings¶

# Application Secret (REQUIRED - must be unique and secret)
SECRET_KEY=your_super_secret_key_minimum_32_characters

# Flask Configuration Class
FLASK_CONFIG=config.config.PortableConfig
# Options: DevelopmentConfig, PortableConfig, ProductionConfig, TestingConfig

Security Critical

The SECRET_KEY is used for session encryption and CSRF tokens. Never use the default value in production. Generate a secure key:

python -c 'import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))'

Database Configuration¶

DB_USER=finance_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_database_password
DB_HOST=db  # Use 'localhost' for local development
DB_PORT=3306
DB_NAME=finance_tracker

Redis Configuration¶

REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
# For remote Redis: redis://user:password@hostname:6379/0

Application Settings¶

# Port the application runs on
APP_PORT=1310

# Flask debug mode (development only)
FLASK_DEBUG=False

SSL/HTTPS Settings¶

# Path to SSL certificate (optional)
SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/cert.pem
SSL_KEY_PATH=/path/to/key.pem

Configuration Classes¶

FRacker includes four configuration classes in config/config.py:

DevelopmentConfig¶

For local development: - Uses SQLite database by default - Debug mode enabled - Detailed error pages - Auto-reload on code changes

PortableConfig¶

For Docker deployments (default): - MySQL/MariaDB database - Debug mode enabled for easier troubleshooting - Production-like but with debug features

ProductionConfig¶

For production deployments: - MySQL/MariaDB database - Debug mode disabled - Strict error handling - Optimized for performance

TestingConfig¶

For automated testing: - In-memory SQLite database - CSRF protection disabled - Fast test execution

Account Types¶

Account Types define how FRacker parses CSV files from your bank.

Creating an Account Type¶

Navigate to Settings → Account Types
Click Add Account Type
Configure the fields:

Field	Description	Example
Name	Descriptive name for this account	"Chase Checking"
Date Field	CSV column name for transaction date	"Date", "Trans. Date"
Amount Field	CSV column name for amount	"Amount", "Debit/Credit"
Description Field	CSV column name for description	"Description", "Merchant"
Category Field	CSV column for bank's category (optional)	"Category", "Type"
Positive = Expense	Check if positive values are expenses	☐ or ☑

Example: Chase Bank¶

Name: Chase Checking
Date Field: Transaction Date
Amount Field: Amount
Description Field: Description
Category Field: Type
Positive = Expense: ☑ (checked)

Example: Bank of America¶

Name: BofA Checking
Date Field: Date
Amount Field: Amount
Description Field: Description
Category Field: (leave empty)
Positive = Expense: ☐ (unchecked)

Pre-Defined Account Types¶

FRacker includes several pre-configured account types:

Chase Checking
Chase Credit Card
Bank of America
Wells Fargo
Capital One
Citi Credit Card

You can use these as templates or create custom ones.

Import Rules¶

Import Rules automatically categorize transactions based on patterns.

Creating an Import Rule¶

Navigate to Settings → Import Rules
Click Add Import Rule
Configure the rule:

Field	Description	Example
Field to Match	Which transaction field to check	"Description"
Match Pattern	Text to search for (case-insensitive)	"starbucks"
Category	Category to assign	"Dining Out"
Is Transfer	Mark as transfer between accounts	☐ or ☑

Example Rules¶

Match: "amazon" → Category: "Shopping - Online"
Match: "shell" → Category: "Transportation - Gas"
Match: "venmo" → Mark as Transfer
Match: "paycheck" → Category: "Income - Salary"

Pattern Matching¶

Patterns are case-insensitive
Partial matches work: "star" matches "Starbucks Coffee"
Use specific patterns to avoid false matches
Rules are applied in order of creation

Categories¶

Default Categories¶

FRacker includes default categories, but you can customize them:

Income: - Salary - Freelance - Investment Income

Expenses: - Groceries - Dining Out - Transportation - Utilities - Entertainment - Healthcare

Creating Custom Categories¶

Navigate to Categories
Click Add Category
Enter a descriptive name
Categories are family-scoped (shared with all family members)

Best Practices¶

Keep categories broad enough to be useful
Avoid too many subcategories
Use consistent naming (e.g., "Transportation - Gas" vs "Transportation - Public Transit")
Review and consolidate categories periodically

Budgets¶

Creating a Budget¶

Navigate to Budgets
Click Add Budget
Configure:

Field	Description
Name	Budget name (e.g., "Monthly Food Budget")
Amount	Budget limit in dollars
Start Date	When budget period begins
End Date	When budget period ends
Categories	Which categories to include

Budget Strategies¶

Monthly Budgets:

Name: "March 2025 Food"
Amount: $800
Start: 2025-03-01
End: 2025-03-31
Categories: Groceries, Dining Out

Annual Budgets:

Name: "2025 Healthcare"
Amount: $5000
Start: 2025-01-01
End: 2025-12-31
Categories: Healthcare, Prescriptions, Insurance

Advanced Configuration¶

Custom Date Formats¶

If your bank uses non-standard date formats, you may need to modify the date parsing in app/services/transactions/import_transaction.py.

Database Connection Pooling¶

For high-traffic deployments, adjust pool settings in config/config.py:

SQLALCHEMY_ENGINE_OPTIONS = {
    'pool_size': 10,
    'pool_recycle': 3600,
    'pool_pre_ping': True,
}

Session Timeout¶

Adjust session timeout in Redis configuration:

PERMANENT_SESSION_LIFETIME = timedelta(hours=24)