DocuAI - Node.js Business Documents SaaS

DocuAI is a self-hosted business document application for freelancers, agencies and small businesses. Create invoices, quotes, receipts and proposals, manage customers, track document status and export PDFs.

The complete application includes a React and TypeScript frontend, an Express backend, PostgreSQL storage with Prisma, authentication and an administration dashboard. The package contains editable source, configuration examples, database setup files and documentation.

Optional Anthropic or OpenAI integration assists with document content and client emails. Standard document management works without an AI API key. Hosting and third-party service usage are arranged by the buyer.

Features

• Invoices, quotes, receipts and proposals.
• Three PDF document templates.
• Automatic document numbering and custom prefixes.
• Quote-to-invoice conversion and document status tracking.
• Customer records, search and filtering.
• Administration dashboard and user management.
• Company profile and application settings.
• Responsive interface with dark mode.
• Optional AI writing assistance and client email drafting.
• JWT authentication, password hashing and server-side validation.

Requirements

Server Requirements

• Node.js 20 or newer
• npm
• PostgreSQL 14 or newer
• Modern web browser

Optional AI Requirements

AI features require an API key from either Anthropic or OpenAI. AI functionality is optional and the application can be used without an AI API key.

Hosting

A Node.js-compatible hosting environment is required for the Express backend. The frontend can be deployed separately to a modern static hosting platform.

Instructions

Installation Instructions

1. Install Requirements

Make sure Node.js 20+ and PostgreSQL 14+ are installed or available through your hosting provider.

2. Install Dependencies

Extract the downloaded package and run:

npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables

Create the required environment configuration files using the examples provided in the project documentation. Configure the PostgreSQL database connection, JWT configuration and other required application settings.

4. Configure PostgreSQL

Create a PostgreSQL database and configure the database connection string in the environment variables.

5. Initialize Prisma

Run the Prisma setup and database migration commands described in the included README documentation.

6. Start the Application

Use the provided npm scripts to start the frontend and backend applications.

7. Configure AI (Optional)

To enable AI features, add a valid Anthropic or OpenAI API key to the backend environment configuration. The application works without AI configuration, but AI writing and email-generation features will remain unavailable.

8. Configure Your Company

After logging in, configure your company information and application settings before creating business documents.

9. Production Deployment

For production deployment, deploy the frontend to a supported static hosting platform such as Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare Pages, and deploy the Express backend to Render, Railway, Fly.io or a VPS. Use a hosted PostgreSQL database such as Supabase, Neon or Railway.

Detailed deployment information is included in the documentation inside the main download package.