Installation Guide¶

This guide will walk you through installing TradeTally from source.

Prerequisites¶

Before setting up TradeTally, ensure you have the following installed:

Required Software¶

Node.js (v14.0.0 or higher)
npm (comes with Node.js)
PostgreSQL (v16 or higher)
Git (for cloning the repository)

Operating System Support¶

macOS (10.15+)
Windows (10+)
Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+, CentOS 7+)

Step 1: Install Node.js and npm¶

macOSWindowsUbuntu/Debian

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Node.js and npm
brew install node

# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

Download Node.js from nodejs.org
Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
Verify installation:

node --version
npm --version

# Update package index
sudo apt update

# Install Node.js and npm
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

Step 2: Install PostgreSQL¶

macOSWindowsUbuntu/Debian

# Install PostgreSQL
brew install postgresql

# Start PostgreSQL service
brew services start postgresql

# Create a database user (optional)
createuser --interactive

Download PostgreSQL from postgresql.org
Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
Remember the password you set for the postgres user

# Install PostgreSQL
sudo apt update
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib

# Start PostgreSQL service
sudo systemctl start postgresql
sudo systemctl enable postgresql

# Switch to postgres user and create a database user
sudo -u postgres createuser --interactive

Step 3: Clone the Repository¶

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/GeneBO98/tradetally.git
cd tradetally

# Repository structure
# tradetally/
# ├── backend/
# ├── frontend/
# └── README.md

Step 4: Database Setup¶

Create Database and User¶

-- Connect to PostgreSQL as superuser
sudo -u postgres psql

-- Create database
CREATE DATABASE tradetally_db;

-- Create user with password
CREATE USER tradetally_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';

-- Grant privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE tradetally_db TO tradetally_user;

-- Exit PostgreSQL
\q

Run Database Migrations¶

# Navigate to backend directory
cd backend

# Run all migrations
npm run migrate

Step 5: Backend Setup¶

# Navigate to backend directory
cd backend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment configuration
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env file with your configuration
nano .env

Configure Environment Variables¶

Edit the .env file with your specific values:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000

# Database Configuration
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=tradetally_db
DB_USER=tradetally_user
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_jwt_key_here_make_it_long_and_random
JWT_EXPIRE=7d

# Registration Control
REGISTRATION_MODE=open

# Frontend URL
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# File Upload (50MB limit for large CSV files)
MAX_FILE_SIZE=52428800

# API Keys (Optional but recommended)
FINNHUB_API_KEY=your_finnhub_api_key
ALPHA_VANTAGE_API_KEY=your_alpha_vantage_api_key

Step 6: Frontend Setup¶

# Navigate to frontend directory
cd ../frontend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment configuration (optional)
cp .env.example .env

Frontend Environment Variables (Optional)¶

# Set to 'false' to hide the donation button
VITE_SHOW_DONATION_BUTTON=true

Step 7: Start the Application¶

Start Backend Server¶

# In the backend directory
cd backend
npm run dev

# Server will start on http://localhost:3000

Start Frontend Development Server¶

# In a new terminal, navigate to frontend directory
cd frontend
npm run dev

# Frontend will start on http://localhost:5173

Next Steps¶

Quick Start Guide - Learn the basics
API Configuration - Set up API keys for enhanced features
Importing Trades - Start importing your trades

Troubleshooting¶

Database Connection Error¶

# Check if PostgreSQL is running
sudo systemctl status postgresql

# Check connection
psql -h localhost -U tradetally_user -d tradetally_db -c "SELECT 1;"

Port Already in Use¶

# Find process using port 3000
lsof -i :3000

# Kill the process
kill -9 <PID>

NPM Installation Fails¶

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Delete node_modules and reinstall
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install