Automated Invoice Generator

A full-stack web application built with Next.js and Node.js that allows users to create, save, download, and email professional invoices.

https://automated-invoice-generator.vercel.app/

Features

• Dynamic Invoice Creation: An intuitive, single-page form to create detailed invoices with client information, itemized lists, and payment terms.
• Real-time Calculations: Subtotals, taxes, and grand totals are calculated instantly as you add or edit items.
• PDF Generation: Download a professionally styled, print-ready PDF of any invoice with a single click.
• Database Storage: Save your invoice drafts to a MongoDB database for record-keeping.
• Email Invoices Directly: Send the generated PDF invoice directly to your client's email address from within the app.
• Dark & Light Mode: The user interface is fully responsive and supports both dark and light themes.

Tech Stack

This project is a monorepo containing a separate frontend and backend.

Frontend:

• Framework: Next.js (with App Router)
• Language: TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• UI: React (with Hooks for state management)

Backend:

• Runtime: Node.js
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose ODM
• PDF Generation: Puppeteer
• Email Service: Nodemailer

Getting Started

Follow these instructions to get a copy of the project up and running on your local machine for development and testing purposes.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later recommended)
• MongoDB installed and running on your local machine, or a connection string from MongoDB Atlas.

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone [[https://github.com/swetankan/invoice-app](https://github.com/Swetankan/Automated-Invoice-Generator).git]
   cd invoice-app

2. Install Frontend Dependencies:

   cd frontend
   npm install

3. Install Backend Dependencies:

   cd ../backend
   npm install

Configuration

Before running the application, you need to set up your environment variables for the backend.

1. Navigate to the backend directory.
2. Create a new file named .env.
3. Add the following configuration variables, replacing the placeholder values with your own:

   # Your local MongoDB connection string
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/invoice-app
   
   # Email Configuration (using Gmail App Password)
   EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
   EMAIL_PORT=587
   EMAIL_USER=your-email@gmail.com
   EMAIL_PASS=your-16-digit-google-app-password

Running the Application

You will need to run the frontend and backend servers in two separate terminals.

Terminal 1: Start the Backend Server

cd backend
npx ts-node-dev index.ts