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Orange Way Books

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What Orange Way Books is

Orange Way Books is an open-source, double-entry bookkeeping app for Bitcoin businesses and privacy-conscious small businesses. It runs as a self-hosted web application, and the project describes itself as being in early development, with working code available to run locally. Its bookkeeping tools cover accounts, journal entries, transactions, contacts, invoices, payment requests, attachments, and audit logs. Reports calculated in the browser include profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger, cash flow, and foreign-exchange revaluation. Sensitive business fields are encrypted in the browser before being sent, so the server holds ciphertext it cannot decrypt. Transaction dates, row counts, and ciphertext length can still reveal some metadata, and Bitcoin transactions on-chain remain public. Organizations can assign role-based access to owners, admins, accountants, bookkeepers, auditors, and time-limited support users. CSV and QuickBooks workbook imports are supported, with JSON data takeout; optional Orange Rails integration adds bank and exchange feeds. The project uses the Apache-2.0 license. Local setup involves cloning the repository, installing dependencies with Bun, configuring Supabase, and running the app. Payroll and tax-filing integrations are not part of the product.

Who it suits

It suits Bitcoin businesses, accountants working with Bitcoin clients, and small businesses that prioritize privacy and can self-host a web app. Engineers and auditors are also among its intended users.

What it does well

  • Encrypts sensitive business fields in the browser before they reach the server.
  • Includes core bookkeeping records, invoices, payment requests, attachments, and audit logs.
  • Calculates six report types in the browser.
  • Supports CSV and QuickBooks workbook imports and JSON data takeout.
  • Offers role-based organizational access and optional bank and exchange feeds.
  • Licensed under Apache-2.0.

What to know first

  • Requires local self-hosting; a hosted SaaS version is unavailable.
  • Payroll workflows and tax-filing integrations are not included.
  • Transaction dates and some metadata remain visible to the server.
  • Lost password and recovery code make the data unrecoverable.

Limits

The project is in early development and does not include payroll workflows or tax-filing integrations. Data cannot be recovered if both the vault password and 12-word recovery code are lost.

Getting started

  1. Open the Orange Way Books GitHub repository.
  2. Clone the project locally.
  3. Install dependencies with Bun.
  4. Configure Supabase.
  5. Run the app locally.

Verdict

Choose Orange Way Books if you need self-hosted double-entry bookkeeping with browser-side encryption and Bitcoin-oriented workflows. Look elsewhere if you need hosted SaaS, payroll, or tax-filing integrations. Keep the recovery code safe: losing it along with the vault password makes the data unrecoverable.

Questions

How much does Orange Way Books cost?

It is free and open source.

Which platforms does it support?

It is a self-hosted web app, with working code that can be run locally.

What license does it use?

The project is licensed under Apache-2.0.

How does its encryption work?

Sensitive business fields are encrypted in the browser before they leave the device; the server stores ciphertext it cannot decrypt.

Can it import existing bookkeeping data?

It supports CSV and QuickBooks workbook imports, and JSON data takeout.

Does it include payroll or tax-filing integrations?

No. Payroll workflows and tax-filing integrations are not included; tax filing is out of scope.

Facts from Orange Way Books's own pages

Bookkeeping
Its working features include accounts, journal entries, transactions, contacts, invoices, payment requests, attachments, and audit logs. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Bookkeeping features
Working features include chart of accounts, journal entries, transactions, contacts, invoices, payment requests, attachments, and audit logs. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Development status
The project describes itself as in early development, with working code that can be run locally. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Encryption
The security document describes Argon2id key derivation and AES-256-GCM field encryption, and says the product is not FIPS-validated. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Imports and export
The app supports CSV and QuickBooks workbook imports and JSON data takeout. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Imports and exports
The app supports CSV and QuickBooks workbook imports and JSON data takeout. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Integration
Orange Rails is an optional integration for bank and exchange feeds. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Intended users
The maker lists Bitcoin businesses, accountants serving Bitcoin clients, privacy-conscious small businesses, engineers, and auditors as intended users. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
License
The project is licensed under Apache-2.0. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Limits
Payroll workflows and tax-filing integrations are not built; tax filing is out of scope and the maker says users can export to tax software. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Not included
Payroll workflows are not shipped, tax-filing integrations are out of scope, and a hosted SaaS version is not available currently. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Privacy
Sensitive business fields are encrypted in the browser before reaching the server, and the maker says it cannot decrypt the stored books. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Product
Orange Way Books is an early-development, double-entry bookkeeping app aimed at Bitcoin-native businesses and privacy-conscious small businesses. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Recovery
A 12-word recovery code is generated in the browser; the maker says data cannot be recovered if both the password and recovery code are lost. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Recovery limit
If a user forgets the vault password without a printed recovery kit, the data is unrecoverable. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Reports
It provides profit and loss, balance sheet, trial balance, general ledger, cash flow, and FX revaluation reports, computed in the browser. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Security caveat
Transaction dates remain visible to the server, and on-chain Bitcoin transactions remain public on the blockchain. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Self-hosting
The repository provides instructions to clone the project, install dependencies with Bun, configure Supabase, and run it locally. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Server metadata
Transaction dates and row counts remain visible to the server, and ciphertext length can correlate with plaintext length. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Support and disclosure
The security document describes an optional in-app Chatwoot support widget and asks vulnerability reporters to contact maintainers directly, with a target of 72-hour acknowledgment and 90-day coordinated disclosure. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
Team access
Organizations support role-based access for owners, admins, accountants, bookkeepers, auditors, and a time-limited support role. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026

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