Install on Linux or a NAS, step by step

#Open the Terminal

Press Ctrl + Alt + T. A window opens where you type commands. New to this? Read Using the Terminal first; it takes two minutes.

To paste a command into the Terminal, use Ctrl + Shift + V (not Ctrl + V), then press Enter.

#Install with one line

1. Copy this line, paste it into the Terminal, press Enter

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IamRamgarhia/Free-GST-Billing-Software/main/install.sh | bash

2. Watch it workIt shows four steps, each ending in OK: [1/4] Checking this computer, [2/4] Downloading (also Node.js, the engine the app runs on, if the computer does not have version 18 or newer; it is kept inside the app folder), [3/4] Installing, [4/4] Adding icons.
3. Answer one questionOpen Free GST Billing by itself when this computer starts? [y/N]: type y and press Enter, or just Enter for no.
4. The app opensIn its own window if you have Chrome, Chromium or Edge, or in your browser otherwise.

Every day after that: open Free GST Billing from your applications menu. To update or repair it: run the same line again; your data is backed up to ~/Documents/FreeGSTBill Backups first and never touched.

If it says curl: command not found, run sudo apt install -y curl first. The app goes to ~/.local/share/free-gst-billing; your data is in _system/data inside it.

NAS or Alpine: there may be no bash; end the line with | sh instead. Alpine needs Node.js from its own store first: sudo apk add nodejs. To choose the folder, put FREEGSTBILL_DIR=/volume1/apps/free-gst-billing just before sh.

To remove it (your invoices are kept unless you type DELETE when asked):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IamRamgarhia/Free-GST-Billing-Software/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

#Other way: download the ZIP

Install Node.js yourself, then unzip and start the app.

#Step 1: Install Node.js 20

The Node.js in Ubuntu's own store is often too old for the app, so it comes from NodeSource, the official source for Linux. Paste these one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

sudo apt install -y curl unzip

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -

sudo apt install -y nodejs

When it asks for your password, type the password you use to log in and press Enter. Nothing appears while you type, not even dots; that is normal.

Check it worked:

node -v

It should print v20 or higher, for example v20.19.0.

Fedora: sudo dnf install nodejs npm. Arch: sudo pacman -S nodejs npm. Alpine / NAS: sudo apk add nodejs npm.

#Step 2: Download and unzip

1. DownloadDownload Free GST Billing It goes into your Downloads folder.
2. Unzip itPaste this in the Terminal and press Enter: it unpacks the app into a folder in your home folder.

   cd ~ && unzip -o ~/Downloads/Free-GST-Billing.zip

#Step 3: Start the app

cd ~/Free-GST-Billing && bash "Free GST Billing - LINUX.sh"

1. Wait up to a minuteWhen it says Server running, the app opens in your browser at http://localhost:47371. You can close the Terminal; the app keeps running. (A download from before version 1.10.83 first asks Install now? [Y/n]: press Enter.)

Every day after that, open the Terminal and run the same command. Or bookmark http://localhost:47371; it works while the app is running. To stop the app: Control Panel in the app → Stop Server, or restart the computer.

#On a NAS or server (for IT people)

unzip Free-GST-Billing.zip
cd Free-GST-Billing
bash "_system/start-unix.sh"

The ZIP carries the app's packages, so there is no npm install; any Node.js 18 or newer runs it.

The app listens on 127.0.0.1:47371 only (it has no login, so it is never opened to the network). Updating from inside the app needs unzip or python3.