A command-line double-entry accounting software is available for free, based on Python programming language.
BeanCount is an accounting software that is built on an open-source double-entry system designed to make financial management simple. It uses a text file format as input and comes with a set of Python scripts that can parse the contents of the file. One of these scripts enables you to serve the contents as a locally-running web server. Additionally, the software comes with OFX support to help you convert your files into Ledger input format or any other format you prefer.
It is important to note that the syntax and ideas behind BeanCount are inspired entirely by John Wiegley's Ledger software, and the syntax is compatible with Ledger's syntax. With a few additional directives and a little more restriction than Ledger's syntax, reading Ledger's documentation is advisable when using BeanCount.
BeanCount is built using pure Python and is much slower than Ledger but easier to extend. It also provides a simple web front-end that allows you to view the contents of the database without parsing the entire file every time, thereby mitigating the comparative slowness of parsing. The authors of BeanCount and Ledger are in touch, and new features are expected to flow between them as they develop ways of integration.
Ledger is being augmented with the ability to export its parser using a binding for the Python language to speed up BeanCount's parser. Additionally, Ledger may eventually leverage BeanCount's web front-end to provide more convenient features in the future.
It is important to note that the syntax and ideas behind BeanCount are inspired entirely by John Wiegley's Ledger software, and the syntax is compatible with Ledger's syntax. With a few additional directives and a little more restriction than Ledger's syntax, reading Ledger's documentation is advisable when using BeanCount.
BeanCount is built using pure Python and is much slower than Ledger but easier to extend. It also provides a simple web front-end that allows you to view the contents of the database without parsing the entire file every time, thereby mitigating the comparative slowness of parsing. The authors of BeanCount and Ledger are in touch, and new features are expected to flow between them as they develop ways of integration.
Ledger is being augmented with the ability to export its parser using a binding for the Python language to speed up BeanCount's parser. Additionally, Ledger may eventually leverage BeanCount's web front-end to provide more convenient features in the future.
What's New
Version 0.9: N/A