GSTBill: GST Invoice & Billing App

Thank you for buying GSTBill. This guide covers installing the app on your server, setting up your business, and using every feature. If something here doesn't answer your question, see Support.

Main features

Server requirements

Most Indian cPanel hosts (Hostinger, BigRock, MilesWeb, HostGator India and others) meet these out of the box. The installer checks them for you.

What's in the download

gstbill-v1.0.0.zip
├── README.md
├── LICENSE.txt
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── docs/
│   ├── documentation/index.html   ← this guide
│   └── installation.md
└── src/                           ← the application (upload this)
    ├── app/  bootstrap/  config/  database/  resources/  routes/  storage/
    ├── public/                    ← the web root (document root points here)
    └── vendor/                    ← PHP packages, already installed

The vendor/ folder is included, so you do not need Composer or SSH on shared hosting.

Installation on cPanel / shared hosting

About 10 minutes. You need cPanel access and nothing else.

1. Create a MySQL database. In cPanel → MySQL® Databases, create a database (e.g. user_gstbill), create a user with a strong password, then add the user to the database with All Privileges. Write down the database name, username and password.
2. Upload the files. In cPanel → File Manager, upload the contents of src/ into a new folder outside public_html, for example /home/USER/gstbill. Uploading the zip and using Extract is fastest.
3. Point a domain at public/. In cPanel → Domains (or Subdomains), create e.g. billing.yourdomain.com and set its document root to /home/USER/gstbill/public.

   Must you use public_html directly? Upload everything into public_html. The included root .htaccess sends every request to public/, so .env, vendor/ and storage/ can't be opened from a browser. A separate document root (above) is still the safer option.

4. Select PHP 8.3+. cPanel → MultiPHP Manager → choose PHP 8.3 or newer for the domain. In Select PHP Version → Extensions, make sure gd, pdo_mysql, mbstring, fileinfo and dom are ticked.
5. Set folder permissions. storage/, bootstrap/cache/ and public/uploads/ → 775. The project folder must be writable so the installer can create .env (755 or 775).
6. Run the web installer. Open your domain. You are taken to /install automatically.

Installer step 1: Requirements

Every line should have a green tick. If one is red, fix it (usually a PHP extension or a folder permission) and reload the page.

Installer step 2: Database

Enter the App URL (your address, with https://) and the database details from step 1. The host is usually localhost and the port 3306. The installer tests the connection, writes .env, creates the tables, and switches the app to production mode with debug turned off.

Installer step 3: Business & admin

Enter your business name, GSTIN (your state is picked up from it automatically), and the admin email and password you will log in with. Tick Add sample customers, products and invoices so I can explore if you want to explore with demo customers and invoices first.

7. Turn on SSL. cPanel → SSL/TLS Status → Run AutoSSL. Then make sure APP_URL in .env starts with https://.
8. Log in and continue with After installing.

Installation on a VPS (Ubuntu + Nginx)

sudo apt install -y nginx mysql-server php8.3-fpm \
  php8.3-{mysql,mbstring,xml,gd,curl,zip,bcmath,intl} unzip
sudo mysql -e "CREATE DATABASE gstbill CHARACTER SET utf8mb4;
  CREATE USER 'gstbill'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'CHANGE_ME';
  GRANT ALL ON gstbill.* TO 'gstbill'@'localhost';"

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/gstbill && cd /var/www/gstbill
# copy the contents of src/ here, then:
cp .env.example .env
nano .env                    # set APP_URL and the DB_ values
php artisan key:generate --force
php artisan app:install      # asks for business + admin details (add --demo for sample data)
php artisan config:cache && php artisan route:cache && php artisan view:cache
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache public/uploads

Nginx server block:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name billing.example.com;
    root /var/www/gstbill/public;
    index index.php;
    client_max_body_size 8M;

    location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string; }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
    }
    location ~ /\.(?!well-known) { deny all; }
}

Then run sudo certbot --nginx -d billing.example.com for HTTPS.

Running on your own computer

Useful for trying the app or customising it. You need PHP 8.3+, Composer and MySQL (for example via Homebrew, XAMPP or Laragon).

cd gstbill
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env: DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD
# create the database first, e.g.  mysql -uroot -e "CREATE DATABASE gstbill"
composer install
php artisan key:generate --force
php artisan migrate --seed      # tables + demo data
php artisan serve               # open http://127.0.0.1:8000

Demo logins created by --seed: admin@example.com / password and staff@example.com / password.

Run the automated tests with php artisan test.

After installing: 5-minute setup

Open Settings (admin only) and work through the tabs. Your invoices use these details.

Then add your customers and products, or add them as you go from the invoice form.

Dashboard

The home page shows this month's sales and GST, money collected this month, total outstanding, overdue amount, a 12-month sales vs collections chart, top customers, recent invoices and an overdue follow-up list. Click any figure to open the matching list or report.

Customers

Customers → Add customer. Enter the GSTIN for business (B2B) customers. GSTBill checks the 15-character format and the check digit, and sets the customer's state from the first two digits. Leave GSTIN empty for consumers (B2C) and choose their state.

The customer's state becomes the default place of supply on new invoices, which decides CGST+SGST vs IGST. Each customer page shows total billed, paid and outstanding, plus their invoices and quotations.

Products & services

Save items you bill often with their HSN (goods) or SAC (services) code, unit (UQC such as NOS, KGS, BAG), price and GST rate. On the invoice form, picking a product fills the whole line. You can still change any value on that invoice.

Invoices

Creating an invoice

1. Invoices → New invoice. Choose the customer (or click New customer to add one without leaving the page).
2. Check the place of supply. The green badge shows whether it is Intra-state · CGST + SGST or Inter-state · IGST.
3. Add lines: pick a product or type a description, then quantity, rate, discount % and GST %. Press Enter on the last field to add another row.
4. The summary on the right updates as you type, including round-off and the amount in words.
5. Click Save & issue, or Save as draft to finish later.

Invoice page

The invoice page shows the invoice exactly as it prints, with buttons to Record payment, download the PDF, Print, and Share (WhatsApp, email, copy link). The ⋯ menu has Edit, Duplicate and Cancel.

Statuses

Editing, duplicating and cancelling

• Edit keeps the same invoice number. An invoice with payments can't be edited. Delete its payments first, or duplicate it.
• Duplicate creates a new draft with the same customer and lines, useful for monthly retainers.
• Cancel (admin only) is the correct way to void an issued invoice. Don't delete it, so your number series has no gaps.

Numbering

Numbers look like INV/26-27/0001: prefix, financial year, then a running number. The series restarts every 1 April. All of this can be changed in Settings → Invoice.

Bill of Supply

If your business is not GST registered (Settings → Business → GST registered off), documents print as Bill of Supply with no tax lines, as the law requires for unregistered and composition sellers.

How GST is calculated

• Taxable value per line = quantity × rate − discount.
• If the place of supply is the same state as your business, the GST is split equally into CGST and SGST/UTGST. Otherwise the full rate is charged as IGST.
• Tax is rounded to the paisa per line. The grand total is rounded to the nearest rupee when Round total is on, and the round-off is shown separately.
• The HSN/SAC summary on the invoice groups taxable value and tax by code and rate.
• The default GST rates are the slabs in force from 22 Sept 2025: 0, 0.25, 3, 5, 18 and 40%. Edit the list in Settings → Tax.

Quotations

Quotations (estimates) work like invoices, with their own numbering (QT/26-27/0001) and statuses: Draft, Sent, Accepted, Declined and Converted. Emailing a draft quotation marks it Sent automatically.

When the customer agrees, open the quotation and click Convert to invoice. A tax invoice is created with the same lines, and the quotation links to it.

Payments

On an issued invoice, click Record payment. Enter the date, amount, method (UPI, cash, bank transfer, card, cheque or other) and an optional reference or UTR number. Partial payments are fine. The app won't accept more than the balance due.

The Payments page lists all receipts with filters by date and method, totals by method, and CSV export. Admins can delete a wrongly entered payment, and the invoice balance updates automatically.

Sharing invoices & getting paid

Customer link

Every invoice has a secure, signed link. Your customer can open it without logging in to view the invoice, Pay via UPI (opens their UPI app with the amount filled in on mobile), download the PDF or print. Changing even one character of the link makes it stop working.

WhatsApp

Share → WhatsApp opens WhatsApp with your message and the link filled in. Edit the message in Settings → Invoice. These placeholders are replaced automatically:

{customer} {document} {number} {amount} {business} {link}

Email

Share → Email sends the invoice with the PDF attached, using the SMTP details in Settings → Email.

UPI QR code

When a UPI ID is set and Print UPI QR is on, every invoice with a balance due shows a QR for exactly that balance. Customers scan it with any UPI app (GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM). The QR disappears once the invoice is fully paid.

GST reports

Open GST Reports and choose a period: this or last month, this or last quarter, this or last financial year, or a custom range. Every report has Export CSV and print buttons. Drafts and cancelled invoices are always left out.

Users & roles

Add users in Users. A deactivated user can't log in, but their past work stays. Everyone can change their own name, email and password from the menu under their name (top right).

Settings reference

Business

Business/trade name, legal name, GST registered, GSTIN, PAN, address, city, state, PIN, phone, email, website, authorised signatory name, logo (PNG/JPG/WebP, up to 1 MB) and signature or stamp image (up to 512 KB).

Invoice

Invoice and quotation prefixes, number of digits, starting numbers, include financial year, restart every 1 April, payment due days, quotation validity, accent colour, paper size (A4/A5/Letter), round-off, print UPI QR, default terms and notes, and the WhatsApp message.

Tax

The GST rates offered on invoice lines, the default rate for new lines, the B2C Large threshold, and whether HSN/SAC is mandatory on every line.

Payments & UPI

UPI ID (VPA), payee name shown in UPI apps, and bank account name, number, IFSC, bank and branch printed on invoices.

Email

SMTP host, port, username, password, encryption, from address and from name. Use Send a test email to check them. For Gmail: host smtp.gmail.com, port 587, TLS, and a Google App Password (not your normal password).

Updating to a new version

1. Back up your database, your .env file and the public/uploads/ folder.
2. Upload the new src/ files over the old ones. Don't overwrite .env, storage/ or public/uploads/.
3. Run php artisan migrate --force (cPanel → Terminal, or SSH).
4. Clear caches: php artisan optimize:clear.

Download new versions from My downloads on codesanthai.tech.

Backups

Your data lives in two places. Back up both regularly:

• The MySQL database holds all customers, products, invoices, payments, users and settings. Use cPanel → Backup, or mysqldump gstbill > backup.sql.
• The public/uploads/ folder holds your logo and signature images.

Keep a copy of .env too. It holds your app key and database password.

Running a public demo

To show GSTBill to your own clients on a public URL, use demo mode. Never turn it on for a real business installation.

1. Install normally with sample data (or run php artisan migrate --seed).
2. In .env set DEMO_MODE=true, then run php artisan config:clear.
3. Add one cron job (cPanel → Cron Jobs, every minute):

   * * * * * cd /home/USER/gstbill && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

In demo mode:

• The login page shows the demo admin and staff logins as one-click buttons.
• A banner tells visitors the data resets every hour.
• Changing passwords, users or settings, and sending email, are blocked. Everything else works.
• Every hour all data is wiped and the sample data is loaded again, with dates relative to today. You can run it by hand with php artisan app:demo-reset. The command refuses to run unless DEMO_MODE=true.

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Does it file my GST returns?

No. GSTBill prepares the figures and CSV files you or your CA need for GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B. Filing is done on the GST portal.

Does it generate e-invoices (IRN) or e-way bills?

Not in version 1.0. Businesses above the e-invoicing turnover limit must also report invoices to the IRP.

Can I run several businesses?

One installation is one business (one GSTIN). For a second business, install another copy with its own database. Check that your licence covers it.

Is my data sent anywhere?

No. Everything stays on your own server and database. The app doesn't call any outside service except the SMTP server you configure.

Can I change the invoice design?

Colours, logo, signature and paper size are in Settings. To change the layout itself, edit resources/views/invoices/_document.blade.php. The PDF, print view and customer page all use this one file.

Credits

GSTBill is built on these open-source projects. Their licences are respected and included in vendor/.

Changelog

1.0.0 9 November 2026

First release: GST tax invoices and quotations, CGST/SGST/IGST, HSN summary, PDF with UPI QR, WhatsApp and email sharing, payments, GST reports with CSV export, admin and staff users, web installer, and demo mode with hourly reset.

Support & licence

Email gopinathsbc@gmail.com with your purchase code, your site address and a description or screenshot of the problem. Support covers installation help, bug fixes and questions about existing features. Custom changes are quoted separately.

Your rights are set by the licence you bought (Regular or Extended). See LICENSE.txt. In short: one business installation per licence, and the code may not be resold or shared.

© 2026 CodeSanthai. GSTBill v1.0.0 documentation.