Documentation

Installation, configuration, and usage guide for Tier 4 Billing.

Requirements

• Docker 20+ and Docker Compose (recommended)
• Or: Node.js 22+, PostgreSQL 16+
• 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended
• 1 GB disk space + database storage

Docker Installation (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started.

1. Download and extract the release archive
2. Copy the environment file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and set your JWT_SECRET (generate with openssl rand -hex 32).

3. Start the application:

docker-compose up -d

The app will be available at http://localhost:3001. The setup wizard will guide you through initial configuration.

Manual Installation

1. Install Node.js 22+ and PostgreSQL 16+
2. Create a database:

createdb -U postgres tier4_platform
createuser -U postgres tier4
psql -U postgres -c "ALTER USER tier4 PASSWORD 'your_password';"
psql -U postgres -c "GRANT ALL ON DATABASE tier4_platform TO tier4;"

3. Install dependencies and build:

npm ci
npm run build

4. Run migrations:

psql -U tier4 -d tier4_platform -f migrations/001_phase5_tables.sql

5. Start the app:

node dist/server.js

Configuration

All configuration is done through environment variables in .env:

Required

• JWT_SECRET — Secret key for authentication tokens
• DATABASE_URL — PostgreSQL connection string

Optional

• GMAIL_CLIENT_ID / GMAIL_CLIENT_SECRET — For Gmail email integration
• STRIPE_SECRET_KEY / STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY — For online payments
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — For AI assistant features
• LICENSE_SERVER_URL — License validation endpoint (default: https://billing.tier4support.com)

Setup Wizard

On first launch, the setup wizard will guide you through:

1. License Key — Enter your license key (or skip for Starter tier)
2. Company Info — Set your business name
3. Admin Account — Create your first user
4. Business Type — Choose your industry vertical (IT, Legal, Creative, General)

Integrations

Gmail

Go to Settings → Gmail to connect your Gmail account. This enables sending invoices and notifications directly from your email address.

Stripe

Set STRIPE_SECRET_KEY and STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY in your .env file to enable online payments.

Updates

Check for updates at Settings → System Updates. Updates are also checked automatically on login.

To update with Docker:

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Backup & Restore

Create backups at Settings → Backup. Backups are PostgreSQL dumps that can be restored with:

psql -U tier4 -d tier4_platform < backup_file.sql