Bitcoin investors need clarity, privacy, and control—especially when tracking long-term performance. Enter BTC Tracker, a lightweight, self-hosted application designed specifically for monitoring Bitcoin investments with precision and security.
Whether you're a casual holder or a disciplined long-term investor, BTC Tracker offers a streamlined way to visualize your portfolio's growth, manage transactions, and maintain full ownership of your financial data—without relying on third-party platforms.
What’s New in v0.5.2
The latest update brings meaningful improvements that enhance stability, usability, and reliability across the board.
🚀 Key Updates
- 💱 Refined Currency Handling: Improved exchange rate logic and expanded support for multi-currency tracking
- 🐛 Critical Bug Fixes: Resolved UI issues in dropdown menus and modal windows for smoother navigation
- 🎨 Enhanced User Experience: Smoother transaction forms and faster quick-add functionality
- 🎉 Hidden Fun Feature: Try entering an impossible Bitcoin amount—you’ll get a playful validation message!
- 📊 Stronger Stability: Better error recovery and more reliable currency conversion workflows
For full technical details, refer to the official changelog and release notes.
Why Use BTC Tracker?
Many crypto portfolio tools try to do everything—track dozens of assets, integrate DeFi protocols, pull exchange data automatically—but often at the cost of complexity and privacy.
BTC Tracker takes a different approach: simplicity, focus, and local control.
As its creator explains, existing tools were either too bloated or required sharing sensitive wallet and transaction data with external services—something many users are rightfully uncomfortable with.
This tool solves that by running entirely on your own machine. All your data stays local. No cloud sync. No tracking. No compromises.
It’s built for one purpose: helping you understand how your Bitcoin investment has performed over time—with accurate cost basis, profit/loss calculation, and clean visualizations.
Core Features That Matter
📊 Investment & Performance Tracking
- Transaction Management: Log every buy, sell, or transfer with full date, amount, and price details
- Profit & Loss (P&L) Analysis: Automatically calculate gains or losses based on realized cost
- ROI Metrics: See your return on investment grow over days, months, or years
- Interactive Charts: Explore historical price trends with time sliders, timeline navigation, and comparison tickers
💱 Multi-Currency Support
Track your investment value in the currency you care about:
- USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, PLN
- BRL (Brazilian Real) – now fully supported
Thanks to an advanced currency converter with smart caching, exchange rates are retrieved efficiently and stored locally to reduce API strain while ensuring accuracy.
You can even integrate a free CoinGecko API key to improve rate limits and reliability—boosting from ~30 calls per minute to 10,000 per month.
🎨 Intuitive Interface Designed for Real Use
- Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices
- Dark & Light Themes: Choose what suits your viewing environment
- Mobile-First UX: Add transactions quickly from your phone
- Interactive Visuals: Charts respond to touch and mouse input with smooth transitions
🔐 Security Without Sacrifice
Privacy isn’t an afterthought—it’s built-in:
- Password Protection: Secure login with bcrypt-hashed credentials
- Session Management: Auto-expire sessions after 24 hours (extendable to 30 days)
- PIN Access Option: Fast unlock via 4-digit PIN
- Local Data Only: Nothing leaves your device unless you choose to back it up
🔄 Flexible Data Management
- CSV Import/Export: Easily migrate transaction history from spreadsheets or exchanges
- Backup & Restore: Copy your
/datafolder to preserve everything - Satoshi-Level Validation: Ensures precision down to the smallest Bitcoin unit
🚀 Easy Deployment Options
BTC Tracker supports multiple installation methods so you can choose what fits your setup:
Docker/Podman (Recommended)
Runs in a container with persistent volume mapping:
docker run -d --name btc-tracker -p 3000:3000 -v "$(pwd)/data:/app/src/data" docker.io/thewilqq/btc-tracker:latestWindows Desktop App
A native Electron app with:
- System tray integration
- Automatic updates
- One-click launch from Start Menu
Data is stored securely in %APPDATA%, surviving updates and enabling easy backup.
Development Mode
Test upcoming features using the --dev flag:
./run-app.sh --devHow to Get Started in Minutes
Quick Setup (Using Script)
Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/wilqq-the/BTC-tracker.git cd BTC-trackerRun the automated script:
chmod +x run-app.sh ./run-app.sh- Open your browser:
http://localhost:3000
The script detects Docker or Podman, pulls the latest image, and starts the service—your data is preserved between restarts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is BTC Tracker free to use?
A: Yes. The application is open-source under the MIT license and completely free. No subscriptions, no hidden costs.
Q: Can I track altcoins with this tool?
A: No. BTC Tracker is intentionally focused on Bitcoin only. It does not support Ethereum, Dogecoin, or any other cryptocurrency.
Q: Does it require an internet connection?
A: Yes—for fetching live Bitcoin prices via Yahoo Finance or CoinGecko. However, transaction data is stored locally and accessible offline once loaded.
Q: How secure is my data?
A: Extremely. Your transaction history never leaves your device. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt, and all data resides in local JSON files.
Q: Can I sync with my exchange accounts?
A: Yes—for Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, and Strike—using read-only API keys. This allows automatic import of buy orders without risking funds.
Q: What happens if I lose my data folder?
A: Since all data is stored locally, it’s essential to back up the /src/data directory regularly. There is no cloud recovery option.
Under the Hood: Technology Stack
BTC Tracker leverages battle-tested technologies:
- Backend: Node.js + Express
- Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript (no framework bloat)
- Authentication: Passport.js + bcryptjs
- Visualization: Chart.js for responsive charts
- Desktop App: Electron for cross-platform compatibility
- Data Sources: Yahoo Finance (default), optional CoinGecko API
This minimal stack ensures fast performance and low resource usage—ideal for running continuously on older hardware or Raspberry Pi devices.
Final Thoughts
In a world of over-engineered crypto dashboards, BTC Tracker stands out by doing one thing exceptionally well: helping you track your Bitcoin journey—with privacy, precision, and peace of mind.
Whether you're dollar-cost averaging over years or managing large buys, this self-hosted solution gives you full control without sacrificing usability.
And because it’s open-source and actively maintained, you can trust its transparency and benefit from ongoing improvements.
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