Ep. 383
In this episode, we dive into Raccoon, an open-source, self-hostable invoicing platform built to help freelancers and small businesses take back control of their financial infrastructure. Starting from the risks of relying on proprietary cloud billing tools, we explore how Raccoon offers a more sovereign alternative through custom branding, multi-currency and tax support, dashboard insights, and a modern architecture designed to make professional invoicing both flexible and secure.
Along the way, we unpack how the platform works under the hood, from its front-end and back-end framework to its PostgreSQL database, PDF generation, Docker-based deployment, and encryption keys that protect sensitive financial data. The episode also looks at the bigger picture: why self-hosting matters, how open-source transparency and automated testing can build trust, and what it means to truly own your invoices, client records, and payment history instead of renting access to them from a tech giant.