Scope
Built a private finance application for turning receipt uploads and recurring spending data into structured, searchable records.
SpendLens - Personal Finance & Receipt Processing App
Plain-English summary: A private full-stack finance app for receipt uploads, OCR-assisted extraction, per-user records, categorization, and spending visibility.
Technical Architecture
Problem/Context
- Manual receipt tracking created weak traceability and inconsistent categorization.
- Receipt data needed per-user separation and controlled upload behavior.
- OCR extraction had to remain replaceable because provider quality and cost can change.
What I Built
- Implemented protected app routes, credential-based authentication, receipt upload flows, and PostgreSQL-backed records.
- Designed provider boundaries for OCR-assisted extraction so OpenAI Vision, Google Vision, and local OCR paths can evolve independently.
- Packaged the application for Docker-based deployment while keeping credentials outside tracked files.
Responsibilities
- I handled full-stack implementation across UI, API routes, auth, storage, OCR integration, and deployment structure.
- I modeled receipt, category, subscription, audit, and rule data around practical finance workflows.
- I kept private finance data, host details, and credentials out of public documentation.
Constraints
- This is a private/personal finance system, not a public SaaS product.
- Public pages must not reveal the active hostname, credential paths, private records, or deployment secrets.
- No external-user, revenue, or measured time-saving claims are made without separate proof.
Outcome/Value
- A practical personal finance workflow with structured receipt records and safer document-processing boundaries.
- A clearer architecture for evolving OCR providers without rewriting the finance application.
- A deployable full-stack project that demonstrates secure handling of private operational data.
System Concepts
- Private-by-design document processing.
- Per-user finance records and audit-oriented storage.
- Provider-isolated OCR architecture for maintainability.