invoice-generator

README

invoice-generator

A fast, single-binary CLI tool that generates professional invoice PDFs from simple YAML or TOML config files. Supports 7 languages, customizable HTML templates, and ZUGFeRD/Factur-X e-invoicing.

Features

• PDF generation from YAML/TOML configuration files
• Dual renderer: HTML template + Chrome/Chromium (best quality) with built-in fpdf fallback
• ZUGFeRD / Factur-X e-invoice XML embedding (BASIC profile, EN 16931)
• 7 languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese
• Customizable HTML template — extract, edit CSS/layout, use your own design
• Locale-aware formatting — currency symbols, decimal/thousand separators, date formats
• 20+ currencies supported out of the box
• Logo support — SVG, PNG, JPG
• Single binary, no runtime dependencies (Chrome optional for HTML renderer)

Quick Start

# Build
go build -o invoice .

# Generate starter configs
invoice init company
invoice init invoice

# Edit company.yaml and invoice.yaml with your data, then:
invoice -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

Installation

go install github.com/kiefer-networks/invoice-generator@latest

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/kiefer-networks/invoice-generator.git
cd invoice-generator
go build -o invoice .

Requirements

• Go 1.21+ to build
• Chrome/Chromium (optional) — for HTML template rendering. Falls back to the built-in renderer automatically if not found.

Usage

invoice <invoice.yaml|.toml> [flags]     Generate invoice PDF
invoice init company [--lang <code>]     Create company config template
invoice init invoice [--lang <code>]     Create invoice template
invoice init template                    Extract HTML template for customization
invoice help                             Show this help

Flags

Flag	Description
-company <path>	Load separate company config file
-o <path>	Output PDF path (default: Rechnung_<nr>.pdf)
-zugferd	Embed ZUGFeRD/Factur-X XML (BASIC profile)
-lang <code>	Override language (de, en, fr, es, it, nl, pt)
-html	Also save the rendered HTML file
-t <path>	Use custom HTML template
-fpdf	Force built-in renderer (no Chrome needed)

Examples

# Basic invoice
invoice invoice.yaml

# With separate company config
invoice -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

# With e-invoice (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X)
invoice -zugferd -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

# Export HTML alongside PDF
invoice -html -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

# Use a custom template
invoice -t custom.html -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

# Generate English templates
invoice init company --lang en
invoice init invoice --lang en

Configuration

Split your data into two files: a company config (reused across all invoices) and an invoice file (per invoice).

Company config (company.yaml)

logo: "./logo.png"
sprache: "en"
farbe: "#5B9BD5"
waehrung: "EUR"

firma:
  name: "My Company GmbH"
  adresse: "Sample Street 1"
  plz: "12345"
  ort: "Berlin"
  land: "DE"
  email: "info@mycompany.de"
  telefon: "+49 30 12345678"
  ust_id: "DE123456789"
  bank:
    name: "Sample Bank"
    iban: "DE89 3704 0044 0532 0130 00"
    bic: "COBADEFFXXX"

mwst:
  pflichtig: true
  satz: 19.0

zahlungsbedingungen: "Payable within 14 days of invoice date."
zahlungsmethode: "Bank transfer"

Invoice file (invoice.yaml)

kunde:
  name: "Client GmbH"
  ansprechpartner: "Jane Doe"
  email: "jane@client.de"
  adresse: "Client Road 42"
  plz: "54321"
  ort: "Munich"
  land: "DE"
  ust_id: "DE987654321"

rechnung:
  nummer: 2026-001
  datum: "01.03.2026"
  faelligkeit: "15.03.2026"
  status: "SENT"

positionen:
  - beschreibung: "Web Development"
    details: "Landing page development"
    menge: 10
    einheit: "hours"
    preis: 85.00

  - beschreibung: "Server Maintenance"
    menge: 1
    einheit: "flat"
    preis: 150.00

notizen: "Thank you for your business."

Custom Templates

Extract the built-in HTML template and customize it:

invoice init template
# Edit template.html — change colors, fonts, layout
invoice -t template.html -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

The template uses Go's text/template syntax with CSS custom properties for easy theming. All data is pre-formatted — the template only needs to place values, no logic required.

E-Invoicing (ZUGFeRD / Factur-X)

Generate EN 16931 compliant electronic invoices:

invoice -zugferd -company company.yaml invoice.yaml

This creates:

• A PDF with the Factur-X XML embedded as an attachment
• A standalone _factur-x.xml file (CII XML, BASIC profile)

Mandatory in Germany: reception since 2025, sending B2B from 2027–2028.

Supported Languages

Code	Language
de	Deutsch
en	English
fr	Français
es	Español
it	Italiano
nl	Nederlands
pt	Português

Formatting Overrides

Override locale defaults per config file:

format:
  dezimal: ","
  tausender: "."
  waehrung_vor: false
  waehrung_abstand: true
  datum: "02.01.2006"

License

MIT