MERN Expense Tracker — Full Stack Financial Management System

Project Overview

This application is a full-stack financial tracking system built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js). It allows users to securely manage personal expenses, monitor spending behavior, and visualize financial data through interactive analytics.

The system is designed with a RESTful backend, JWT-based authentication, and a responsive React frontend, following modern full-stack development practices.

System Architecture

The project follows a client–server architecture:

Frontend (React)

Handles UI rendering and user interaction

Communicates with backend APIs via HTTP (Axios)

Manages authentication state using JWT tokens

Displays financial data using charts and dashboards

Backend (Node.js + Express)

Provides RESTful API endpoints

Handles authentication and authorization

Performs business logic and data validation

Interacts with MongoDB using Mongoose

Database (MongoDB)

Stores user accounts and expense records

Uses document-based schema for flexible financial data storage