Online credit management system for small retail businesses
Dube Note is a production-grade mobile and web application purpose-built for small retail shop owners who extend informal credit to their customers. It replaces the traditional paper-based "dube" (credit notebook) with a secure, always-in-sync digital system.
Shop owners create their own account on sign-up and log in from any device. Once inside, they register customers by assigning each one a unique username, then record item-level credit transactions against that username. Because all data is stored centrally in the cloud, a shop owner's customer list and balances stay consistent whether they log in from a phone, tablet, or desktop — and nothing is lost if a device is replaced.
The application handles the complete credit lifecycle — from creating a shop owner account and registering customers, to recording transactions, calculating outstanding balances in real time, settling debts, and maintaining a full payment history — all synced online.
- Account Registration — Shop owners sign up with an email/username and password to create their own private workspace.
- Secure Login — Returning shop owners log in from any supported device; sessions are authenticated against the cloud backend.
- Multi-Device Access — Data follows the shop owner's account, not the device — switch phones or add a desktop client without losing history.
- Username-Based Customer Registry — Register customers under a unique username per shop; look up, open, or edit a customer's record instantly by searching their username.
- Item-Level Transactions — Record each credit entry with item name, quantity, and unit price. Totals are computed automatically.
- Real-Time Debt Calculation — Outstanding balances are derived dynamically from unpaid transactions and kept in sync across devices, eliminating desync errors inherent in manual bookkeeping.
- One-Tap Settlement — Settle a customer's full balance in a single action; all unpaid transactions transition to the paid history archive.
- Encrypted Cloud Sync — All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS and stored in a managed cloud database tied to the shop owner's account.
- Authenticated Access — Access is gated behind the shop owner's account credentials, verified against the backend on each session.
- Password Recovery — Standard email- or security-question-based account recovery flow for shop owners who forget their password.
- Automatic Session Timeout — Idle sessions are terminated after a period of inactivity, requiring re-authentication.
- Deadline Reminders — Push notifications alert the shop owner one day before and on the day of a customer's payment deadline, delivered via cloud messaging on Android and iOS.
- Live Data Sync — Changes made on one device (a new transaction, a settlement, a new customer) appear on any other device the shop owner is logged into, typically within seconds.
- Cloud Backups — Since data lives in the cloud, backups are automatic; a manual export option is still available for the shop owner's own records.
This screen represents the shop owner's sign-up / login flow, where the app authenticates against the cloud backend before the user enters the main credit management experience.
The same interface supports the day-to-day workflow: searching a customer by username, reviewing balances, opening customer records, and moving from active credit to paid history.
Dube Note follows a clean, layered architecture with a thin client and a cloud-hosted backend responsible for authentication, data storage, and sync.
lib/
├── main.dart # App entry point, session management
├── network/
│ └── api_client.dart # HTTP client, request/response handling, auth headers
├── models/
│ ├── shop_owner.dart # Shop owner entity (username, email, auth token)
│ ├── customer.dart # Customer entity (username, name, note, deadline)
│ ├── app_transaction.dart # Transaction entity (item, qty, price, status)
├── services/
│ ├── auth_service.dart # Sign-up, login, token refresh, password recovery
│ ├── customer_service.dart # Register/search/manage customers by username
│ ├── transaction_service.dart # Create, sync, and settle transactions
│ └── notification_service.dart # Push notification registration & handling
├── screens/
│ ├── splash_screen.dart # Session check & auto-login
│ ├── signup_screen.dart # Shop owner account creation
│ ├── login_screen.dart # Shop owner authentication & recovery
│ ├── dashboard_screen.dart # Main view: total debt, customer list
│ ├── customer_detail_screen.dart # Per-customer balance & transaction list
│ ├── add_customer_screen.dart # Register a new customer by username
│ ├── add_transaction_screen.dart # New credit entry form
│ ├── history_screen.dart # Paid transaction archive
│ └── settings_screen.dart # Account, sync status, app info
└── utils/
└── theme.dart # Design system: colors, typography, components
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Flutter (Dart) |
| Backend API | Cloud-hosted REST/HTTPS API handling auth, customers, and transactions |
| Database | Cloud-hosted managed database (shop owners, customers, transactions) |
| Authentication | Token-based auth (issued on login, refreshed per session) |
| Notifications | Push notifications via cloud messaging — Android + iOS |
| State Mgmt | StatefulWidget + FutureBuilder/async streams for live sync |
Note: The specific backend/database provider (e.g., a custom REST API, Firebase, or Supabase) should be documented here to match your actual implementation — update this section with the real service name, hosting details, and any required environment configuration once finalized.
[ Start ]
│
▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ FIRST LAUNCH │ │ SIGN UP SCREEN │ │ DASHBOARD │
│ (Auth Check) │ ────────▶ │ (Shop Owner Acct)│ ────────▶ │ (Customer List) │
└─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └────────┬────────┘
│ │
│ (If account exists) │
▼ │
┌─────────────────┐ ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
│ LOGIN SCREEN │ ▼ ▼ ▼
│ (Username/Pwd) │ ────────▶ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌──────────┐
└─────────────────┘ │ ADD CUSTOMER │ │ HISTORY │ │ SETTINGS │
│ (by Username) │ └───────────┘ └──────────┘
└───────┬───────┘
│
▼
┌───────────────┐
│ ADD TRANSAC. │
└───────────────┘
- Flutter SDK (3.11.5+)
- Android Studio or VS Code with Flutter/Dart plugins
- A physical device, emulator, or web browser
- Access to a running instance of the Dube Note backend API (or its configured base URL)
# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd dubebook
# Install dependencies
flutter pub get
# Configure the backend API base URL
# (e.g., in a .env file or lib/network/api_client.dart)
# Run on Android
flutter run
# Run on iOS (requires macOS with Xcode)
cd ios && pod install && cd ..
flutter run --device-id <ios-device-or-simulator>
# Run on Web
flutter run -d chrome- Create a shop owner account — sign up with a username/email and password.
- Log in — authenticate against the cloud backend from any device.
- Register your first customer — assign them a unique username to identify them going forward.
- Start managing credit — record transactions, track balances, and settle debts, all synced online.
Data is tied to your shop owner account and stored in the cloud, so it's available wherever you log in.
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ shop_owners │ │ customers │ │ transactions │
├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤ ├──────────────┤
│ id (PK) │ │ id (PK) │◄──────│ id (PK) │
│ username │◄──────│ shop_owner_id│ 1:N │ customer_id │
│ email │ 1:N │ username │ │ item_name │
│ password_hash│ │ name │ │ quantity │
│ created_at │ │ note │ │ price │
└──────────────┘ │ deadline │ │ total │
│ created_at │ │ status (0/1) │
└──────────────┘ │ date │
└──────────────┘
0 = Unpaid
1 = Paid
Each shop owner's customers and transactions are scoped to their account; customer usernames are unique within a given shop owner's workspace.
Dube Note uses Ethiopian Birr (ETB) as the default currency, reflecting its target market of small Ethiopian retail shops.
All customer records, transactions, and balances are stored on the backend and associated with the shop owner's account. There is no manual export required for day-to-day use, though an optional data export can still be offered from Settings for shop owners who want a local copy of their records.
- Minimal Taps — Core actions (add customer, add credit, settle debt) require the fewest possible interactions.
- High Contrast Light Theme — Optimized for outdoor readability and quick scanning in a shop environment.
- Information Hierarchy — Outstanding totals and customer usernames are typographically prominent; secondary data is subdued.
- Animated Transitions — Smooth fade and slide animations provide spatial context without sacrificing speed.
- Resilient Sync — The UI reflects sync/loading state clearly so shop owners always know whether their latest changes have been saved online.
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Android | ✅ Fully supported | Primary target. Push notifications, adaptive icons configured. |
| iOS | ✅ Fully supported | Push notification permissions (alert, badge, sound) requested at runtime. SafeArea handles notch/Dynamic Island. |
| Web | ✅ Supported | Full account and credit management available from a browser. |
| Linux | Core features work via the API client; notification support may be limited. | |
| Windows | Core features work via the API client; notification support may be limited. | |
| macOS | Builds but not primary target. |
Developed by WECAN TEAM
Dube Note — Digitizing trust, one transaction at a time.