📒 DokanBahi
Getting Started Daily Use Guide Features Deep-dive For Teams (Staff) For Developers (API) Troubleshooting FAQ Privacy & Data About Us Contact / Developer
User Guide

How to Use DokanBahi

Everything you need to run your shop on DokanBahi — from your first login to daily bookkeeping, team access, and troubleshooting.

📖 Getting Started

  1. Register your shop — Tap "Start Your Free Ledger" on the home page. Enter your shop name, your own name, and your phone number. There's no password to create or remember — your phone number is your identity.
  2. Verify with OTP — A 4-digit code appears right on your screen (this is a deliberate design choice — no SMS gateway means no per-message cost, ever). Type it into the box and you're in.
  3. Add your first customer — From the dashboard, tap "+ New Customer." If they already owed you money before you started using the app, enter that as the Opening Balance and choose whether you'll receive it or you owe them.
  4. Record your first entry — Open that customer's page and tap "They Took" (debit) whenever you hand over goods on credit, or "They Paid" (credit) whenever money comes in.
  5. Send your first reminder — Still on the customer's page, tap the WhatsApp Reminder button. It opens WhatsApp with a message already typed out, including the exact amount due — you just hit send.

💡 Tip: Install the app on your phone's home screen for a faster, app-like experience — your browser will usually show an "Add to Home Screen" prompt after a visit or two.

🗓️ Daily Use Guide

Managing customers

Managing entries (transactions)

✨ Features Deep-dive

💬 WhatsApp Reminders

Every customer page has a one-tap reminder button. It opens WhatsApp with the exact due amount already written — you just hit send. No SMS gateway, no per-message cost, ever.

📦 Inventory (optional)

Turn this on under Settings if you sell physical stock. Once on, you can link a sale to an item — stock deducts automatically, and you get a low-stock warning on the dashboard when it runs low.

📴 Offline Mode

The app works even with no signal. Entries made offline are saved on your phone and sync automatically the moment you're back online — install it to your home screen for the smoothest experience.

📲 UPI Payment QR

On a customer's page, if they owe you money, a QR code appears pre-filled with the exact amount — they scan it in any UPI app and pay you directly. No gateway fee.

📊 Excel/CSV Export

Download a single customer's statement or your whole customer list as a spreadsheet, anytime, from their page or Settings.

👥 Multiple Staff Logins

Add employees under Settings → Staff. They log in with their own phone number and can record entries, but can't touch Settings, staff management, or delete anything.

🔌 REST API

Generate a token under Settings → API Access to connect your accountant's software or any other tool to your ledger data — see the "For Developers" section below.

🌐 Bangla / Hindi / English

Switch anytime from the menu — your choice is remembered for your shop's next login too.

🔔 Remind Today Widget

Your dashboard shows up to 5 customers worth reminding right now — prioritized by whoever hasn't heard from you the longest. One tap opens WhatsApp; it also quietly keeps track of who you've already reminded.

📥 Bulk Customer Import

Migrating from a paper khata? Upload a CSV of names, phone numbers, and opening balances from the Customers page instead of adding people one by one. Duplicate numbers and bad rows are skipped and listed clearly, nothing gets imported by accident.

🖨 Printable Statement

Open a customer's page → Print — get a clean, print-ready ledger statement you can hand over on paper or save as a PDF straight from your browser.

🌙 Dark Mode

Tap the moon icon in the menu to switch to a dark theme, easier on the eyes for late-evening bookkeeping. Your choice is remembered on that device.

🎁 Refer Other Shopkeepers

Settings → Invite Friends gives you a personal link to share on WhatsApp. Every shop that joins through it is counted for you — completely optional, no reward system, just a way to help other shopkeepers find a free tool.

📇 Contact Picker & Duplicate Check

On the New Customer form (Android Chrome), tap "Pick from Contacts" to grab a number straight from your phone instead of typing it. If that number already belongs to an existing customer, you'll see a warning before you accidentally create a duplicate.

💵 Shop Cashbook

Separate from customer accounts — track your own income and expenses (rent, electricity, salary, stock purchase, sales) by category, with a monthly summary right on your dashboard.

📋 Paste Bank SMS

On the New Entry form or Cashbook, tap "Paste Bank SMS" and paste in a bank/UPI text message — the amount fills in automatically so you don't have to type it out. This reads only the text you paste; the app cannot and does not read your phone's SMS inbox.

👥 For Teams (Staff Accounts)

If more than one person works the counter, you don't have to share a single login. Go to Settings → Staff Manage Korun and add each person with their own name and phone number.

They'll log in with the same zero-cost OTP flow as you — no password, no SMS charge. Staff accounts can add customers, record entries, restock inventory, and export reports, but they're blocked from Settings, staff management, API tokens, and deleting anything. That keeps your bookkeeping safe while still letting your team do daily work.

You can deactivate a staff member anytime from the same Staff page — their login stops working immediately, no need to delete their record.

🔌 For Developers (REST API)

If you (or your accountant) want to pull your ledger data into another tool, generate a token under Settings → API Access. It's shown once — copy it somewhere safe.

Every request needs it in the Authorization header:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer kb_xxxxxxxx" \
  https://your-shop-domain.com/api/v1/customers
MethodEndpointWhat it does
GET/api/v1/dashboardTo-receive / to-pay summary
GET/api/v1/customersAll customers + balances
GET/api/v1/customers/{id}One customer + full history
POST/api/v1/customers/{id}/transactionsAdd a new entry

Lost a token or think it leaked? Revoke it instantly from the same Settings page and generate a fresh one — nothing else needs to change.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Page looks broken / no styling

Refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R (or clear your browser cache). This usually fixes a stale cached version of the page.

I didn't get my OTP

There's no SMS — the OTP shows directly on your screen after you request it. Scroll up on that same page if you missed it, or tap "Send OTP" again for a fresh one.

I lost access to my phone number

Since your phone number is your login, contact whoever manages your shop's hosting/account to update it directly in the database, or reach out to the developer (see Contact below).

WhatsApp reminder button doesn't open anything

This needs WhatsApp installed on the device you're using, and the customer's phone number saved correctly (10 digits, no country code needed).

Stock says "Stock kom ache" and won't let me save

You're trying to sell more units than you have in stock for that item. Restock first under the Stock page, or reduce the quantity.

I can't see Settings or Staff options

Those are owner-only. If you were added as staff, ask your shop owner for anything that needs those pages.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is this really free forever?

Yes. The core ledger, WhatsApp reminders, inventory, offline mode, and exports stay free for every shop, always. A couple of advanced features (multiple staff, API) may move to a paid tier later, but only with clear notice — nothing changes without warning.

Is my data safe?

Your data lives in a private database tied only to your shop. Other shop owners can never see your customers or entries.

What if I lose internet mid-entry?

DokanBahi saves the entry on your phone and syncs automatically the moment you're back online — you won't lose it.

Can more than one person use my shop's account?

Yes — add staff under Settings. They log in with their own phone number, and can't access Settings or delete entries.

How do I get paid faster?

Use the WhatsApp Reminder or the UPI QR code on a customer's page — both are free and take one tap.

I run out of a product — does stock update automatically?

If you turn on the Inventory module in Settings, picking an item during an entry automatically deducts stock, and you'll get a low-stock warning on the dashboard.

How does referring other shopkeepers work?

Settings → Invite Friends gives you a personal link. Anyone who registers through it is automatically counted as your referral — there's no reward system, it's just a way to help other shopkeepers discover the app.

I have 50 customers on paper — do I really have to add them one by one?

No — use Customers → Bulk Import and upload a CSV instead. There's a downloadable template right on that page.

Does the app automatically read my bank/UPI transaction SMS?

No — web apps like this one cannot read a phone's SMS inbox at all; only a native Android app with a special permission could, and Google restricts that heavily. Instead, you paste a bank/UPI SMS into a box when adding an entry, and the app reads just that pasted text to fill in the amount for you. Nothing happens in the background without you pasting it in.

Do I need to install anything?

No — it runs in any phone or computer browser. Installing it to your home screen (as a PWA) just makes it feel more like a native app and lets it work offline.

Can I use this for more than one shop?

Each phone number is tied to one shop. If you run multiple shops, register each with a different phone number (or add yourself as staff on the others).

What happens if I delete a customer by mistake?

Their record is hidden from your list, not destroyed. Contact the developer if you need it restored — the data is still in the database.

🔒 Privacy & Data

🤝 About Us

DokanBahi was built for one simple reason: small shopkeepers across India keep a paper "khata" every day, and they deserve a digital version that doesn't cost them a monthly fee they can't always spare.

There's no ad-supported model, no hidden data-selling, no forced upgrade nags. If it helps you run your shop a little easier, that's the whole point. If you'd like to help keep the servers running, the Support page is entirely voluntary — never required.

📇 Contact & Developer

Abdur Rahim Khan
Full Stack Developer & Garments Pattern Technician
📲 Install to your home screen — opens faster, works offline.