Overview¶

Stowaway is a modern, self-hosted inventory management system designed for individuals and small teams who want to keep track of their belongings.

Why Stowaway?¶

Self-Hosted¶

Your data stays on your server. No subscriptions, no third-party access, no vendor lock-in.

Modern Stack¶

Built with Next.js, Prisma, and SQLite - technologies that are fast, reliable, and easy to maintain.

Easy to Use¶

A clean, intuitive interface that works on desktop and mobile devices.

Core Concepts¶

Items¶

Items are the core of Stowaway. Each item represents something you want to track:

• Physical goods - Tools, equipment, supplies
• Collectibles - Books, media, memorabilia
• Household items - Kitchen appliances, electronics
• Business inventory - Products, materials, assets

Categories¶

Categories help you organize items into logical groups:

• Color-coded for visual identification
• Filter items by category
• Track item counts per category

Locations¶

Locations represent where items are physically stored:

• Rooms in your home
• Shelves in a warehouse
• Storage units
• Any custom location you define

Architecture¶

graph TD
    A[Browser] -->|HTTPS| B[Next.js Server]
    B -->|API Routes| C[Prisma ORM]
    C -->|SQL| D[SQLite Database]
    B -->|Static Files| E[File System]
    E -->|Images| F[Uploads Directory]

Components¶

User Roles¶

Admin¶

• Full access to all features
• Can manage all users' items
• First registered user automatically becomes admin

User¶

• Can manage their own items
• Cannot access other users' data
• Standard access to all features

Data Flow¶

1. User Action - User interacts with the web interface
2. API Request - Browser sends request to Next.js API route
3. Authentication - NextAuth.js validates the session
4. Database Query - Prisma executes the database operation
5. Response - Data is returned and rendered in the UI

Next Steps¶

• Features - Detailed feature documentation
• Managing Items - Learn how to work with items
• API Reference - Technical API documentation