Odoo is a suite of open-source business apps written in Python and its community version is released under the GNU LGPLv3 license. It is used by more than 7 million users worldwide to manage companies of all different sizes. The main Odoo components are the server, 270 core modules (also called official modules) and around 15000 community modules.
Odoo was formerly known as OpenERP
Odoo was known as OpenERP until May 2014. It was rebranded because version 8 of the software included apps such as a Website Builder, eCommerce, Point of Sale and Business Intelligence. The software conforms to standard expectations of ERP systems while providing additional modules beyond the coverage of traditional ERP systems.
There are two editions of Odoo (feature comparison):
- Enterprise Edition (EE)
- Community Edition (CE)
with multiple ways to setup:
- online (SaaS)
- packaged installers
- source Install
- Docker
Odoo S.A. provides a website referencing the officially supported modules as well as community modules. Community modules can be referenced for free as long as they respect the open source license of Odoo. As of March 2018, the number of Odoo apps reached more than 15000.
Module development mainly relies upon editing python and xml files or using Odoo Studio (EE only). Some application logic (i.e. workflows and data structure) can be changed through the client interface using a developer mode.
The official Odoo apps are organized into 4 groups:
- Website: Website Builder, eCommerce, Blogs, Forums, Slides
- Sales Management: CRM, Point of Sale, Quotation Builder, Subscriptions, Invoicing, Easy Signature
- Business Operations: Accounting, Project Management, Human Resources (Recruitment, Employee Management, Expense Management, Appraisal, Fleet Management, Leaves Management), Inventory, Purchase, Manufacturing (MRP, PLM, Maintenance, Quality Management)
- Productivity Tools: Communication (Discuss, Mailing Lists, Notes, Helpdesk, Appointment), Timesheet, Email Marketing, Events, Survey, Live Chat The software is actively programmed, supported, and organized by Odoo S.A.
Odoo is similar to many open source projects where customized programming, support, and other services are also provided by an active global community and a network of 1000 official partners.
Internal Links:
- Official documentation
- App Store
- Community
