Dolibarr — Open-Source ERP & CRM for Business Management

Introduction

Dolibarr is a free, open-source ERP and CRM application designed for small to medium businesses, freelancers, and associations. It covers a wide range of business functions from contacts and proposals to invoicing, accounting, and inventory, all accessible through a single web interface with a modular activation system.

What Dolibarr Does

• Manages customer and supplier contacts with a built-in CRM pipeline
• Creates proposals, orders, invoices, and handles payment tracking
• Tracks product inventory with stock movements and warehouses
• Provides double-entry accounting with a chart of accounts
• Supports HR functions including leave management and expense reports

Architecture Overview

Dolibarr is a PHP application using a custom MVC-like framework. It stores data in MySQL or PostgreSQL. The modular design means each feature (invoicing, stock, HR, accounting) is an independent module that can be enabled or disabled from the admin panel. The frontend uses server-rendered HTML with JavaScript enhancements. A REST API is available for integration with external tools.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Requires PHP 8.0+, MySQL 5.7+ or PostgreSQL, and Apache/Nginx
• Deploy via Docker, manual install, or one-click installers from hosting providers
• Enable only the modules you need from the admin panel
• Configure company identity, fiscal year, and chart of accounts on first setup
• Set up cron jobs for automated reminders and recurring invoices

Key Features

• Modular design: enable only CRM, invoicing, stock, or all functions
• Multi-company and multi-currency support
• Electronic invoicing with support for Factur-X and ZUGFeRD formats
• REST API for third-party integrations
• Available in 50+ languages with a large international community

Comparison with Similar Tools

• ERPNext — Python/Frappe-based; more opinionated and modern UI, heavier stack
• Akaunting — Laravel-based; focused on accounting, less ERP breadth
• Odoo — Comprehensive ERP; much larger but Community edition is more limited
• Invoice Ninja — Focused on invoicing; no inventory or HR modules
• Tryton — Python ERP; stricter architecture, steeper learning curve

FAQ

Q: Is Dolibarr free? A: Yes. Dolibarr is licensed under GPLv3 and completely free for any use.

Q: Can I use only some modules? A: Yes. The modular system lets you enable only the features you need. Start with CRM and invoicing, add stock or accounting later.

Q: Does Dolibarr support e-invoicing standards? A: Yes. Dolibarr generates Factur-X and ZUGFeRD compliant invoices for European regulations.

Q: How does it handle multi-company setups? A: Each company can have its own database, or you can use the multi-company module for consolidated management.

Sources

• https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr
• https://wiki.dolibarr.org