How it helps your business
Best for:Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Retail & Wholesale DistributionManufacturing & ProductionFreelancers & ConsultantsNon-Profits & Associations
Dolibarr ERP CRM is a robust, open-source software suite designed to manage the entire operational lifecycle of small to mid-sized businesses, foundations, and freelance operations. Unlike monolithic ERP systems (like SAP or Oracle) which require massive implementation budgets and dedicated consultancy teams, Dolibarr focuses on simplicity and extreme modularity.
The core philosophy of Dolibarr is that you should not be overwhelmed by features you don't use. Upon fresh installation, the interface is almost entirely blank. The administrator then activates specific modules (e.g., "Invoices", "Products", "Leave Requests") one by one. Consequently, Dolibarr can act as a simple invoicing tool for a solo freelancer, or a sprawling multi-warehouse inventory and manufacturing MRP system for a distribution company.
For production use, Dolibarr offers a stable, standard LAMP-stack architecture that is trivially easy to host, backup, and upgrade, making it a favorite for organizations prioritizing data sovereignty and low total cost of ownership (TCO).
Key Benefits
- Extreme Modularity: The UI remains clean and fast because you only activate the specific business units you actually use.
- Unified Data Model: Quoting a prospect inherently links to inventory stock levels, which inherently generates accounting ledger entries, eliminating data silos.
- Low-Code Customization: The "Module Builder" allows non-developers to click together custom database tables, API endpoints, and UI screens for unique business requirements.
- Easy Upgrades: Dolibarr is famous for its painless upgrade paths. Migrating from version N to N+1 rarely breaks the system, a common pain point in open-source ERPs.
Production Architecture Overview
Dolibarr relies on a highly traditional web-server stack:
- Web Server: Apache or Nginx.
- Language Environment: PHP. The codebase is heavily optimized for compatibility, running smoothly on older PHP versions but supporting the latest PHP 8.x releases for maximum execution speed.
- Relational Database: MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL. This database is the absolute heart of the company; it requires rigorous backup strategies.
- Storage: Local or external storage mounts for housing generated PDF documents (Invoices, Quotes) and uploaded attachments.
How we deploy this for you
Security Hardened
Firewalls, SSL, and hardened kernels out of the box.
Performance Tuned
Optimized for speed with cache and DB fine-tuning.
Automated Backups
Daily off-site backups so you never lose your data.
Private Cloud
You own the server and the data. No middleman.
Implementation Blueprint
Prerequisites
Assume a standard Ubuntu 22.04 LTS installation.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
# Install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP
sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-curl php-gd php-intl php-mbstring php-xml php-zip unzip -yshell
Database Provisioning
Create a strictly permissioned database for the ERP.
sudo mysql -u root
CREATE DATABASE dolibarrdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'dolibarruser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'highly_secure_erp_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON dolibarrdb.* TO 'dolibarruser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;sql
Application Installation
Download the latest stable release from the Dolibarr Github.
cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/archive/refs/tags/20.0.0.zip -O dolibarr.zip
unzip dolibarr.zip
# The actual web application is inside the htdocs/ folder
sudo mv dolibarr-20.0.0/htdocs /var/www/html/dolibarr
# Dolibarr securely stores generated PDFs in a separate, non-web-accessible folder
sudo mkdir /var/www/dolibarr_documents
# Set permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/dolibarr
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/dolibarr_documents
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/dolibarrshell
Configuring the Web Server (Apache)
Create an Apache Virtual Host configuration:
/etc/apache2/sites-available/dolibarr.conf<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName erp.mycompany.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/dolibarr
<Directory /var/www/html/dolibarr>
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/dolibarr_error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/dolibarr_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Enable the site and the rewrite module:
sudo a2ensite dolibarr.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2shell
The Web Installation Process
- Navigate to
http://erp.mycompany.comin a browser. - The installation wizard will check PHP prerequisites.
- Configure the directory paths:
- Web directory:
/var/www/html/dolibarr - Document directory:
/var/www/dolibarr_documents(crucial for security)
- Enter the database credentials (
dolibarrdb,dolibarruser). - Set up the SuperAdmin username and password.
Security Locking
Once installation is complete, you must secure the configuration file so malicious actors cannot overwrite it.
sudo chmod 400 /var/www/html/dolibarr/conf/conf.phpshell
Furthermore, create an empty
install.lock file in the document root to completely disable the web installer route.sudo touch /var/www/dolibarr_documents/install.lockshell
Module Deployment Strategy
In production, avoid turning everything on at once to prevent user confusion. A standard rollout phased approach:
Phase 1: Core CRM
Enable: Third Parties (Customers/Vendors), Contacts, Users & Groups.
Phase 2: Sales & Invoicing
Enable: Proposals (Quotes), Customer Orders, Invoices, Products/Services.
Phase 3: Operations (Optional)
Enable: Stocks (Inventory), Shipments, Manufacturing.
Scheduled Tasks (Cron)
Dolibarr requires a crontab to execute recurring invoices, check external email IMAP boxes for ticket creation, and run automated database backups.
sudo crontab -e -u www-datashell
Add the master cron script (runs every 5 minutes):
*/5 * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/dolibarr/scripts/cron/cron_run_jobs.php securekey=YOUR_CRON_SECURITY_KEY_FROM_UI_HERE admin > /dev/null 2>&1(You generate the required security key inside the Dolibarr "Scheduled Jobs" settings panel).
Includes Security & performance standards
Best place to host Dolibarr ERP CRM
We recommend Hostinger for its reliability and low cost. It's the perfect home for your new apps, featuring easy setup and 24/7 support.
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