ERPNext

An open-source ERP developed by Frappe

ERPNext is a general-purpose enterprise resource planning system released as free software under the GNU General Public License version 3. Because the whole source is published, an organisation can read it, change it, run it without licence fees and move its hosting when it chooses. It is developed by Frappe, which also maintains the framework underneath it.

Built on the Frappe framework

The product is written in Python on the Frappe web framework, with MariaDB for storage. In this framework, application objects are defined as metadata, called DocTypes, rather than as hand-written models, and the the forms, lists, access rules, REST endpoints and reports all follow from those definitions. Creating a new module thus resembles declaring a data structure more than coding an application, and that is one reason so many community apps exist for Frappe.

What the system covers

Accounting includes a general ledger, receivables and payables, multi-currency support, cost centres and tax handling. Stock management covers warehouses, serial and batch tracking, stock reconciliation and valuation. Manufacturing adds bills of material, work orders, material requests and production planning. Beyond these come CRM and sales, buying and supplier handling, projects and tasks with timesheets, HR and payroll, asset management and quality control. The list is completed by an e-commerce website module and a point-of-sale screen.

Self-hosting or managed hosting

An organisation can install ERPNext itself from source, through a Docker deployment or with the project's bench tooling. The alternative is Frappe Cloud, the managed service that is the maintainer's commercial model alongside support and implementation work. Implementation help is available in many regions from a network of partners.

The trade-off with open source

The familiar bargain applies. There is no licence cost and the organisation keeps complete control, but it takes on hosting, upgrades and implementation effort itself, or pays someone else to do so. Companies weighing ERPNext against commercial suites typically compare that control with the depth of local partner support and industry-specific functions available elsewhere.