Get the most out of Odoo Community
Install it, back it up, extend it, bolt AI on top — the notes I wish I had on day one.
Read the tips- Written by Oliver Arnold, 安雷威
- Since 2024, in German, English and Spanish
- Contact oliver@oc-guy.com
Welcome. Best tips and tricks for Odoo Community.
Hey — you are in the right place. This is where I write down how to run the open-source ERP that small companies own themselves: the install that holds, the backup that restores, the module that already exists, and the AI that sits on top of your records instead of guessing at them.
The latest in Tips & Tricks
View all tips
Install
Run Odoo from Docker Compose, not from source
Two containers, one file, a volume you can copy. The shortest path to a server you understand and can move next year without a migration project.
Backup
Dump the database nightly and restore it monthly
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. One pg_dump, one cron line, and a restore into a scratch copy that takes four minutes.
Extend
Take an OCA module before you write your own
Someone already solved your problem and maintains it for every series. Reading their code teaches you the ORM faster than any tutorial.
Featured Module of the month
Odoo Community · LGPL-3 · series 18.0
Inventory, before you buy anything
One module holds what you own, where it sits and what it is worth: stock moves, reordering rules, lots and serial numbers, three warehouse steps if you need them, one if you do not.
- Real stock, not a spreadsheetEvery receipt, delivery and adjustment is a move with a date and a person behind it.
- Barcode-ready on day oneThe Community module ships the operations your scanner needs; no paid add-on.
- Multi-warehouse without a second systemLocations, routes and reordering rules live in the same database as your invoices.
The latest in OCA modules
All OCA modules| Module | Area | 19.0 | 20.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Tracker | Utilities | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Account Reconcilation | Accounting | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Account Statements | Accounting | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Currency Rate Update | Accounting | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Enable Accounting | Accounting | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Field Service | Field Service | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
| Job Que | System | has a 19.0 branch | no 20.0 branch yet |
Status read from the OCA module feed on page load. A tick means the module carries a branch for that series; a dash means it does not yet.
The latest in Community news
View all community news-
github.com/OCA/rma
RMA: returns, repairs and replacements inside Odoo
Return Merchandise Authorization for the whole flow — the customer sends it back, you decide repair or credit, the stock move happens once.
-
github.com/OCA/helpdesk
Helpdesk modules that stay out of your way
Tickets, teams and SLAs without the enterprise edition: the OCA helpdesk repository keeps a branch per supported series, so an upgrade does not orphan your support desk.
-
github.com/OCA/l10n-italy
Localisation is community work: Italy's charts, kept current
Tax reports, e-invoicing and the country chart of accounts, maintained by the people who file with them. The same pattern exists for your country.
Ask a question
One question, one answer, by mail. No list, no tracking, no follow-up sequence.