About ERPNext
ERPNext is an ERP built on the Frappe framework. Accounting, inventory, sales, projects and HR are apps on one desk. MariaDB holds the records. Redis and a Node process support the desk and the background jobs.
Why it exists
Smaller companies were splitting the same operation across accounting software, spreadsheets and a separate CRM. ERPNext keeps those records in one system you can host.
Who uses it
Operations and finance teams in small and mid-sized organisations that want one ledger and one item master.
What it is used for
Invoices, stock, purchasing, projects and HR records. It is a business system, not a public website.
Open source behind the product
Frappe Cloud is the commercial host for ERPNext and Frappe. The apps are this GPL-licensed code. Hosting, support and operations tooling are the paid part.
How to run it on a server
- Follow the current Frappe production guide. A typical server runs the bench, MariaDB, Redis and the workers.
- Use the official containers only as that guide describes, including backups of the database and the site files.
- Put HTTPS on the public hostname. Do not expose the database.
- Plan a maintenance window for upgrades. ERPNext and Frappe versions move together.
Follow the project's own guide for the version you install. Commands and file names change between releases.
How to contribute
Frappe and ERPNext take app fixes, docs and tests. Read the contributing guide. A small, tested change is easier to review than a wide one.
- Read the project's guidelines. Open the repository and look for CONTRIBUTING, the code of conduct and the README.
- Find something to work on. Browse good first issues or all open issues. Documentation and bug reports count.
- Make a small change. Fork the repository, work on a branch, and keep the change focused.
- Open a pull request. Say what changed and why, and link the issue. See open pull requests.
Contributions are accepted under the project's own licence (GPL-3.0). Some projects also ask you to sign a contributor agreement. A doc fix or a reproduced bug is a real contribution.
Licence: GPL-3.0
Copyleft. You can use and modify it, including commercially. If you distribute it or a derived work, you must share the source under the same licence.
This is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Read the licence in the repository before you ship it or sell a service on top of it.