After deciding to use Odoo for all of your enterprise resource planning needs, what comes next?
Options for hosting! Indeed, you have a plethora of options to select from, including complex cloud platforms like Odoo.sh, on-premise, dedicated cloud, third-party suppliers, and SaaS. However, why is it important which kind of hosting you select?
Let me explain!
You can access and control all of your company apps on a server, either on-site or in the cloud. Downtime is a real possibility if you do not select a suitable hosting type for your Odoo apps and other business applications.
Downtime is directly correlated with lower production, losses, and a worse customer experience, as you are undoubtedly aware. As a result, selecting the best Odoo hosting becomes crucial.
But there are a few things to think about before making a decision:
1. Which version of Odoo are you utilizing? Compare the Odoo Community and Enterprise editions if you haven't already and select one. It's a decisive element for your hosting requirements.
2. Protection provided by every kind of hosting.
3. How much budget do you have?
I've compiled all of these ideas into one blog post so you can choose the best and most affordable hosting option for Odoo apps in 2024.
Let's explore!
What Kinds of Odoo Hosting Are There?
If you have opted for the Odoo Community version, you have the option to handle the hosting yourself by selecting an on-premise hosting server, cloud hosting provider, or third-party vendor.
If you utilize the Odoo Enterprise edition, on the other hand, you have the option of using Odoo's official hosting options or handling the hosting yourself.
In order to determine which Odoo hosting solution is best for you, we will examine the various alternatives here along with their benefits and downsides.
On-Premise Hosting
Relevant to: Odoo Enterprise and Community
With the self-hosted Odoo On-Premises deployment option, companies can host the software on their own servers. The greatest control and customization possibilities are offered by this choice, but managing it also calls for the greatest level of technical know-how. Upgrading, backups, and maintenance must be handled by businesses independently.
Larger companies with internal IT professionals or a reliable partner for support and maintenance (get in touch with us if you require support and maintenance services) should choose this option. Additionally, if you need any particular integrations or customizations, this kind of hosting is essential.
When you choose on-premise hosting, all data is stored locally on the PCs and servers owned by your business. As a result, all of your business apps are in sync with the on-premise Odoo ERP apps (locally or publicly depending on your company requirements).
On-premise hosting does not allow you to access any of these applications from outside the walls of your business. These kinds of hosting are typically overseen by your company's technical staff since they are knowledgeable about your server setup.
A supplier that is not affiliated with you may also provide support. But before you select this choice, keep the following points in mind:
Pricing for Odoo On-Premises
The figures can differ dramatically based on a number of variables.
A business that needs on-premises Odoo hosting usually pays $50 to $100 a month.
It's important to remember that On-Premises hosting has nearly infinite features and offers far more than Odoo.sh. On the other hand, expanding Odoo.sh necessitates ongoing plan updates.
Odoo On-Premises Advantages
Total command over the framework
You own everything when using Odoo On-Premises, including code, apps, and data.
Increased degree of protection
You have more control over the security of your data because the program is housed on your own servers. To make sure that your data is secure, you can put in place your own security measures and procedures.
Additional Odoo customization options
Unlike other Odoo hosting solutions like Online or Odoo.sh, you have an infinite number of customisation options. The fundamental logic of the program can be changed to suit your unique business requirements. This can be done by creating your own unique modules or combining it with other software programs.
Put another way, if your license permits it, you can "freeze" your Odoo version and make changes to both the Odoo erp and external apps.
Improved outcomes
You have more control over server performance and can optimize it to suit your business needs because the program is housed on your own servers. Comparatively speaking to alternative deployment options, this may lead to quicker load times and improved performance overall.
Reduced long-term expenses
Odoo On-Premises implementation may have greater initial expenses than alternative deployment alternatives, but it may have cheaper long-term expenditures. This is because you have more control over the upkeep of your hardware and software and are not required to pay recurring subscription payments.
No restrictions on the use of apps
You can use whatever programs or features you want without any restrictions because you have complete control over the system. Any app or functionality that is offered in the Odoo ecosystem is available for installation and use.
Odoo Community Edition is usable
You can use Odoo Enterprise without being restricted by the type of on-premises hosting. You can just use Odoo Community, the software's free edition.
Odoo On-Premises Drawbacks
Increased up-front expenses as a result of the hardware and software needs
Unless you utilize your own hardware servers, you will be responsible for paying your hosting provider for the servers and storage devices while using Odoo On-Premises hosting. When compared to alternative hosting solutions, this may result in greater upfront expenditures. Find out more about the overall cost of the Odoo hosting and infrastructure here.
Need technological know-how to operate and keep the system maintained
To manage and maintain the system, including carrying out updates, backups, and security fixes, you will require technical personnel. This calls for a degree of technical proficiency that many firms might not have.
Possible problems with performance and security
To guarantee the best possible security and performance, Odoo On-Premises hosting needs to be configured and maintained properly. The system may experience poor performance or be susceptible to security breaches if it is not designed and maintained correctly, which could have a detrimental effect on corporate operations.
Possible privacy risks with data
You bear the responsibility of guaranteeing the security and privacy of your data while using Odoo On-Premises hosting. Sensitive information may be subject to illegal access if it is not well secured, which could have negative financial and legal repercussions.
Odoo Online
Accessible to: Users of Odoo Enterprise
With just a few clicks, the pre-configured email server on this SaaS (software as a service) can be put to use. You don't have to worry about any technological problems because Odoo handles everything.
You may acquire unrestricted security updates for your Odoo apps and troubleshoot difficulties with the assistance of the Odoo support staff. They will keep an eye on the system around-the-clock to make sure your business apps and system run as efficiently as possible.
With Odoo online, 99.9% uptime is assured, not counting scheduled maintenance. Odoo ERP creates a full backup of your data every day, which is then replicated over three separate computer networks located on separate continents for added security.
Odoo Online Use-case:
Micro and small enterprises lacking the technical know-how or resources necessary to administer a self-hosted solution.
Companies looking for an affordable, easily maintained solution that they can use from any location with an internet connection.
Companies that lack the resources or know-how to run their own servers yet wish to quickly get started with Odoo.
Odoo Online Advantages
Simple to assemble and operate
Clients don't need to be concerned about security, updates, maintenance, or server configuration.
Always using the most recent version
Odoo automatically upgrades all programs hosted on your instance to the most recent version.
Frequent automated backups of your database
Backups are generated automatically every day and kept for a maximum of seven days. This implies that you can use one of the available backups to restore your database to a previous state if necessary for whatever reason.
All time Support
With Odoo Online Hosting, you may get the committed assistance of Odoo specialists for any problems or inquiries you may have regarding the system. Odoo offers very little support and usually gives you the information and skills you need to figure out the problem on your own.
Odoo Online Drawbacks
Concerns about data privacy
Businesses that deal with sensitive or confidential information may have some data privacy concerns because data is stored on third-party servers.
Customizations restricted to Odoo Studio alone
The essential logic of Odoo cannot be customized while hosting on Odoo online. However, the Odoo Studio software allows you to make certain adjustments. For instance, you can alter and add new fields and reports to the ones that already exist. You can also make new apps, which include new primary menus and associated features.
No command over the uptime and performance of the server
Users have no direct influence over the uptime or performance of the servers hosting Odoo Online because they are run by Odoo. Since all users share the server's resources, the server may slow down or stop responding if there is a lot of demand.
Restricted to Odoo basic apps only
It is not possible to access every third-party app or function that is offered by Odoo Online.
Absence of a platform or tool integration option
Odoo Online cannot be connected to other programs such as accounting software, BI tools, or eCommerce platforms. For example, Odoo Online is unable to supply a direct link to the database needed by tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and others.
Odoo.sh
PaaS, or platform-as-a-service, is used by Odoo.sh.
The servers that host Odoo.sh are owned by Odoo. Additional advantages of this choice include faster speed, automated backups, and enhanced security. Odoo.sh is designed for use with specific Odoo implementations. Odoo-certified apps and other apps (like those from the Odoo app store) can be installed with ease; however, an Odoo Enterprise license is needed for this kind of hosting.
Odoo.sh Use-case:
From small and medium-sized companies who require a more powerful solution than what Odoo Online can offer in terms of sophisticated features and enhanced performance.
companies that don't require in-house technical knowledge to access all Odoo apps, including Enterprise capabilities.
Companies with a tight timeline for Odoo launch that wish to get off to a quick start but eventually want to switch to the more managed and flexible "On-Premises" solution.
Companies which intend to combine Odoo with other services (such accountancy or e-commerce platforms, etc.).
Pricing for Odoo.sh
The cost of Odoo.sh is determined on the quantity of employees, disk capacity, kind of hosting (shared or dedicated), and number of staging environments.
The maximum number of concurrent requests that your instance can process depends on the number of workers. Odoo suggests adding one employee for every 25 back-end users and one employee for every 5000 front-end users each day.
It is advised that each user has at least 1 GB of storage.
Odoo.sh Advantages
Simple to assemble and operate
Clients don't need to be concerned about security, updates, maintenance, or server configuration.
No restrictions on the use of apps
Odoo Apps are not limited in any way. Any modules that are available in the Odoo App Store, as well as apps that you have made yourself (or those we have developed for you:wink:), can be installed and tested.
Many practical tools
1. GitHub Online editor integration
2. Ongoing integration (using your personal "runbot")
3. Environment for development, staging, and production
4. Branch administration (fork, merge, track, etc.)
5. Testing every new commit automatically, etc.
Frequent automated backups of your database
Similar to Odoo Online, backups are automatically made every day and kept for a maximum of seven days. To check and validate something with production data, you may also quickly restore the database on a staging environment (don't worry, Odoo will automatically neutralize/anonymize critical setups like email servers or connectors to third-party services, etc.)
Odoo.sh Drawbacks
Few possibilities for modification
Though certain customisation options are available with Odoo.sh, they are not as extensive as with a self-hosted solution. Without the assistance of a developer, users might not be able to add new features or make specific changes to the software.
For example:
1. Passwords cannot be securely stored in keyvaults.
2. It is difficult to determine when backups need to be made.
3. It is difficult to keep an eye on your servers the way you would like.
4. The quantity of emails that can be sent out each hour or day is limited (unless you use your own mail server).
Restricted ability to manage server uptime and performance
Users do not directly control server performance or uptime because Odoo.sh is hosted on Odoo's servers. The server may slow down or stop responding if there is a lot of traffic or demand because the server resources are shared by numerous clients (around 20–25 databases per server).
Concerns about data privacy
Businesses that deal with sensitive or confidential information may have some data privacy concerns because data is stored on third-party servers.
Few possibilities for integration
It is possible to link to external platforms and tools, although there are certain annoying limitations.
Workers at Odoo.sh have sleep issues
We might have one or more job runners at a time due to the features of Odoo.sh (as a hosting platform): The reason for this is that when workers (or processes in layman's terms) are active, they will all attempt to spawn a jobrunner, including the cron worker. This causes errors when the same data is updated concurrently, and there is currently no ideal way to address this problem in Odoo.sh other than workarounds (such as the queue_job_cron_jobrunner module from OCA), which we implement in our connectors.
FAQs
Q: How do I deploy my Odoo instance on Odoo.sh?
A: Deployment on Odoo.sh involves pushing your code to the GitHub repository linked to your Odoo.sh project. The platform automatically builds, tests, and deploys your code to the specified environment.
Q: What are the main features of Odoo.sh?
A: Key features of Odoo.sh include:
1. Automated deployment and updates
2. Integrated GitHub repository
3. Continuous Integration (CI)
4. and Continuous Deployment (CD)
5. Backups and recovery
6. Multi-environment management (development, staging, production)
7. Monitoring and logging
8. SSL certificates
Q: What are the pricing options for Odoo.sh?
A: Odoo.sh offers different pricing plans based on the number of users, storage, and computing resources. You can find detailed pricing information on the Odoo.sh pricing page.
Q: How can I recover data from a backup on Odoo.sh?
A: Odoo.sh provides automated backups. To recover data, you can access the backup options in your Odoo.sh dashboard and restore the desired backup to your instance.
Q: Is there a free trial available for Odoo.sh?
A: Yes, Odoo.sh offers a free trial period. You can sign up on the Odoo website to start your free trial and explore the features and capabilities of the platform.
Q: Who can use Odoo.sh?
A: Odoo.sh is designed for developers, businesses, and Odoo partners who want to manage their Odoo instances with ease and efficiency. It is suitable for small to large enterprises.