ERPNext

ERPNext

Desk of ERPNext version 7
Original author(s)	Rushabh Mehta
Developer(s)	Frappé Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Community
Initial release	2008 (2008)
Stable release	10.0.7 / 9 January 2018 (2018-01-09)
Repository	github.com/frappe/erpnext
Written in	Python and JavaScript
Type	ERP, CRM, Accounting, Human resource management, Retail, Healthcare, Education
License	GNU GPLv3
Website	erpnext.com

ERPNext is a free and open-source integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software developed by Frappé Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and is built on MariaDB database system using a Python based server-side framework.

ERPNext is a generic ERP software used by manufacturers, distributors and services companies. It includes modules like accounting, CRM, sales, purchasing, website + e-commerce, point of sale, manufacturing, warehouse, project management, inventory and services. Also, it has domain specific modules like schools, healthcare, agriculture and non-profit.

ERPNext is an alternative to NetSuite and QAD, and similar in function to Odoo (formerly OpenERP), Tryton and Openbravo. ERPNext was included in the ERP FrontRunners List by Gartner as a Pacesetters.

Industry solutions

ERPNext contains these modules:

• Accounting
• Asset management
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Human resource management (HRM)
• Manufacturing
• Point of sale (POS)
• Project management
• Purchasing
• Sales management
• Warehouse management system
• Student Information system
• Hospital Information system
• Agriculture Management
• Nonprofit Organization

Software license

ERPNext is released under the GNU GPLv3 license. Consequently, ERPNext does not require license fees as opposed to proprietary ERP vendors. In addition, as long as the terms of the licenses are adhered to, modification of the program is possible.

Architecture

ERPNext has a Model-View-Controller architecture with metadata modeling tools that add flexibility for users to adapt the software to unique purposes without the need for programming. Some attributes of the architecture are:

• All objects in the ERP are DocTypes (not to be confused with HTML DocTypes) and the Views are generated directly in the browser.
• Client interacts with the server via JSON data objects on a Representational state transfer (RESTful) supporting server.
• There is ability to plug-in (event driven) code on the client and server side.

The underlying web app framework is called "Frappé" and is maintained as a separate open source project. Frappé started as a web based metadata framework inspired from Protégé though it has evolved differently.

This architecture allows rapid application development (RAD).

Source code and documentation

The source code of ERPNext is hosted on GitHub, using the Git revision control system, and the contributions are also handled using GitHub.

A complete user manual is available at the project website.

ERPNext Foundation

ERPNext Open Source Software Foundation is a non-for-profit organization. The goal of the ERPNext Foundation is to provide a platform for the ERPNext community to come together and build assets to enhance ERPNext around the world. It has various membership plans and has members across the world. Foundation also organises various events like conference and code sprints.

Innovations

The primary innovation of ERPNext has been in the metadata modeling architecture which provides for flexible use of the application without custom programming.

The user interface incorporates usability enhancements designed to improve ease of use and user productivity.

Screenshot of ERPNext, showing responsiveness of its interface

Software as a service

ERPNext is available as a Software as a service in addition to user-hosting.

Reporting

ERPNext provides an embedded reporting system with office suite integration. Report customization is available within ERPNext.

Release History

  Old version, no official support, community support only

  Latest version

  Future version

Version	Release Date/Month	Significant changes	Software license
1.0	June 2010	First release. ERPNext source code was published on Google Code.	GNU GPL
2.0	July 2012		GNU GPL
3.0	April 2013		GNU GPL
4.0	February 2014	Introduced app architecture in Frappe Framework.	GNU GPL
5.0	19 May, 2015	Improved UI, Item Variants, Print Format Builder, Sharing, Starring, Document Timelines, Multi-Currency accounting, Party model	GNU GPL
6.0	2 September, 2015	ERPNext Schools, Calendar View for transactions, Doctype exports	GNU GPL
7.0	22 July, 2016	Online/Offline POS, Asset Depreciation, Payment Entry, Timesheets, Dashboards, Editable grid, Quick Entry view, Smarter Lists	GNU GPL
8.0	30 March, 2017	Global Search, Kanban View, Document Versioning, Delete and Restore, Email Inbox, Employee Loan, Enhanced POS, Multiple UOMs in Selling, Accrual system in Payroll, Custom Permissions, Customer Feedback, School Assessment Module	GNU GPL
9.0	26 September , 2017	Healthcare Domain, Subscription, School Fees Management, New Setup Wizard	GNU GPL
10.0	29 December, 2017	Agriculture Domain, Non-profit Domain, Data Import upgrades, Employee Advance, Item Variant Enhancements	GNU GPL
11.0	2018 (ETA)	Multi-company consolidated financial statement, Payroll per Tax Declaration, Employee On-boarding and Off-boarding, Finance Book, CWIP Accounting, Staffing Plan, Inter-company Journal Entry, Exchange Rate Revaluation, Leave Policy, Conditional Workflows, Payroll and Accounting Period, Serialised Assets, Tax Withholding, Shift Plan, Budgeting in Material Request	GNU GPL

External links

• Frappé/ERPNext GitHub Repo, GitHub.