I’m interested in white labeling Dolibarr ERP to create a fully customized solution for my business. I’m wondering if anyone in the community has experience with this process and can offer some insights.
Here are my questions:
What are the different approaches to white labeling Dolibarr? (e.g., manual code modifications, third-party modules, cloud-based services)
Are there any recommended third-party modules or services for white labeling?
What are the potential challenges and considerations when white labeling Dolibarr? (e.g., technical expertise required, ongoing maintenance)
I’d appreciate any advice or experiences you can share!
If you are using Dolibarr CRM ERP for your own business I would ask the question does it really matter? Improving and automating processes, and getting more value from your data will benefit your business much more.
We deliver Dolibarr based solutions plus have our own Dolibarr SaaS offering ‘Thrive ERP’ which has a lot of additional capabilities over and above what Dolibarr provide …but it all comes down to what individual businesses need.
Third party modules - can deliver a lot of benefit, assuming they work reliably and the vendor keeps them updated (there are a lot of 3rd party modules that don’t keep pace with new versions…this situation just adds risk if customers can’t upgrade).
Making code changes to Dolibarr are never a good idea, as it will make .upgrades very slow/difficult/expensive. Any enhancements that are made need to be done in an ‘upgrade safe manner’
Hosted Dolibarr ERP SaaS offerings such as our Thrive ERP (just one Dolibarr cloud example) can provide more comprehensive capabilities than that Dolibarr ERP provides and they also take away all of the hassle around hosting, support, maintenance, upgrades and security (especially compliance with data protection legislation) for customers which allows them to focus on running/growing their business.
In some ways hosting/supporting Dolibarr ERP isn’t rocket science, but it takes a lot of time/effort to learn Dolibarr, and a not insignificant amount of time to complete maintenance/support work, keep major versions updated (essential for security) and to keep Dolibarr secure (vulnerability scans, patching etc)…installing/supporting Dolibarr internally when done correctly usually takes up a lot more time and costs a lot more than using a specialist provider …unless you do like many small businesses do which is install and forget about it, which usually doesn’t work long term!
I have been working as a Dolibarr developer for 8 years. I have done a lot of development in Dolibarr. Right now, I am working as a developer on a white label ERP built on Dolibarr. From my past experience, I can say it’s a good idea to use Dolibarr instead of developing something from scratch.
White Labeling Approaches
Manual customization: This involves editing the core PHP code, templates, logos, colors, and possibly changing URLs or module names. It gives full control but requires good knowledge of PHP, HTML/CSS, and Dolibarr’s structure.
Custom modules: Safer long-term approach using your own modules. You can create your own custom modules. This method is more upgrade-friendly than modifying core files. I always prefer this approach. So when you upgrade your Dolibarr version, then just keep aside your custom modules and upgrade the core files, then again put your custom modules into place
Dolibarr-Based SaaS Examples
AgriERP – Tailored ERP for the agriculture business. But it is used in many businesses.
DoliCloud – Official SaaS with white-label support.
These show what’s possible with Dolibarr as a base.
Custom Module Development
Use the module builder or manually structure modules under htdocs/custom/.
Define your module descriptor, permissions, and business classes.
Integrate with core features using standard Dolibarr patterns.
Hooks & Triggers
Hooks: Add custom logic into UI components (tabs, forms, lists). Use hookmanager->executeHooks() and define your hook logic in your custom module action class /class/actions_yourmodulename.class.php.
Triggers: React to events like ORDER_CREATE, COMPANY_CREATE, PROJECT_CREATE, TASK_CREATE, etc. Place your code under the trigger class in your custom module trigger folder /core/triggers/interface_99_modMyModule_MyModuleTriggers.class.php
Global Variable: Using a global variable, you will be able to configurable many things.
These tools allow deep, clean integration with Dolibarr’s existing modules.