Create a module for ERPNext and sell it

LTF · December 18, 2020, 1:16pm

Hi All Folks
I have a company who want to implement a CRM-ERP solution. I took a look into oodoo, dolibarr and many others. ERPNEXT is the closest one to what we aim.
My question is: If i create a new module(s) and GUI(s) for missing functionnalities in ERPNET needed by the company, can i sell it to them ? do i have the obligation to publish the source code in the ERPNEXT github?

f_deryckel · December 18, 2020, 2:30pm

No you don’t.
But You have the obligation to attach the licence see here

github.com

frappe/erpnext/blob/develop/license.txt

                    GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
                       Version 3, 29 June 2007

 Copyright (C) 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. <https://fsf.org/>
 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
 of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

                            Preamble

  The GNU General Public License is a free, copyleft license for
software and other kinds of works.

  The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed
to take away your freedom to share and change the works.  By contrast,
the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to
share and change all versions of a program--to make sure it remains free
software for all its users.  We, the Free Software Foundation, use the
GNU General Public License for most of our software; it applies also to
any other work released this way by its authors.  You can apply it to
your programs, too.

This file has been truncated. show original

That being said, if you think your code could be useful to others why not share it on github? Ife you have benefit (financially or not) from the various Frappe apps, why not let your code open for others to enjoy?

LTF · December 18, 2020, 3:08pm

hi,
im totally ok with the OpenSource precepts. i have asked as the module and the changes will be useful only for the company im willing to intall ERPNEXT in it. its specially designed for their way of working.
Beside i got the idea when i checked Dolibarr: For dolibarr, you can create modules and put them in the DoliStore ( their dedicated store) the Dolibarr foundation get 20% for each transaction to fund itself

FHenry · December 18, 2020, 7:40pm

Hello,
I come from Dolibarr world. Initially, the Dolibarr french foundation provide the Dolistore website to help developers to get some money for their works. The goal is also to push to the ecosystem on a good pulse.
The back side is, peoples do only modules on Dolistore and aren’t really heavy contributors to core Dolibarr. Some features deserve to be into the core, since long times but they are still externals modules. Freelances, or company, based their business models on selling modules more than selling services.
The result is Dolibarr with modules from Dolistore can be powerfull (less than ERPNExt), but take care with upgrades, support, and so one.
True, the french Dolibarr foundation get money from each selling on Dolistore, it allow to provide web sites like wiki, store, courses, make promotional videos, dev’camps. Exactly what ERPnext foundation is able to do without a store.
To my mind, the real opensource way is to contribute to the Core application. Only real specifics customers needs should be into externals module/apps, (document models, workflow) nothing more, and Frappe/ERPNext provide all build’in customization feature for it.
With ERPNext and Frappe is all included !
Why ERPNext is so robust ? it’s because all come from framework Frappe.
Actually, if ERPnext foundation can provide a web site to reference all externals, sides projects modules/apps, it should be nice (I’ve heard about community.erpnext.org, but no more available), but a market place : no, please no. It will kill the bright opensource initiative around this project.
Above that, all MIT and GPLv3 code source can be monetize, you just have to respect licenses rights and obligations.
My two cent’s

JayRam · December 19, 2020, 8:17am

No ERPNext does not support a ecosystem where partners can add to functionality and monetize those features. In fact the Frappe Team has specifically tried to veer away from this model. Odoo uses this model and in fact a lot of people migrated to ERPNext when Odoo moved to the freemium model (base functionality for free and then you have to pay for everything else).

Having said that, many of us (including myself) develop apps on ERPNext and have our own repositories. My (meaning my organisation’s) apps are open source and are available on GitHub and people can download for free and try to use it.

For me there is no charging for my app (unless it is to develop for a specific client). My revenues are services revenues in implementing ERPNext and the apps that have already been developed.

In a true open source world those are the only revenues that are possible, ethical and legal: Developing functionalities for specific clients and services/implementation revenues.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Jay

alkuhlani · December 19, 2020, 9:57am

Now the world doesn’t sell product. It sell service.
For example: all my apps are in github, and they are free also for competitors. But the Implementation is a paid service.
The codes, any one can write them. But the Implementation need to experience.

Jon_Talley · November 19, 2021, 7:17pm

Hi Jay!

This is encouraging to read, is there a way to install modules from GitHub into my ERPNext ?

What I understood is that for every new feature I want, I have to program from scratch or hire someone to program it for me. It is inefficient for everyone to individually customize their ERPNext when one group/person can do it for many. I have been frustrated that there aren’t modules, paid or otherwise, that I can plug-in to my ERPNext. But you are saying people can do this from GitHub?

For instance, I am trying to make the timesheet more functional like clockify or toggl, If someone can figure that out, they should be able to make that available to as many people as possible. I just don’t know how

Can someone link to a help page explaining how to do this?

levi · November 19, 2021, 10:26pm

Hi Jon - you can! There’s a lot of useful stuff out in the wild, too, but I would be careful about what you install on a production instance until you know it works as expected; some repositories are more actively developed with fewer bugs than others.

Frappe is actually starting to move some things into separate modules (like Healthcare), and shipping has been standalone from the get-go. How to do it is explained here. So, for example, if you wanted to install the shipping app, you would use these bench commands:

bench get-app GitHub - frappe/erpnext-shipping: A Shipping Integration for ERPNext
bench install-app erpnext-shipping

I think there’s a way to do it from Frappe Cloud for those who have a hosted instance there (and Frappe actually lets you install a handful of apps that are preloaded as options in the UI), but I’m not sure how that works.

levi · November 19, 2021, 10:36pm

And here’s a link to the apps available on Frappe Cloud as an example of some of the things out there, and of course, there’s many more custom app Github repositories.

levi · November 24, 2021, 5:53pm

Last reply and I’ll stop beating this horse to death! One of the Frappe software engineers gave a talk at the ERPNext conference about using APIs and webhooks for quick integration I thought might be useful to you. He used your specific use case as an example for integrating a 3rd party piece of software and starts talking about it around the 1:16:40 mark in this video.

His Github repo might be a good starting point for integrating a Clockify/Toggl if you’re unable to find a solution someone else has already done.

JayRam · November 26, 2021, 8:27am

Hi Jon,

Frappe is moving to the app marketplace model. Right now, the app marketplace is live but it’s for free. But they are moving to a model where app creators can make money.

Your timesheet app is a good idea. You should find somebody that can build it for you. And as levi posted, exiting code can be leveraged.

I see from your profile that you are trying to see if ERPNext can fit a new Engineering Company.

Yes. timesheets is very important for engineering companies and maybe your enhancement idea will foster better acceptability.

What else? ERPNext must be able to meet most other requirements.

Thanks

Jay