Dolibarr is a versatile, open-source ERP and CRM software designed to help businesses manage everything from invoices and inventory to projects and contacts. Its self-hosted nature provides complete control over your data and allows for extensive customization to fit specific business needs. In this guide, we’ll cover all the necessary steps to deploy, configure, and manage Dolibarr effectively, from installation and reverse proxy setup to backups, updates, and leveraging its advanced features.
Installing Dolibarr
📦 Docker/Docker Compose Setup
Using Docker is one of the easiest ways to deploy Dolibarr. Below is a ready-to-use docker-compose.yml file to set up Dolibarr with a MariaDB database.
version: '3.8'
services:
dolibarr:
image: dolibarr/dolibarr:latest
container_name: dolibarr_app
ports:
- "8080:80"
volumes:
- ./dolibarr_data:/var/www/html/documents
environment:
DOLI_DB_HOST: db
DOLI_DB_PORT: 3306
DOLI_DB_NAME: dolibarr
DOLI_DB_USER: dolibarr_user
DOLI_DB_PASSWORD: strongpassword
depends_on:
- db
db:
image: mariadb:10.11
container_name: dolibarr_db
environment:
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
MYSQL_DATABASE: dolibarr
MYSQL_USER: dolibarr_user
MYSQL_PASSWORD: strongpassword
volumes:
- ./db_data:/var/lib/mysql
Deploy the stack with the following commands:
mkdir dolibarr && cd dolibarr
nano docker-compose.yml # Paste the above content
docker-compose up -d
Access Dolibarr at http://your-server-ip:8080 and complete the setup wizard.
🚀 Manual Installation
For those who prefer manual deployment, here are the steps for setting up Dolibarr on a Linux server:
- Install dependencies:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql mariadb-server unzip wget -y
- Set up the database:
sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE dolibarr;
CREATE USER 'dolibarr_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON dolibarr.* TO 'dolibarr_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
- Download and extract Dolibarr:
wget https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/archive/refs/tags/<version>.zip
unzip <version>.zip
sudo mv dolibarr-<version> /var/www/html/dolibarr
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/dolibarr
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/dolibarr
- Configure Apache:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/dolibarr.conf
Add the following content:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin [email protected]
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/dolibarr/htdocs
ServerName yourdomain.com
<Directory /var/www/html/dolibarr/htdocs>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/dolibarr_error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/dolibarr_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
Enable the site and restart Apache:
sudo a2ensite dolibarr.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Access Dolibarr at http://yourdomain.com and complete the setup.
Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy
🌐 Nginx Configuration
Create an Nginx server block to proxy Dolibarr traffic from http://yourdomain.com to your Docker or manual setup.
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr
Add the following:
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080; # Update port based on your Dolibarr setup
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
}
error_log /var/log/nginx/dolibarr_error.log;
access_log /var/log/nginx/dolibarr_access.log;
}
Enable the configuration and reload Nginx:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
🔒 SSL/TLS Setup
Secure your instance using Let’s Encrypt:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com
Verify auto-renewal with:
sudo certbot renew --dry-run
Logging and Debugging Dolibarr
🗃️ Enabling Debug Logs
Enable debug logging in Dolibarr by editing the configuration file:
nano /path/to/dolibarr/documents/conf/conf.php
Set:
$dolibarr_main_prod = 0;
📄 Viewing Logs
For Docker users:
docker logs dolibarr_app
For manual setups, check:
tail -f /var/www/html/dolibarr/documents/logs/*.log
🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Check for permissions issues:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/dolibarr
- Verify database connection settings in
conf.php.
Backup and Restore
🗂️ File-Based Backups
Create a backup of Dolibarr’s configuration and documents:
tar -czvf dolibarr_files_backup.tar.gz /var/www/html/dolibarr/documents
🔄 Database Backups
Export the database:
mysqldump -u dolibarr_user -p dolibarr > dolibarr_db_backup.sql
📅 Automated Backup Scripts
Automate backups with a cron job:
crontab -e
Add:
0 2 * * * tar -czvf /backup/dolibarr_files_$(date +\%F).tar.gz /var/www/html/dolibarr/documents && mysqldump -u dolibarr_user -p'dbpassword' dolibarr > /backup/dolibarr_db_$(date +\%F).sql
Updating and Upgrading Dolibarr
⬆️ Updating Docker Images
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d
🛠️ Manual Updates
Download the latest release, replace the old files, and run the update script:
wget https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/archive/refs/tags/<latest-version>.zip
unzip <latest-version>.zip
sudo cp -r dolibarr-<latest-version>/* /var/www/html/dolibarr
sudo php /var/www/html/dolibarr/htdocs/install/upgrade.php
Leveraging Dolibarr’s Unique Features
🔧 Enabling APIs
Enable the API in conf.php:
$dolibarr_main_api_key = 'yourapikey';
Test API connectivity:
curl -X GET "http://yourdomain.com/api/index.php/products" -H "DOLAPIKEY: yourapikey"
🌟 Advanced Configurations
Add custom modules by uploading them to /var/www/html/dolibarr/custom, then enable them in the admin panel.
Wrapping Up
This guide has covered everything you need to deploy, configure, and manage Dolibarr on your server. From installation and reverse proxy setup to backups, updates, and advanced configurations, you now have the tools to fully leverage Dolibarr’s power. Start implementing these steps today to maximize your control and customization of this robust ERP/CRM system.
