Install Odoo with Docker on Ubuntu

What are Odoo and Docker?

Odoo is a business program. It has apps for sales, shop orders, accounting, stock and more.

Docker runs programs in containers. A container is like a lunch box that holds one program and all it needs. Odoo needs a database, so you will run two containers. One is the database (PostgreSQL). The other is Odoo.

Steps

1. Log in to your server with SSH. SSH lets you type commands on a remote computer.
2. Check that Docker works.

   docker --version

3. Create a private network so the two containers can talk to each other.

   docker network create odoo-net

4. Create a place to keep the database files, so they stay safe if a container is removed.

   docker volume create odoo-db-data
   docker volume create odoo-web-data

5. Start the database container. Change choose-a-strong-password to your own password.

   docker run -d --name odoo-db --network odoo-net \
     -e POSTGRES_USER=odoo \
     -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=choose-a-strong-password \
     -e POSTGRES_DB=postgres \
     -v odoo-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
     postgres:15

6. Start the Odoo container. Use the same password.

   docker run -d --name odoo --network odoo-net -p 8069:8069 \
     -e HOST=odoo-db -e USER=odoo -e PASSWORD=choose-a-strong-password \
     -v odoo-web-data:/var/lib/odoo \
     odoo

   The -p 8069:8069 part opens port 8069. A port is like a numbered door into your server.
7. Check that both containers run.

   docker ps

8. If a firewall is on, allow the port. With UFW:

   ufw allow 8069/tcp

9. Open a browser and go to http://YOUR-SERVER-IP:8069.
10. Fill in the new database form. Give it a name, your email and a password. Then click Create database.

If something goes wrong

Look at the Odoo messages with this command. It shows the log, which is a diary of what the program did.

docker logs odoo

Quick recap

• Odoo needs two containers: PostgreSQL and Odoo.
• Put them on one Docker network.
• Use volumes to keep your data safe.
• Open port 8069 in your browser to finish setup.