Complete Installation Guide for Odoo 18

Odoo 18 can be run in four ways: Odoo Online, where Odoo hosts and updates everything; Odoo.sh, Odoo's managed platform built around your own Git repository; the official Docker image; or from source on Linux, Windows or macOS. Whichever route you take, the server needs Python 3.10 or later and PostgreSQL 12 or above, and it answers on port 8069.

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing Odoo 18 on Linux, Windows, and macOS, plus deployment options like Docker and Odoo.sh.

System Requirements

CPU: 2+ cores recommended
RAM: Minimum 4GB, 8GB+ recommended
Storage: 20GB+ free space
Database: PostgreSQL 12+

Linux Installation (Ubuntu/Debian)

Update your system:
```
sudo apt update apt upgrade -y
```
Install PostgreSQL:
```
sudo apt install postgresql -y
```

Install dependencies:

sudo apt install git python3-pip build-essential python3-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev libldap2-dev libsasl2-dev libssl-dev -y

Install wkhtmltopdf:
```
sudo apt install wkhtmltopdf -y
```
Create PostgreSQL user:
```
sudo -u postgres createuser -s odoo
```

Download Odoo:

mkdir ~/odoo
cd ~/odoo
git clone https://github.com/odoo/odoo.git --depth 1 --branch 18.0 --single-branch .

Install Python dependencies:

cd ~/odoo
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Create Odoo configuration file:

sudo mkdir /etc/odoo cp ~/odoo/debian/odoo.conf /etc/odoo/ chown -R $USER:$USER /etc/odoo/

Edit the configuration file:

nano /etc/odoo/odoo.conf

Add/update these lines:

[options]
admin_passwd = YourStrongPassword
db_host = localhost
db_port = 5432
db_user = odoo
db_password = false
addons_path = ~/odoo/addons
logfile = /var/log/odoo/odoo-server.log

Create log directory:

sudo mkdir /var/log/odoo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/log/odoo/

Launch Odoo:

cd ~/odoo
python3 odoo-bin -c /etc/odoo/odoo.conf

Now access Odoo at http://localhost:8069

Windows Installation

Download installer:

Visit Odoo's download page and download the Windows installer for version 18.
Run the installer:
- Double-click the downloaded .exe file
- Follow the wizard prompts
- Choose installation options (PostgreSQL will be automatically installed)
- Create a Master Password when prompted
Complete installation:

After installation completes, Odoo will start automatically.

Access Odoo at http://localhost:8069

macOS Installation

Install Homebrew:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install dependencies:

brew install git python postgresql node npm wkhtmltopdf

Start PostgreSQL:
```
brew services start postgresql
```
Create PostgreSQL user:
```
createuser -s odoo
```

Clone Odoo:

mkdir ~/odoo
cd ~/odoo
git clone https://github.com/odoo/odoo.git --depth 1 --branch 18.0 --single-branch .

Install Python dependencies:

cd ~/odoo
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Create config file:

mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Odoo
cat > ~/Library/Application\ Support/Odoo/odoo.conf << EOF
[options]
admin_passwd = YourStrongPassword
db_host = localhost
db_port = 5432
db_user = odoo
db_password = false
addons_path = ~/odoo/addons
EOF

Run Odoo:

cd ~/odoo
python3 odoo-bin -c ~/Library/Application\ Support/Odoo/odoo.conf

Access Odoo at http://localhost:8069

Docker Installation

Install Docker:

Follow Docker's installation guide for your platform.

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    image: odoo:18.0
    depends_on:
      - db
    ports:
      - "8069:8069"
    volumes:
      - odoo-web-data:/var/lib/odoo
      - ./config:/etc/odoo
      - ./addons:/mnt/extra-addons
    environment:
      - HOST=db
      - USER=odoo
      - PASSWORD=odoo
  db:
    image: postgres:13
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=odoo
      - POSTGRES_USER=odoo
    volumes:
      - odoo-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  odoo-web-data:
  odoo-db-data:

Create folders:
```
mkdir -p ./config ./addons
```

Create configuration file:

cat > ./config/odoo.conf << EOF
[options]
admin_passwd = YourStrongPassword
db_host = db
db_port = 5432
db_user = odoo
db_password = odoo
addons_path = /mnt/extra-addons
EOF

Start Odoo:
```
docker-compose up -d
```

Access Odoo at http://localhost:8069

Odoo.sh Cloud Deployment

Create an Odoo.sh account:

Sign up at www.odoo.sh.
Connect your GitHub account:

Follow the prompts to connect your GitHub account.
Create a new project:
- Click "New Project"
- Select GitHub repository (fork the official repo or use your own)
- Choose Odoo version 18.0
- Select your project plan (Free, Standard, or Professional)
Wait for deployment:

Odoo.sh will automatically build and deploy your instance.
Access your project:

Once deployed, you'll receive an email with your Odoo URL.

Setting Up Nginx as Reverse Proxy

Install Nginx:
```
sudo apt update apt install nginx -y
```

Create Odoo Nginx configuration:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/odoo

Add the following configuration:

upstream odoo {
    server 127.0.0.1:8069;
}

upstream odoochat {
    server 127.0.0.1:8072;
}

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    # Redirect to HTTPS
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    # SSL configuration
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/your-domain.com.crt;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/your-domain.com.key;
    ssl_session_timeout 30m;
    ssl_protocols TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3;
    ssl_ciphers HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;
    ssl_prefer_server_ciphers on;

    # Log files
    access_log /var/log/nginx/odoo.access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/odoo.error.log;

    # Increase proxy buffer sizes for handling large headers
    proxy_buffers 16 64k;
    proxy_buffer_size 128k;

    # Cache static files
    location ~* /web/static/ {
        proxy_cache_valid 200 90m;
        proxy_buffering on;
        expires 864000;
        proxy_pass http://odoo;
    }

    # Common gzip
    gzip_types text/css text/scss text/plain text/xml application/xml application/json application/javascript;
    gzip on;

    # Websocket support for Odoo chat
    location /websocket {
        proxy_pass http://odoochat;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
    }

    # Handle longpolling requests
    location /longpolling {
        proxy_pass http://odoochat;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
    }

    # Main Odoo proxy
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://odoo;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    # Restrict access to security-sensitive endpoints
    location ~* ^/web/database/manager {
        auth_basic "Restricted";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/odoo_passwd;
        proxy_pass http://odoo;
    }

    # Prevent access to Odoo database backups
    location ~* \.(sql|dump|gz|zip)$ {
        return 403;
    }
}

Create basic authentication file (optional):

sudo apt install apache2-utils htpasswd -c /etc/nginx/odoo_passwd admin

Enable site and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/odoo /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ nginx -t systemctl restart nginx

Update Odoo configuration for proxy:

sudo nano /etc/odoo/odoo.conf

Add these lines:

proxy_mode = True
longpolling_port = 8072

Set up SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

Create systemd service for auto-start:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/odoo.service

Add this configuration:

[Unit]
Description=Odoo
Requires=postgresql.service
After=network.target postgresql.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=odoo
Group=odoo
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/username/odoo/odoo-bin -c /etc/odoo/odoo.conf
StandardOutput=journal+console

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Start and enable Odoo service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload systemctl start odoo systemctl enable odoo

Your Odoo installation is now accessible via HTTPS at your domain name with Nginx handling proxying, security, SSL, and load balancing.

Post-Installation

Set up your first database:
- Access Odoo at http://localhost:8069
- Fill in database name, email, and password
- Select language and country
- Click "Create Database"
Install modules:
- Navigate to Apps
- Search for desired modules
- Click Install on needed modules
For production:
- Set up HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate
- Configure automatic backups
- Set up a reverse proxy (Nginx recommended)
- Create systemd service for auto-start (on Linux)

Troubleshooting

Database connection issues: Verify PostgreSQL is running and credentials are correct
Missing dependencies: Check logs for missing Python packages or system dependencies
Port conflicts: Change default port in odoo.conf if 8069 is already in use
Performance issues: Check server resources; increase RAM or CPU as needed
Nginx errors: Check syntax with nginx -t and examine error logs at /var/log/nginx/error.log

Need help with your Odoo 18 installation? Contact our technical team for expert assistance!

Questions we get asked

What are the minimum requirements for Odoo 18?

Odoo 18 needs Python 3.10 or later and PostgreSQL 12 or above, plus wkhtmltopdf if you want PDF reports to render correctly. For a small production database, plan on two or more CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM as a floor with 8 GB or more preferred, and at least 20 GB of disk for the database, the filestore and your backups.

Which ports does Odoo 18 use?

The web client listens on 8069 by default. A second port, 8072, serves the long-lived websocket connections behind Discuss, live chat and other real-time features, and it has to be proxied separately, which is why the Nginx configuration defines one upstream for 8069 and another for 8072. Both port numbers can be changed in odoo.conf.

Can I install Odoo 18 with Docker?

Yes. The official odoo:18.0 image on Docker Hub pairs with a PostgreSQL container. A short docker-compose file links the two, maps port 8069 and mounts volumes for the filestore, a config directory and an extra-addons directory. Custom modules dropped into the extra-addons volume show up in the Apps list once you update the module list.

What is the master password in Odoo 18?

It is the admin_passwd setting in odoo.conf, and it guards the database manager: creating, duplicating, backing up, restoring and deleting databases. It is not a user login and it is not the admin account's password. On any server reachable from the internet, set it to something strong and restrict the database manager URL at the reverse proxy.

Do I need Nginx in front of Odoo 18?

Not to run it, but you want one in production. The reverse proxy terminates HTTPS, caches static files, routes websocket traffic to the second port and lets you protect the database manager. When Odoo sits behind a proxy, set proxy_mode to True in odoo.conf so that Odoo trusts the forwarded headers and builds correct external URLs.

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