Introduction
Choosing Odoo is only the first step. Choosing how Odoo is hosted is a core architectural decision that directly impacts customization, integrations, upgrades, and long-term maintainability.
Hosting is often treated as a technical detail. In reality, it defines how flexible your ERP can be, how safely it evolves over time, and how much operational complexity your team will need to manage.
This article explains the three main Odoo hosting options, Odoo Online, Odoo.sh, and custom or on-premise deployments, from a pragmatic, implementation-driven perspective based on how Odoo is actually used in real projects today.
Why Odoo hosting matters more than it seems
Your hosting choice determines:
- how business logic can be implemented
- how integrations interact with Odoo
- how upgrades are handled
- how much infrastructure you need to manage
- where responsibility lies when issues arise
Odoo Online: the default recommendation in most cases
Odoo Online is the fully managed SaaS version provided directly by Odoo.
At Dasolo, this is most often the hosting option we recommend.
Why Odoo Online makes sense for most companies
With the Custom pricing tier, Odoo Online enables the API, which fundamentally changes what is possible.
When the API is enabled, Odoo Online allows:
- complex backend workflows handled externally
- deep integrations with third-party systems
- AI services, automation engines, and middleware
- custom logic without modifying the Odoo core
Instead of embedding complexity inside Odoo, logic is handled around Odoo, using its API as a stable and structured interface.
Key advantages of Odoo Online
- no infrastructure to manage
- automatic security updates
- mandatory and predictable version upgrades
- high stability and reliability
- lower total cost of ownership
Sticking with Odoo Online also significantly simplifies version upgrades, which is one of the most underestimated risks in ERP projects.
Constraints to understand clearly
Odoo Online does not allow custom Python modules, direct server or database access, or deep frontend customization inside Odoo.
These constraints are intentional. When used correctly, they encourage clean architectures, where Odoo remains the operational core and complexity lives in dedicated external services.
Odoo.sh: relevant, but not the default
Odoo.sh is Odoo’s Platform-as-a-Service offering that combines managed hosting with Git-based development workflows.
When Odoo.sh becomes relevant
Odoo.sh makes sense when a project truly requires direct customization of the Odoo frontend, such as:
- deeply customized Odoo UI components
- non-standard user interaction flows built directly inside Odoo
- specific performance or runtime constraints
In these cases, access to the codebase and structured deployment pipelines add real value.
What is often misunderstood
In many projects, custom interfaces do not require Odoo.sh.
Custom frontends can often be implemented as external web applications or iframe-based interfaces embedded directly into Odoo, connected through the API. This approach preserves the simplicity of Odoo Online while still delivering tailored user experiences.
Odoo.sh in summary
Odoo.sh remains a solid hosting option, but it should be chosen because it solves a real need, not by default.
Custom and on-premise hosting: full freedom, full responsibility
Custom hosting means running Odoo on infrastructure you fully control, either in the cloud or on company-owned servers.
When custom hosting makes sense
Custom or on-premise deployments are relevant when:
- data must remain on local or company-owned servers
- strict regulatory or compliance requirements apply
- deep infrastructure-level control is required
What custom hosting unlocks
Custom hosting provides:
- full infrastructure control
- advanced performance optimization
- complex background processing
- advanced monitoring and logging
- unrestricted integrations
The trade-off
With this freedom comes responsibility for infrastructure maintenance, security, backups, upgrades, and operational monitoring.
Custom hosting makes complete sense in the right context, but it requires clear ownership and strong technical discipline.
Hosting, integrations, and long-term architecture
Hosting choices directly influence how integrations are designed.
- Odoo Online favors API-first, service-oriented architectures
- Odoo.sh allows tighter coupling inside Odoo
- custom hosting enables full control at the cost of complexity
The goal is not flexibility for its own sake, but architectural clarity.
Hosting and upgrades: planning for the long term
Upgrades are where hosting decisions become critical.
- On Odoo Online, upgrades are automatic and predictable
- On Odoo.sh, upgrades are controlled but constrained
- On custom hosting, upgrades are fully managed but entirely your responsibility
The more logic lives outside Odoo, the easier upgrades become over time.
How we approach Odoo hosting decisions at Dasolo
At Dasolo, hosting is treated as an architectural decision, not a technical checkbox.
Before recommending a setup, we assess:
- real business workflows
- integration complexity
- expected growth
- compliance and data constraints
- internal technical maturity
In most cases, Odoo Online combined with a strong API-driven architecture is the best long-term choice. Other options are selected deliberately, not by habit.
Conclusion
Odoo hosting defines the technical foundation of your ERP project.
Odoo Online is not a limited option. When used correctly, it is often the cleanest, safest, and most scalable choice.
Odoo.sh and custom hosting remain valuable tools when their added complexity is justified.
A good hosting decision is not about control. It is about clarity, responsibility, and long-term maintainability.