Local dev from scratch¶

AI-translated from Russian.

Typical path for a developer on their own machine. Usage scenario: ODPM_SCENARIO=developer (default).

Why a separate directory per Odoo version¶

Create a disk folder for the project environment, not necessarily only module sources. A version suffix helps, e.g. my-odoo-project-19: major versions differ enough that 18.0 and 19.0 deserve separate odpm directories even when modules share one git repo.

mkdir my-odoo-project-19
cd my-odoo-project-19

odpm fills this folder with service files (docker-compose.yml, user_settings.json, .odpm/, etc.). Your developing project (modules) may live elsewhere or in another repo — odpm links it during init.

Editor and terminal¶

Open the folder in Visual Studio Code (File → Open Folder). The integrated terminal is convenient for odpm commands.

Important: do not run odpm inside a host Python venv. Use system python3 or the odpm package command; Odoo’s isolated Python env is created inside the container.

Init from a git repository¶

odpm --init https://github.com/your-org/your-odoo-project.git --branch 19.0

--branch is the developing repository branch. If omitted, the git server’s default branch is used.

Init from a local directory¶

If you are not using remote git yet:

odpm --init file:///home/user/path/to/my_addons

See Git repository links for file:// and the three slashes.

What happens on first run¶

On first odpm --init (and on full prepare runs), odpm:

Runs the setup wizard and saves answers to .env (backup dir, git clone dir, ports, scenario developer / server / ci).
When deploying from scratch, asks for Odoo version if missing from the developing project’s odpm.json.
Clones the Odoo platform repo (can take 40+ minutes — be patient).
Clones the developing project or links the local path you gave.
Generates Dockerfile for the chosen Linux distro and Python version.
Copies the template to .odpm/dockerignore and creates the root .dockerignore for image builds.
Builds the base Docker image when needed.
Generates docker-compose.yml.
In developer scenario — creates VS Code debugger settings.
Starts containers (docker compose up), installs Python deps in the container venv, and starts Odoo.

Stop a foreground interactive run: Ctrl+C. Stop containers separately if needed: docker compose down.

First database and modules¶

After a successful prepare:

odpm -d test_db -i -u

-d test_db — database name; created with db_creation_data from user_settings.json if missing.
-i — install modules from init_modules.
-u — update modules from update_modules.

Open http://127.0.0.1:8069 — Odoo login should appear.

Two main config files¶

File	Role
`odpm.json`	Stack manifest: Odoo/Python/PostgreSQL versions, git dependencies, Python packages. Often in git with modules.
`user_settings.json`	Workflow: developing project link, modules to install/update, DB creation params, Odoo dev mode. Created from template if missing.

More detail: odpm.json and user_settings.json.

Day-to-day tasks¶

Task	Action
Restart after config changes	`odpm` or `odpm --skip-start`, then `docker compose up -d` if needed
Update module after code change	`odpm -d test_db -u`
Database backup	`odpm -d test_db --db-backup`
Restore from archive	`odpm -d test_db --db-restore archive_name`
New module scaffold	`odpm scaffold module_name`
Breakpoint debugging	IDE debugging
Module API keys / tokens	Local secrets — `.odpm/secrets.json` → `/run/odpm/secrets.json`

Module secrets (optional)¶

If modules call external APIs, prepare secrets before or after init:

# from template (after odpm --init)
cp .odpm/secrets.example.json .odpm/secrets.json
# edit keys, then:
odpm --skip-start

Or at init: odpm --init … --secrets-file /path/to/secrets.json.

After value changes, run odpm --skip-start and docker compose up -d if needed. See local secrets.

`.dockerignore` template¶

Edit exclusion rules in .odpm/dockerignore. odpm recreates the root .dockerignore on each run — do not edit it by hand. To reset the template, delete .odpm/dockerignore and run odpm again.