TL;DR
- The OCA is a non‑profit association created in 2013 and based in Switzerland. It supports collaboration around Odoo Community so that companies can adopt an open, sustainable and high‑quality ERP. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
- The community now has nearly 500 members and drives a vast ecosystem of modules and projects that are useful for organisations’ day‑to‑day needs. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
- OpenUpgrade, an OCA project, provides an open migration path between major versions of Odoo Community. The methods and scripts are public, audited and free to access. GitHub oca.github.io/OpenUpgrade.
- Opening the code and peer review promotes faster correction of vulnerabilities and continuous improvement. Studies show that open‑source publishers often release fixes faster than proprietary vendors.
- The economic value of open source is immense. A recent academic study puts it at US$8.8 trillion in usage value and concludes that without open source companies would spend about 3.5 times more on software (Harvard Business School).
1) The OCA in a nutshell
The Odoo Community Association is an independent association that brings together developers, integrators and users to make Odoo Community an open, reliable and scalable ERP. Created in 2013, it provides a solid framework for collaboration: governance, shared rules and projects useful to the whole ecosystem. Simply put, the OCA is the common home for those who want Odoo to remain a sustainable, free and trustworthy choice. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
Over the years the community has grown. In 2024, the OCA announced that it was close to the 500‑member mark. This diversity of experience allows the modules available for business needs — from invoicing to project management, via more specialised integrations — to be continuously enriched. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
What this changes for an SME: you’re not moving forward alone. You build on a shared heritage of best practices, exchanges and solutions already tested by others. As a result you can plan implementations with more peace of mind, fewer surprises and better cost control over time. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
2) The power of the collective: real quality, day to day
Free software doesn’t rely on luck but on a simple and demanding method. Contributions are open, peer reviewed and then improved in response to feedback. This review multiplies perspectives and reduces the risk of errors that would go unnoticed in a more closed model. Several studies also show that open‑source publishers on average release fixes more quickly when vulnerabilities are revealed, especially for critical issues. In short, transparency speeds up the response.
Quality isn’t just about fixes. It also depends on shared habits: clear documentation, writing tests, standardising practices and accepting suggestions from others. The OCA emphasises these basic reflexes so that modules remain understandable, reproducible and genuinely useful for the organisations that deploy them. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
Finally, the community doesn’t just act online. Each year the OCA Days bring together volunteers and companies to learn, contribute and advance key topics. The 2025 edition, in Liège from 15 to 17 September, offers meetings, workshops and contribution days that make collaboration very tangible for participants. Odoo Community Association (OCA) Odoo Community US.
3) OpenUpgrade, to simplify migration
Upgrading to a new version often seems scary. You fear downtime, surprises in the data and budget worries. OpenUpgrade addresses these concerns precisely.
It’s an OCA project that publishes scripts and a method to move from one major version of Odoo Community to the next, cleanly transforming the data and flagging what needs special attention. Everything is public, so it’s possible to understand, verify and improve. GitHub +1, oca.github.io.
However this is not a “just add water” process. Migration always requires preparation and testing in a test environment. The difference here is visibility. You know what is done, how and why. And because the tools are shared, the effort invested by one team benefits the next. It’s more economical for the whole community and more reassuring for each company. GitHub.
4) Why open source endures better over time
Durability is first and foremost the ability to evolve without being locked in. With open source the code is accessible. You can audit it, fix it, improve it or entrust it to another partner if necessary. This reduces lock‑in and gives organisations, large and small, real room for manoeuvre. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
It’s also a question of collective efficiency. When an improvement is published, everyone benefits. It avoids reinventing the wheel and making the same mistakes in isolation. Economically, researchers at Harvard Business School have quantified this shared heritage: the usage value of open source is estimated at US$8.8 trillion, and without it companies would pay about 3.5 times more for the same result. That’s a huge gain in competitiveness, especially for SMEs that have to do more with limited resources. Harvard Business School.
As far as security is concerned, no approach is infallible. But opening the code makes it easier to identify flaws and circulate fixes. Empirical studies have observed shorter publication times in open source, particularly when vulnerabilities are disclosed. Transparency doesn’t replace vigilance, but it makes it more effective. heinz.cmu.edu Oxford Academic.
5) What the OCA ecosystem means for a company
In practice, the OCA acts as a responsible accelerator. For a company starting out with Odoo Community, it offers the opportunity to start from a proven foundation and adapt it to its business. For an organisation already equipped, it’s a safety net: shared best practices, common resources, feedback from other teams and a roadmap that is built to last. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
Training and knowledge transfer are at the heart of the model. The OCA Days, workshops and contribution days help teams to build their skills. You progress faster when you learn alongside those who have already solved similar problems. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
Finally, the OCA ecosystem is not a shop window; it’s a living construction site. New needs emerge, modules are enriched, others are questioned or replaced. This vitality is a major asset: it prevents organisations from being stuck with ageing tools that are costly to maintain. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
How Blue Fox leverages the OCA in concrete terms
- Install quickly and well. We favour modules recognised by the community, with clear documentation and a readable contribution history. This reduces grey areas and the risk of side effects. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
- Prepare upgrades. We plan major upgrades with OpenUpgrade, starting with a sandbox, then step‑by‑step tests until functional parity is achieved, before scheduling the switchover. GitHub, oca.github.io/OpenUpgrade.
- Strengthen development hygiene. We emphasise clear documentation, tests and systematic code review so that deliveries are predictable and easy for another team to take over if necessary. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
- Contribute to the common good. When it makes sense, we give back our improvements and fixes so that others can benefit. It’s a simple way of maintaining the virtuous circle that makes the OCA strong. Odoo Community Association (OCA).
A note from Blue Fox
At Blue Fox, we like solutions that deliver on their promises in real life. The OCA is a fine example. Thanks to transparency, collaboration and a culture of quality, Odoo Community remains a solid option for organisations that want to keep control of their information system while keeping costs and risks under control.
Betting on open source is not just a technical choice. It’s a choice of freedom, efficiency, responsibility and civic meaning.