What is Epesi?

Epesi is a lightweight, open-source PHP framework for building CRM, ERP, and other business applications. It's self-hosted, MIT licensed, and free for any use — including building and reselling your own custom application on top of it.

Epesi BIM (Business Information Manager, also called Epesi CRM) is the flagship application built on the framework: a full contact/company/calendar/email/task management system where every feature — Record Browser, Calendar, Dashboard applets, permissions, mail — is itself a module, built with the exact same APIs available to you. Install it as-is to run your business, or use it as the starting point for a custom system built around your own workflows.

Two ways to think about Epesi

If you're a developer, Epesi is a low-code PHP framework: modules are a small set of PHP classes following a shared convention (see the Architecture Overview), with a data layer (Record Browser / RBO) that gives you filtering, search, and permissions for free. You can build a custom module in an afternoon and a full custom application without leaving PHP.

If you're a business owner, Epesi is a self-hosted alternative to per-seat SaaS CRMs: your data stays on your own server, there's no subscription or per-user fee, and if the out-of-the-box CRM doesn't fit your process, it can be extended or rebuilt around one that does — either by your own developer or a contractor, since nothing about it is proprietary or locked down. See the Feature Matrix for what's documented today, and System Requirements for what it takes to run.

Quick facts
License MIT — free for any use, including commercial resale
Architecture HMVC, modular, low-code / RAD
Stack PHP 8.x, MySQL/MariaDB, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
UI AdminLTE-based, responsive (desktop, tablet, mobile)
Hardware Runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero (1 CPU, 512 MB RAM)
Compatibility Linux, Windows, macOS · Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera
First released 2007, on SourceForge — in active use and development since

Where to go next

  • Get Started — install Epesi via Softaculous or manually, in a few minutes
  • Use Epesi — the end-user manual: Record Browser, Calendar, E-mail, and more
  • Administer Epesi — user management, permissions, mail server setup, the Store
  • Build on Epesi — the developer tutorial, starting with the Architecture Overview
  • Glossary — Epesi-specific terms (Clearance, RBO, CommonData, and more) defined in one place
  • Feature Matrix — what's documented, and what to ask about if it isn't

Community

Free technical support via the community forum, for over 16 years running — 1.5K users, 3.2K discussions, 14.5K posts.

Ask a question on the forum →

Fork on GitHub to browse the source, file issues, or open a pull request.