AltFreeStack
ESEN
CRM & Supportdocker-ready1-click-deployOpen-Core🟡 Standard · ~1GB

EspoCRM: Open-Core alternative to Salesforce in 2026

EspoCRM is an open source CRM with lead management, opportunities and sales automation, customizable through a visual entity editor, as an alternative to Salesforce.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to Salesforce
License GPL-3.03.5k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Discrepancy with GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — 10.0.9 · 14 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

EspoCRM vs. Salesforce

Pros

  • Highly customizable without writing code

Things to consider

  • Less modern interface than current SaaS CRMs

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: $25/mo per user on Salesforce.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  espocrm:
    image: espocrm/espocrm:10.0.9
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      - ESPOCRM_DATABASE_HOST=espocrm-db
      - ESPOCRM_DATABASE_USER=espocrm
      - ESPOCRM_DATABASE_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-password # must match MYSQL_PASSWORD below
    depends_on:
      - espocrm-db
  espocrm-db:
    image: mariadb:11
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-root-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=espocrm
      - MYSQL_USER=espocrm
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - espocrm_db_data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
  espocrm_db_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=espocrm" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 1 day ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
GPL-3.0
Category
CRM & Support
Replaces
Salesforce
Tech stack
PHPMySQL

Under the hood

Database

MySQL

Language

PHP

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Visual custom entity editor
  • Sales workflow automation
  • Lead and opportunity management

Preview

EspoCRM interface preview

Public image provided by EspoCRM on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy