Self-hosting OpenEOS
OpenEOS can be run entirely on your own server. This deployment mode is called
Single Organization (DEPLOYMENT_MODE=selfhosted) and is
free and unlimited: no unlocking per event, no cap on orders, no Stripe,
no invoices.
The source code is available under the AGPL-3.0 on GitHub. There is no licence key, no telemetry and no phoning home to openeos.de — the installation keeps working permanently without any outbound internet connection.
What you need
| What | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Server | Linux with Docker and Docker Compose. 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM and 20 GB of disk are enough for a club festival. |
| Prior knowledge | You should be able to edit a text file and run commands in a console. |
| Network | The tills must be able to reach the server — over the Wi-Fi at the festival site or over the internet. |
| Optional. Everything works without a mail server, see Creating users. |
What Single Organization mode can do — and what it cannot
Fully included: tills, orders, products and categories, stations, deposit, discount vouchers, inventory, shift plans, members with permissions, receipt printing via ESC/POS printers, customer and kitchen displays, reports and the online shop.
Not included, because it belongs to the hosted service:
- Billing, Stripe, invoices — there is simply nothing to pay
- Several organizations side by side (exactly one per installation)
- Rental hardware and the support chat with us
- Self-registration — accounts are created via member management
These areas are hidden in the interface; the corresponding
API endpoints respond with 404.
The components
| Service | Purpose | Required |
|---|---|---|
openeos-api | Server: API, WebSocket, database access | yes |
| PostgreSQL 16 | Database | yes |
| Redis 7 | Sessions, cache, WebSocket distribution | yes |
openeos-web | Dashboard, till interface, displays | yes |
openeos-shop | Public online shop per event | no |
openeos-printer-agent | Driving ESC/POS printers | only with receipt printing |
Redis is not optional: the server does not start without a reachable Redis.
Your path through this guide
- Installation — set up and start the server
- Initial setup — create the administrator and the organization
- Creating users — further accounts, with and without a mail server
- Connecting printers — set up receipt printing
- Operation — backups, updates, troubleshooting
At app.openeos.de we run OpenEOS for you — with no installation and with support. Billing there is per event. The rest of the manual describes that variant.