The ERPNext is up and running, but not entirely sure if it is right to run that platform as our base for all services. As @davidoneill suggested earlier, I also looked into the possibility that ERPNext might be the ultimate solution to integrate all our working platforms, but I now go through thought experiments on multi-site version Discourse as an alternative.
Before we go any further, it seems that ERPNext is way less well maintained than Discourse, when it comes to handling main Docker image and controlling additional plugins/apps. With Discourse, all we need is just a 10-min downtime to add more plugins. It’s cumbersome, but I do not have to worry about anything at all. On the contrary, for ERPNext, simple docker compose does not complete website configuration. I have to go into the docker and gotta do a lot of further configurations before I actually can see the website. There will be time that we have to update docker images, which requires me to run docker composer again. Over the past few days, I saw that it’s likely that the newly composed docker loses all custom configurations. I might have to re-do everything, depending on what I do with the re-composition.
It’s not like I have to do a lot of custom configurations, and in all intenses and purposes, I just have to update the custom docker image based on what I have now, so it won’t be a big deal in the end, but I am just saying that the system matureness is quite noticeable between ERPNext and Discourse.
Though as I hoped to integrate all GIAI operations with SIAI’s school ERP, I don’t think ERPNext provides full integration out of the box. We likely have to run two ERPs for GIAI w/ daughter companies and SIAI’s students. For the later function, the earlier introduced Gibbon Edu might be an easy solution to implement. The design is not in cutting edge condition, but it has all we need, or as @ethanmcgowan said, more than what we need. You guys can take a look, and let me know.
I also have docker-launched Rocket Chat’s community version, the free & self-hosting variant w/o custom options. It does not seem to have out of the box solution to be integrated to ERPNext. Discourse provides two options, one with multiple chat integration by Discourse team’s plugin and the other with community plugin for Rocket.Chat SSO.
You can take a look and tell me what you prefer the best. I personally like the idea that we can set up a completely different chat database (and it is internal!), and since Rocket.Chat uses MongoDB, it’s likely way faster than chats from Moodle and Discourse, both of which rely on PostgreSQL. ERPNext is based on MariaDB, so it’s performance for chatting support will likely be the worst.
Performance might not be a significant factor as we are unlikely going to extensively rely on chat as much. When it comes to functional support, Teams is far better. Teams’ chat is a standalone forum for each room. Other chats are just chat with some extensions.
In the end, we might be better off to stick to MS Teams, or rely on Discourse for Kanban and chat. From sheer tech stack point of view, Discourse + Rocket.chat could be the best solution by following reasons:
- Discourse has (not native but still functioning) app
- Discourse is running on an easily controllable Docker instance
- Discourse provides easy integration with Moodle and Rocket.chat (+ not perfect, some MS Teams)
- Discourse is programmed on Ruby on Rails, probably the fastest possible forum platform by tech stack point
- Rocket Chat uses MongoDB, and it can be connected to Moodle by a plugin
- we need ERP just for book keeping, not as a granular solution.
I might want to stick to ERPNext as the range of API solutions provided by that is surprisingly versatile. But somebody has to pay money/time for dev work for that. And, remember none of us are hardcore dev.