Deploy module on on-premise

Prerequisites

There are two ways to deploy O'Chat on an on-premise server: downloading from the Odoo Apps Store, or cloning the Git repository.

Step 1: Install the Python dependency

O'Chat requires the pycryptodome library for end-to-end encryption. Install it in the same Python environment that runs Odoo:

pip install pycryptodome

Option A: Download from the Apps Store

1. Download the module

1. Go to the Odoo Apps Store
2. Search for "O'Chat"
3. Select the version matching your Odoo instance (17, 18 or 19)
4. Click the "Download" button to get the ZIP file

2. Deploy to your server

1. Copy the ZIP file to your server
2. Extract it into your custom addons directory:

unzip ochat.zip -d /opt/odoo/custom_addons/

3. Update and restart Odoo

Update the module list using the odoo-bin command and then restart the service:

./odoo-bin -u all -d <your_database> --stop-after-init

Then restart your Odoo server using the method appropriate for your setup (e.g. systemd, supervisor, manual process, etc.).

Option B: Clone the Git repository

1. Clone the repository

Clone the O'Chat repository into a dedicated directory on your server:

git clone <repository-url> /opt/odoo/ochat

2. Add the directory as an addons source

Edit your Odoo configuration file (usually /etc/odoo/odoo.conf) and add the directory to the addons_path:

addons_path = /opt/odoo/odoo/addons,/opt/odoo/custom_addons,/opt/odoo/ochat

3. Update and restart Odoo

Update the module list using the odoo-bin command and then restart the service:

./odoo-bin -u all -d <your_database> --stop-after-init

Then restart your Odoo server using the method appropriate for your setup (e.g. systemd, supervisor, manual process, etc.).

Install the module in Odoo

Once the files are on your server, install the module from the Odoo interface:

1. Log in to Odoo as an administrator
2. Enable Developer Mode (Settings → Developer Tools → Activate Developer Mode)
3. Go to Apps
4. Click Update Apps List and confirm
5. Search for "O'Chat"
6. Click Install

Verify the installation

1. Go to Discuss (the chat icon in the top menu)
2. You should see a new O'Chat category in the left sidebar
3. The category will be empty until you create connections

Troubleshooting

Module not found after update

Make sure the module directory is listed in your addons_path in the Odoo configuration file, and that you restarted the Odoo service after making changes.

Permission errors

Ensure the Odoo system user has read access to the module directory:

chown -R odoo:odoo /opt/odoo/custom_addons/ochat

pycryptodome import error

Make sure pycryptodome is installed in the same Python environment that runs Odoo:

# Find Odoo's Python
which python3

# Install in that environment
/path/to/odoo/python -m pip install pycryptodome

What's next?