MicroPyramid/Django-CRM - Detailed Review#

1. Overview & GitHub Stats#

• URL: https://github.com/MicroPyramid/Django-CRM
• Stars: 2042
• License: MIT License
• Last Updated: August 2024

2. Project Description#

MicroPyramid/Django-CRM is a comprehensive, open-source Customer Relationship Management system built on the Django web framework. This robust solution provides businesses with a complete suite of tools for managing customer interactions, sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, and customer support. Designed with flexibility in mind, it offers a modern alternative to expensive commercial CRM platforms while maintaining enterprise-grade functionality.

3. What Software Does It Replace?#

This project serves as a viable alternative to several popular CRM solutions:

• Commercial Platforms: Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM
• Open Source Alternatives: SuiteCRM, Odoo CRM, EspoCRM
• SaaS Solutions: Pipedrive, Freshsales, Insightly

4. Core Functionality#

The Django-CRM offers an extensive feature set including:

• Contact Management: Complete customer database with detailed profiles
• Lead Tracking: Visual sales pipeline with customizable stages
• Task Management: Assign and track team activities and reminders
• Email Integration: Send and receive emails directly within the platform
• Document Management: Store and organize customer-related files
• Reporting & Analytics: Generate insights with customizable dashboards
• Team Collaboration: Role-based access control and team management
• Mobile Responsive: Fully functional on desktop and mobile devices

5. Pros and Cons#

Pros:

• ✅ Completely free and open-source
• ✅ Built on Django (stable and well-documented framework)
• ✅ Self-hosted solution with full data control
• ✅ Highly customizable and extensible
• ✅ Active community and regular updates
• ✅ MIT license allows commercial use

Cons:

• ❌ Requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance
• ❌ No official SaaS hosting option
• ❌ Limited pre-built integrations compared to commercial alternatives
• ❌ Steeper learning curve for non-technical users

6. Detailed Installation Guide (Self-host)#

1
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2
sudo apt install python3-pip python3-dev libpq-dev postgresql postgresql-contrib nginx redis-server -y

1
sudo -u postgres psql
2
CREATE DATABASE djangocrm;
3
CREATE USER djangouser WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';
4
ALTER ROLE djangouser SET client_encoding TO 'utf8';
5
ALTER ROLE djangouser SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
6
ALTER ROLE djangouser SET timezone TO 'UTC';
7
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE djangocrm TO djangouser;
8
\q

1
git clone https://github.com/MicroPyramid/Django-CRM.git
2
cd Django-CRM
3
python3 -m venv venv
4
source venv/bin/activate
5
pip install -r requirements.txt

1
cp .env.example .env
2
nano .env

1
DATABASE_URL=postgres://djangouser:your_secure_password@localhost:5432/djangocrm
2
SECRET_KEY=your_very_secure_secret_key_here
3
DEBUG=False

1
python manage.py migrate
2
python manage.py createsuperuser

1
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gunicorn.service

1
[Unit]
2
Description=gunicorn daemon
3
After=network.target
4

5
[Service]
6
User=www-data
7
Group=www-data
8
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/Django-CRM
9
ExecStart=/path/to/Django-CRM/venv/bin/gunicorn --access-logfile - --workers 3 --bind unix:/path/to/Django-CRM/djangocrm.sock djangocrm.wsgi:application
10

11
[Install]
12
WantedBy=multi-user.target

1
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/djangocrm

1
server {
2
    listen 80;
3
    server_name your_domain.com;
4

5
    location / {
6
        include proxy_params;
7
        proxy_pass http://unix:/path/to/Django-CRM/djangocrm.sock;
8
    }
9

10
    location /static/ {
11
        alias /path/to/Django-CRM/static/;
12
    }
13

14
    location /media/ {
15
        alias /path/to/Django-CRM/media/;
16
    }
17
}

1
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/djangocrm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
2
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
3
sudo systemctl start gunicorn
4
sudo systemctl enable gunicorn
5
sudo systemctl restart nginx