Installation of Odoo 18 Using Docker (Ubuntu)

Installing Odoo from source or packages is fine, but when you want something clean, repeatable, and easy to move between systems, Docker just makes life easier. In this blog, I’ll walk you through setting up Odoo 18 using Docker on Ubuntu, step by step, with actual commands and practical explanations — the way most developers really do it. 

This guide assumes you are using Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04, have basic terminal knowledge, and want a working Odoo 18 setup without polluting your system. 

Let’s check how to configure this. 

Why Docker for Odoo? 

Before jumping in, here’s why Docker is worth it: 

• No dependency conflicts (Python, wk html to pdf, PostgreSQL, etc.) 

• Easy to spin up, stop, or reset environments 

• Same setup works on any machine 

• Perfect for local development and testing 

If you’ve ever broken your OS trying to fix Odoo dependencies, Docker feels truly relieved. 

Step 1: Install Docker on Ubuntu 

First, make sure your system is up to date. 

sudo apt update 

sudo apt upgrade –y 

Install required packages: 

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release 

Add Docker’s official GPG key: 

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings 

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg 

Add Docker repository: 

echo \ 

"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \ 

https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \ 

$(lsb_release -cs) stable" | \ 

sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null 

Install Docker Engine: 

sudo apt update 

sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin 

Verify installation: 

docker --version 

docker compose version 

Optional but recommended: run Docker without sudo. 

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER 

newgrp docker 

Step 2: Create Project Directory 

Let’s keep things organized. 

mkdir odoo18-docker 
cd odoo18-docker 

Inside this directory, we’ll define everything Odoo needs. 

Step 3: Create docker-compose.yml 

Create the main Docker Compose file: 

nano docker-compose.yml 

Paste the following content: 

version: '3.8' 
 
services: 
  web: 
    image: odoo:18.0 
    container_name: odoo18 
    depends_on: 
      - db 
    ports: 
      - "8069:8069" 
    volumes: 
      - odoo-web-data:/var/lib/odoo 
      - ./addons:/mnt/extra-addons 
      - ./config/odoo.conf:/etc/odoo/odoo.conf 
    environment: 
      - HOST=db 
      - USER=odoo 
      - PASSWORD=odoo 
    restart: always 
 
  db: 
    image: postgres:15 
    container_name: odoo18-db 
    environment: 
      - POSTGRES_DB=postgres 
      - POSTGRES_USER=odoo 
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=odoo 
    volumes: 
      - odoo-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data 
    restart: always 
 
volumes: 
  odoo-web-data: 
  odoo-db-data: 

 
This sets up: 

• Odoo 18 container 

• PostgreSQL 15 database 

• Persistent volumes for data 

• Port 8069 exposed to your browser 

Step 4: Create Odoo Config File 

Create folders: 

mkdir config addons 
 

Now create the config file: 

nano config/odoo.conf 

Add this: 

[options] 
admin_passwd = admin 
db_host = db 
db_port = 5432 
db_user = odoo 
db_password = odoo 
addons_path = /mnt/extra-addons 
logfile = /var/log/odoo/odoo.log 
 

You can change admin_passwd later — this is the master password for database management. 

Step 5: Start Odoo 18 Containers 

From the project root: 

docker compose up -d 
 

Check running containers: 

docker ps 

You should see: 

• odoo18 

• odoo18-db 

If something goes wrong, logs are your best friend: 

docker logs odoo18 
 

Step 6: Access Odoo in Browser 

Open your browser and go to: 

http://localhost:8069 
 

You’ll land on the Odoo database creation screen. 

Fill in: 

• Database Name 

• Email & Password 

• Select Language 

• Apps: Demo or Empty (your choice) 

Click Create Database and wait a bit. 

That’s it — Odoo 18 is running. 

Step 7: Using Custom Addons 

Any custom module you place inside: 

addons/ 

Will be available automatically.  

After adding modules: 

• Update Apps list from Odoo UI 
  or 

• Restart container: 

docker restart odoo18 

No rebuild required. Simple and clean. 

Useful Docker Commands for Daily Work 

Stop containers: 

docker compose down 

Start again: 

docker compose up -d 

Restart only Odoo: 

docker restart odoo18 
Enter Odoo container: 

docker exec -it odoo18 bash 

Enter PostgreSQL container: 

docker exec -it odoo18-db psql -U odoo 
 

Common Issues and Tips 

• Port already in use 
  Change "8069:8069" to "8070:8069" if needed. 

• Permission issues on addons 
  Make sure your addons folder is readable: 

sudo chmod -R 755 addons 

• Database connection error 
  Check that db_host = db matches the service name. 

• Want wkhtmltopdf? 
  Official Odoo Docker image already includes a compatible version. 

If required, you can even configure docker to start, stop and restart using pycharm itself just by adding the docker setup details in pycharm configurations. 

In conclusion, using Docker to run Odoo 18 is probably going to be the easiest way to install and maintain Odoo 18. It provides a consistently clean environment every time you start up a new Docker instance, making it easy to avoid installing software or solving compatibility problems between different versions of Python. 

If you're working with Odoo development, using Docker as part of your Odoo development process will save you time and hassle. After you have fully grasped using Docker, you can quickly set up additional tools like Nginx, SSL, backups, or multiple Odoo installations to make your process even more efficient. 

To recap, if you want to be successful in Odoo development today, you need to use Docker because it is the only way to take full advantage of what Odoo has to offer.