"How big a server do we need for 80 users?" is the first question most companies ask about Odoo hosting. It is also the wrong place to start. Here is what actually decides the size of your platform, and how to get it right without paying for a guess.
Why the user count misleads
Odoo's load comes from what your users do, and from what your code does on their behalf. The heavy hitters are usually:
- custom modules and computed fields that recalculate on every screen;
- large reports and exports run during the day;
- integrations that call Odoo every few seconds;
- scheduled actions and imports that run while people work;
- a public website or eCommerce sharing the same servers.
Two 80-user companies can need platforms several times apart in size.
What to look at instead
- How many people use Odoo at the same time at the busiest hour.
- The three or four flows that matter most: the login wave, the heaviest report, the biggest import.
- How long scheduled jobs take, and when they run.
- Website traffic and its peaks (campaigns, seasons).
- Database and attachment size, and how fast they grow.
A three-month routine
- Start generous. Go live one step above the estimate, so the first weeks are smooth while you measure.
- Month 1, observe. Fix what hurts first: slow screens, jobs hitting time limits. Do not downsize yet.
- Month 2, right-size. Bring servers down to the size that keeps the busiest hour comfortable, and let capacity follow the load the rest of the day.
- Month 3, decide. Choose the database type on its 24-hour pattern and commit only to the steady part.
After that, a quarterly review, or after any big change: a new module, a new website, many new users.
Steady or spiky?
A database that is busy all business day and quiet at night is cheapest on a fixed size. One with short, sharp peaks (a busy website, campaigns, one heavy job a day) can be cheaper on a database that scales with the load. Often the best first fix is simpler: move the heavy job to the night.
Signs your platform is the wrong size
- Too small: slow screens at 9 a.m., reports that time out, imports that fail at the busiest hour.
- Too big: servers that never go above a fraction of their capacity, and a bill that looks the same at night as at noon.
Get a range for your Odoo
Tell us about your users, apps and custom modules in a free discovery call. More about the service: sovereign Odoo hosting on AWS.