Meet Framework. It's full stack, batteries-included, and written in Python and JS.
Most software development is about making applications that capture structured data, process it and show reports and dashboards. Yet we spend an insane amount of time building these applications again and again. You have to choose a front-end, middleware, back-end and then tie them all up together. Everytime there is a change, you have to propagate it through your application.
Frappe Framework makes it super easy to build such applications with a low code architecture. Like a Swiss Army knife, it comes packed with features you need and you will need. With a powerful admin UI, baked in roles and permissions, powerful API capabilities, ability to manage diverse workloads, Framework is the only development platform you will need for most of your needs.
Metadata driven, low code
Framework has an object oriented architecture and each element is called a 'DocType.' A DocType is the basic building block of the application and represents a database table, a form, a class and so on.
Framework comes with a configurable admin UI where you can design complex forms with interactions, list views, tree views, kanban views, calendars without writing any code. You can design complex forms with the form builder and dynamically configure workspaces and list views. The no-code capabilities of the Framework take away 90% of your labour of building controls, layouts, routes, grids, reports and so on.
Metadata driven, low code
Developing complex web applications often involves navigating multiple tools and frameworks, leading to time-consuming integration, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
Framework simplifies this with its unified platform. Whether you're creating complex business solutions like ERPNext, Insights, or Builder, Framework provides a consistent and robust foundation to build the application of your creativity. With hundreds of community-built apps leveraging Framework, each application is packed with integration and customisation capabilities.
We believe in the power of open-source software and community. Framework is entirely open-source, empowering a global community of users to access and build solutions that fit their unique needs.
Open-source makes it more secure and fosters a sense of community collaboration and belongingness. With a community of over 22,000 users on our discuss forum and numerous stars and contributors on GitHub, Framework benefits from continuous improvement and collective innovation. By being open-source, it invites you to not just use the tool but also contribute, share, and be part of a vibrant ecosystem.
Self-hosting Framework applications can be complex and time-consuming, requiring expertise in setup, maintenance, and scalability. That's why we built Frappe Cloud – a simple, user-friendly, and sophisticated open-source platform to host Frappe applications with peace of mind.
Frappe Cloud handles the installation, setup, upgrades, monitoring, maintenance, and support of your Frappe deployments. It provides a fully featured developer platform that allows you to manage and control multiple Frappe deployments effortlessly, ensuring you can focus on building great applications rather than worrying about the backend infrastructure.
Started in 2005, Frappe Framework was inspired by the Semantic Web. The 'big idea' behind semantic web was of a framework that not only described how information is shown (like headings, body etc.), but also what it means, like name, address etc.
By creating a web framework that allowed for easy definition of metadata, it made building complex applications easy. Applications usually designed around how users interact with a system, but not based on semantics of the underlying system. Applications built on semantics end up being much more consistent and extensible. The first application built on Framework was ERPNext, a beast with more than 700 object types. Framework is not for the light hearted – it is not the first thing you might want to learn if you are beginning to learn web programming, but if you are ready to do real work, then Framework is the right tool for the job.
Frappe Framework is a full-stack, open-source web development framework designed to build business applications quickly. Unlike many frameworks that only handle back-end or front-end, Frappe Framework is batteries-included – it provides a meta-driven ORM, REST API generation, role-based permissions, form and list views, real-time updates, workflows, and reports, etc. – all out of the box. It lets developers focus on business logic rather than focusing on boilerplate, making it a strong choice for rapid web application development.
Yes, Frappe Framework helps you build modern, responsive web applications natively. Its front-end uses Bootstrap and jQuery, and its UI components (like forms, reports, dashboards, Kanban boards) are mobile-friendly by default. It also supports Single Page Application, i.e. SPA-like interactions through its desk interface.
Frappe Framework uses MariaDB/MySQL as its default database, with Redis for caching and background jobs. Applications built on Frappe can be hosted on Linux servers using Docker containers. The framework is designed for deployment flexibility, whether on a private server or public cloud.
Absolutely. Frappe Framework is built with scalability in mind. Its modular design, caching mechanisms, background job queues, and multi-site capabilities allow it to handle large user bases and complex business processes. You can build enterprise-grade, multi-company, multi-location applications that scale both horizontally and vertically.
Frappe Framework is highly extensible. You can add custom apps, define your own schemas, create custom scripts for client-side logic, and hook into server-side events with Python. Its modular architecture lets you extend existing apps or build entirely new ones, while keeping your business logic separate and maintainable.
Yes, multi-tenancy is a core feature of Frappe Framework. A single instance can serve multiple sites (tenants), each with its own database and configurations, while sharing the same codebase. This makes it ideal for building and hosting SaaS applications where each customer gets a logically isolated environment.
Frappe Framework is primarily written in Python for the server side and JavaScript for the client side. It uses MariaDB/MySQL as the database, Redis for caching and queuing, Jinja for templating, and WebSockets for real-time updates. On the front-end, it leverages jQuery and Bootstrap for responsive UI components.
Frappe Framework is backed by an active open-source community and maintained by Frappe Technologies. The official documentation is comprehensive and regularly updated, and developers can get help through the Frappe Forum, GitHub discussions, etc. For professional support, Frappe and its partners offer paid services including implementation, hosting, and technical support.
All-in-One Business Management System.
