Reimage Your Server for Odoo Installation

Get started with Odoo quickly and effortlessly using the Bluehost Portal. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to install Odoo on your VPS or VDS and access your dashboard, so you can begin managing your business applications without delay.

How to Reimage Your Server for Odoo Installation

To install Odoo:

1. Log in to your Bluehost Portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, click the Hosting tab.

   
    

3. Click the Manage button on the hosting package you want to reimage.

   
    

4. Click the Reimage button.

   
    

5. Select the Applications tab.

   
    

6. From the list, find Odoo and click Select.

   
    

7. To confirm, please type "reimage" and then click Proceed to start the process.

   
    

8. Wait a few moments while the installation completes.

   
    

9. Once completed, you will see Odoo listed in the Server Image section.

   
    

How to Set Up Odoo

Once installation is complete, continue with the steps below to configure and start using the application.

1. Log in to your Bluehost Portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, click the Hosting tab.

   
    

3. Locate the server you want to manage, then click View Details in the bottom-left corner to expand the section and access additional server information.

   
    

4. Click the Reset Password.

   
    

5. In the pop-up window, type your new root password, then click Reset Password again to confirm and save the changes.

   
    

6. Log in to your server via SSH.
   When you log in to your server for the first time via SSH, you're greeted with a welcome message that includes all the essential commands and instructions for setting up Odoo. The content looks like this:
   Replace your_server_ip with your actual server IP address.

   ssh root@your_server_ip
   

   Example Output

   Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.8.0-111-generic x86_64)
   ********************************************************************************
   
   Odoo is running on this server.
   
   The UFW firewall is enabled.
   All ports are BLOCKED except 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), and 8069 (Odoo).
   
   In a web browser, you can access Odoo at:
   * Direct Odoo URL: http://50.6.6.130:8069
   
   First-time setup notes:
   * Odoo will show a "Create Database" screen on first access
   * The Odoo Master Password is stored in: /root/.app_passwords
   
   Use the following guidance on the setup screen:
   * Master Password:
     Use the value shown above or retrieve it with:
     grep ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD /root/.app_passwords
   * Database Name:
     Choose a name such as: odoo_prod
   * Email:
     This becomes the first Odoo administrator login
   * Password:
     This becomes the first Odoo administrator password
   * Load Demonstration Data:
     Leave UNCHECKED for production use
   
   Important locations on the server:
   * Odoo config: /etc/odoo/odoo.conf
   * Odoo log:    /var/log/odoo/odoo.log
   * Passwords:   /root/.app_passwords
   
   Helpful commands:
   systemctl status odoo                  # Check Odoo service status
   systemctl restart odoo                 # Restart Odoo service
   tail -100 /var/log/odoo/odoo.log       # View recent Odoo logs
   
   For more details please refer /root/README.md
   
   To delete this message of the day:  rm -f /etc/update-motd.d/99-odoo
   
   

7. See full server documentation (recommended):
   Run the following to view all useful info about your Odoo server:
   Copy

   cat /root/README.md
   Example Output:

   # Odoo Server Image
   ## Image contents
   
   This template installs and configures:
   
   * Odoo 17 from the official GitHub repository (`branch 17.0`)
   * PostgreSQL local database service
   * Nginx web server
   * UFW firewall rules for SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, and Odoo
   * Python 3 virtual environment under `/opt/odoo/venv`
   * Odoo config at `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf`
   * Odoo logs at `/var/log/odoo/odoo.log`
   * First-boot injection script at `/var/lib/cloud/scripts/per-instance/001_onboot`
   * App password store at `/root/.app_passwords`
   
   ## Services
   
   Service     | Ports     | Purpose
   ----------- | --------- | -----------------------------------------------------------
   Odoo        | 8069      | Primary Odoo HTTP interface
   PostgreSQL  | local     | Database backend for Odoo
   Nginx       | 80, 443   | Installed and enabled, but Odoo is exposed directly on 8069
   OpenSSH     | 22        | Remote access
   
   Ports are protected using UFW.
   
   ## Odoo configuration
   
   The default Odoo configuration file is `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf`.
   
   Key settings include:
   
   * `admin_passwd = CHANGE_ME_ON_FIRST_BOOT` - replaced at first boot by the
   per-instance cloud-init script
   * `db_host = False` and `db_port = False` - use local PostgreSQL
   * `db_user = odoo`
   * `addons_path = /opt/odoo/odoo-server/addons,/opt/odoo/custom-addons`
   * `logfile = /var/log/odoo/odoo.log`
   * `xmlrpc_port = 8069`
   * `proxy_mode = True`
   * `data_dir = /opt/odoo/.local/share/Odoo`
   
   

8. First-time browser access: create your Odoo instance and database.
   1. Open your browser and go to:
      Replace your_server_ip with your actual server IP address.

      http://your_server_ip:8069
      

   2. On the "Create Database" screen, fill out:
      • Master Password: Get the value with
        Copy

        grep ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD /root/.app_passwords
        Example Output:

        ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD="w92iq8f9d17b2ab40eaa979cdbe977d89d2285e0"
        
        

      • Database Name: Example: odoo_prod
      • Email & Password: These become your Odoo admin login.
      • Load Demonstration Data: Leave UNCHECKED for production.
      • Click Create database

        

9. Check Odoo and related service status:
   • Check Odoo:
     Copy

     systemctl status odoo

     ● odoo.service - Odoo Open Source ERP and CRM
     Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/odoo.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running)
     
     

   • Check PostgreSQL:
     Copy

     systemctl status postgresql

     ● postgresql.service - PostgreSQL RDBMS
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/postgresql.service; enabled)
     Active: active (exited)
     
     

   • Check Nginx:
     Copy

     systemctl status nginx

     ● nginx.service - A high performance web server
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled)
     Active: active (running)
     
     

10. To verify logs or troubleshoot:
    Copy

    tail -100 /var/log/odoo/odoo.log

    2024-06-05 11:53:21,340 340 INFO odoo_prod odoo.addons.base: Base setup ready.
    2024-06-05 11:53:21,401 340 INFO odoo_prod odoo.service.server: Server running...
    
    

    Copy

    journalctl -u odoo -n 100 --no-pager
11. Show or retrieve the master password:
    Copy

    grep ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD /root/.app_passwords

    ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD="w92iq8f9d17b2ab40eaa979cdbe977d89d2285e0"
    
    

12. Validation test (optional):
    Copy

    prove /root/app_test/main.t

    /root/app_test/main.t .. ok
    All tests successful.
    Files=1, Tests=8,  1 wallclock secs ( 0.04 usr  0.01 sys +  0.13 cusr  0.04 csys =  0.22 CPU)
    Result: PASS
    
    

Notes and Links:

• The Odoo master password is the database manager password (for creating/restoring databases), and is different from your Odoo admin login password.
• Odoo runs on port 8069. Nginx is enabled by default; to set up a secure reverse proxy, see Odoo HTTPS Deployment Docs.
• Odoo Documentation

Additional Information and Example Documentation Output

You can run cat /root/README.md to see more information and useful commands:

Example Output:

root@server-123456:~# cat /root/README.md
# Odoo

## Description

Odoo is an all-in-one business management platform that helps you
manage sales, operations, accounting, and more in one place. It offers
a wide range of integrated applications such as CRM, invoicing,
inventory, eCommerce, and HR, allowing you to streamline processes,
improve visibility, and run your entire business more efficiently from
a unified platform.

This install includes Odoo 17 and is configured to use a local
PostgreSQL backend and a Python virtual environment.

The image is built from Ubuntu cloud image sources, installs required
packages, clones the Odoo 17 source tree, creates an isolated virtualenv,
and configures systemd, UFW, and first-boot initialization.

## Image contents

This template installs and configures:

* Odoo 17 from the official GitHub repository (`branch 17.0`)
* PostgreSQL local database service
* Nginx web server
* UFW firewall rules for SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, and Odoo
* Python 3 virtual environment under `/opt/odoo/venv`
* Odoo config at `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf`
* Odoo logs at `/var/log/odoo/odoo.log`
* First-boot injection script at `/var/lib/cloud/scripts/per-instance/001_onboot`
* App password store at `/root/.app_passwords`

## Services

Service     | Ports     | Purpose
----------- | --------- | -----------------------------------------------------------
Odoo        | 8069      | Primary Odoo HTTP interface
PostgreSQL  | local     | Database backend for Odoo
Nginx       | 80, 443   | Installed and enabled, but Odoo is exposed directly on 8069
OpenSSH     | 22        | Remote access

Ports are protected using UFW.

## Odoo configuration

The default Odoo configuration file is `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf`.

Key settings include:

* `admin_passwd = CHANGE_ME_ON_FIRST_BOOT` - replaced at first boot by the
  per-instance cloud-init script
* `db_host = False` and `db_port = False` - use local PostgreSQL
* `db_user = odoo`
* `addons_path = /opt/odoo/odoo-server/addons,/opt/odoo/custom-addons`
* `logfile = /var/log/odoo/odoo.log`
* `xmlrpc_port = 8069`
* `proxy_mode = True`
* `data_dir = /opt/odoo/.local/share/Odoo`

The systemd service unit is `/etc/systemd/system/odoo.service` and starts Odoo
as the `odoo` user from the source tree.

## First boot behavior

On the first boot, the cloud-init per-instance script
`/var/lib/cloud/scripts/per-instance/001_onboot`:

* generates a random `ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD`
* stores it securely in `/root/.app_passwords`
* updates `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf`
* ensures runtime directories exist and are owned by `odoo`
* waits for PostgreSQL readiness
* restarts Odoo

This guarantees that no master password is baked into the image.

## First-time access (How-to-use)

After the VM boots, access Odoo at:

* `http://:8069`

On the first screen, create the first database using:

* Master Password: value from `/root/.app_passwords`
* Database Name: any name you choose
* Email: Odoo administrator login email
* Password: Odoo administrator login password

## Useful commands

* Check Odoo service:
  `systemctl status odoo`
* Check PostgreSQL service:
  `systemctl status postgresql`
* Check Nginx service:
  `systemctl status nginx`
* View Odoo logs:
  `tail -100 /var/log/odoo/odoo.log`
* View systemd logs:
  `journalctl -u odoo -n 100 --no-pager`
* Show current master password:
  `grep ODOO_MASTER_PASSWORD /root/.app_passwords`

## Validation tests

The template includes a validation script at `/root/app_test/main.t` that checks:

* `postgresql`, `nginx`, and `odoo` are enabled
* `/etc/odoo/odoo.conf` exists
* `/etc/systemd/system/odoo.service` exists
* first-boot script exists and is executable
* Odoo is active and listening on port 8069

## Notes

* The Odoo master password is the database manager password.
* It is different from the Odoo administrator password you create in the UI.
* Nginx is installed and enabled, but this starter image exposes Odoo directly
  on port 8069.
* A reverse proxy can be added later if desired. See https://www.odoo.com/documentation/17.0/administration/on_premise/deploy.html#https for how to do this.

## Links

* Manage: [http://{server_ip}:8069](http://{server_ip}:8069)
* Documentation: [https://www.odoo.com/documentation/17.0/](https://www.odoo.com/documentation/17.0/)root@server-646875:~#

Summary

Installing Odoo on your VPS or VDS is simple with the Bluehost Portal’s one-click installer. Keep in mind that reimaging permanently erases all existing data and settings. After installation, you can open the Odoo dashboard directly from the Bluehost Portal to start using the application. Note that only one application can be installed via the one-click installer, and changing or deleting the application requires following additional steps or manual installation via SSH.