Open-Source CRM · ONLYOFFICE

CommunityServer

ONLYOFFICE Groups (formerly Community Server) is a free, Apache 2.0–licensed open-source collaboration platform combining document management, project tracking, CRM, and email aggregation in a single self-hosted suite. It serves as a central hub for team productivity with integrations to popular cloud storage and document editing capabilities.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/ONLYOFFICE/CommunityServer

3.1k

GitHub stars

673

Forks

Primary language

Apache-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	ONLYOFFICE/CommunityServer
Owner	ONLYOFFICE
Primary language	C#
License	Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	3.1k
Forks	673
Open issues	203
Latest release	v12.8 (2026-05-05)
Last updated	2026-05-05
Source	https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/CommunityServer

What CommunityServer is

C# .NET–based monolithic application providing document management, project/task scheduling (Gantt charts, time tracking), CRM workflows, mail aggregation, and wiki/forum collaboration. Deployable on-premise via Docker or direct installation; integrates with ONLYOFFICE Docs for document editing and supports cloud storage connectors (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, ownCloud).

Quickstart

Get the CommunityServer source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/CommunityServer.git2cd CommunityServer3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Mid-market Team Collaboration Hub

Organizations seeking a unified, self-hosted workspace to consolidate documents, projects, CRM, and email without cloud vendor lock-in. Suitable for teams 20–500+ requiring tight integration between sales (CRM), delivery (projects), and internal communication.

Regulated/On-Premise Deployment Requirement

Enterprises in financial, healthcare, or government sectors needing full data sovereignty and no SaaS dependency. Self-hosted model allows internal infrastructure control and audit trails without relying on third-party cloud providers.

Document-Centric Workflow with Project Overlay

Organizations managing significant document libraries alongside project schedules and client relationships. The DMS + project management + CRM trifecta reduces tool sprawl and enables cross-functional visibility from a single interface.

Implementation considerations

Database backend (T-SQL) and infrastructure provisioning required; plan for capacity, backups, and HA/failover if mission-critical.
On-premise deployment via Docker recommended for isolation and version control; verify network policies, proxy/firewall rules, and SSL certificate provisioning.
Data migration from legacy systems (files, contacts, projects) requires ETL planning; no out-of-box migration tools mentioned in README.
User adoption hinges on training and change management; the unified interface spans CRM, DMS, projects, and email—cognitive load must be managed.
ONLYOFFICE Docs integration (document editing) is optional; without it, document viewing/download only. Plan whether to deploy Docs server alongside Groups.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Real-time Collaboration at Scale — If your team requires sub-second document co-editing, real-time cursor tracking, or large-scale simultaneous editing across 100+ concurrent users, this monolithic architecture may struggle. Designed for departmental/office scale, not enterprise-wide real-time workloads.
Zero DevOps/Infrastructure Tolerance — Self-hosted deployment demands database (T-SQL), reverse proxy, SSL, and backup/recovery management. No managed SaaS option. Teams requiring pure point-and-click setup should avoid; this requires dedicated ops overhead.
Lightweight, Headless API-First Integration — If you need a headless API backend to power custom frontends or deeply embedded workflows, this monolith prioritizes a unified UI. While an API exists, the product is designed as a complete end-user application, not a backend service.
Enterprise AI/ML Augmentation Expectations — No mentions of built-in AI features (intelligent suggestions, predictive analytics, NLP). If your buyer expects generative AI-powered workflows, this is a traditional platform; customization would be required.

License & commercial use

Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), a permissive OSI-approved open-source license. Permits commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions (retains liability disclaimers and copyright notices). No copyleft reciprocity requirements; derivative works can remain proprietary.

Apache 2.0 explicitly permits commercial use without license fees. However, commercial deployment requires self-managed infrastructure and support; no commercial SLA or vendor support model stated in the repository. Verify whether ONLYOFFICE Corp. offers paid support, training, or premium services separately. The license itself poses no commercial restriction, but production support/maintenance terms are not transparent in this data.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	High
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

Self-hosted deployment gives organizations direct control over data residency, network isolation, and access controls. No mention of encryption-at-rest, TLS enforcement, RBAC maturity, or audit logging in README. No third-party security audit results published. Code is open (Apache 2.0), allowing static analysis and community review, but security posture (vulnerability disclosure, incident response) not stated. Recommend security review of authentication (LDAP/AD/SSO support?), database access, API authentication, and change control before production deployment.

Alternatives to consider

Nextcloud Hub

Open-source, PHP-based file sync + collaboration (similar DMS + calendar + contacts). Lighter weight, wider cloud-provider integration ecosystem, and lower infrastructure requirements; lacks deep CRM and project management.

Odoo

Comprehensive Python/JavaScript ERP/CRM suite with strong project, document, and email modules. More modular, larger ecosystem of community modules, but heavier infrastructure footprint and steeper learning curve.

Taiga or OpenProject

Lightweight, open-source project management tools with file/wiki support. Easier to deploy and operate at smaller scale, but lack CRM and email aggregation—would require separate tools for those functions.

Software development agency

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CommunityServer FAQ

Does ONLYOFFICE Groups include document editing, or do I need a separate component?

Groups provides document management (upload, organize, share). Online editing (Word, Excel, Calc, Impress) requires integration with ONLYOFFICE Docs, a separate server component. Without Docs, users can only view/download, not edit in-browser.

Can I use this with Microsoft Active Directory or LDAP for single sign-on?

Not stated in README. Verify via official documentation or contact ONLYOFFICE support; enterprise deployments typically require LDAP/AD/SSO integration, but confirmation needed.

What is the maximum recommended user count for a single instance?

Unknown. No scalability benchmarks provided. Monolithic .NET architecture suggests limits exist (hundreds to low thousands per instance), but production tuning and clustering strategy not documented in this data.

Is there a managed/SaaS version, or must I self-host?

Data provided shows only open-source self-hosted model. ONLYOFFICE Corp. may offer managed hosting separately; check www.onlyoffice.com for commercial offerings not detailed in the GitHub repository.

Software development & web development with DEV.co

Need help beyond evaluating CommunityServer? DEV.co is a software development agency offering software development services and web development for teams of every size. Our software developers and web developers build custom software, web applications, APIs, and open-source crm integrations — and maintain them long-term.

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