About OrangeHRM
OrangeHRM is an open-source human resource management system. The project describes it as covering the essential functions an enterprise needs from an HR system, and the repository topics mention leave management, a RESTful API and enterprise use. This repository contains the OrangeHRM Starter application.
It is built on PHP and MySQL and licensed under GPL-3.0 or later. The README links to installation guides for Linux and Windows, a web installer, and upgrade instructions. A help portal provides user guides, tutorial videos and FAQs, and a live demo instance is available to try the interface. There is also a mobile app, and releases are published on SourceForge.
Support requests can be submitted through the OrangeHRM help portal or by email. The repository additionally includes guidance files for AI coding agents, which is relevant to contributors rather than to everyday HR users.
Key features
- Core HR management for enterprises
- Leave management
- RESTful API for integrations
- Web installer for Linux and Windows servers
- Mobile app companion
- Live demo and help portal
Good fit for
- →Running HR records for a small or midsize company
- →Tracking employee leave requests
- Tags
- hrm
- human-resources
- leave-management
- php
- mysql
- self-hosted
- hr
- enterprise
OrangeHRM: questions and answers
- What is OrangeHRM used for?
- OrangeHRM is an open-source human resource management system built with PHP and MySQL, covering core HR functions such as leave management. It is a good fit for running HR records for a small or midsize company and tracking employee leave requests.
- Is OrangeHRM open source?
- Yes. OrangeHRM is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at orangehrm/orangehrm and is written mainly in PHP.
- Is OrangeHRM free?
- Yes. OrangeHRM is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host OrangeHRM?
- Yes. OrangeHRM can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is OrangeHRM an alternative to?
- OrangeHRM is an open-source alternative to BambooHR, Zoho People, Personio and Greenhouse. Other open-source alternatives to BambooHR include Horilla, Frappe HR and Ever Gauzy.
- Is OrangeHRM actively maintained?
- The most recent commit to OrangeHRM was on 28 June 2026, and the latest release is v5.9, published on 28 June 2026. The project has 1.1k stars on GitHub.
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