About Tutor
Tutor is the official Docker-based distribution of Open edX, the open-source learning management platform. Its goal is to make Open edX easy to deploy, customize, upgrade and scale, both for production and local development, and the project says it is used to run hundreds of Open edX platforms around the world.
Everything runs in Docker, with a quick one-command installation and upgrade path, and it can also be deployed on Kubernetes. A plugin architecture handles extensions, and batteries-included options cover theming, SCORM, HTTPS, the mobile app and custom translations. The documentation includes a user guide, developer guide, command-line reference, hooks, a template patch catalog and an FAQ.
Tutor is written in Python and licensed under AGPL-3.0, and it is self-hosted on your own servers. For organizations that want help, Edly offers professional assistance with Open edX installation and management as a paid service, separate from the software itself. Tutor suits universities, training companies and course providers that want to run their own learning platform.
Key features
- Docker-based Open edX deployment
- One-command installation and upgrades
- Kubernetes support
- Plugin architecture for extensions
- Theming, SCORM, and HTTPS support
- Command-line tool for administration
Good fit for
- →Hosting an Open edX learning platform
- →Upgrading an existing Open edX installation
- →Developing Open edX plugins and themes
- Tags
- open-edx
- lms
- docker
- e-learning
- kubernetes
- python
- plugins
- self-hosted
- education
Tutor: questions and answers
- What is Tutor used for?
- Tutor is the official Docker-based distribution of Open edX, making it easier to deploy, customize, upgrade and scale the open-source learning platform. It is a good fit for hosting an Open edX learning platform, upgrading an existing Open edX installation, and developing Open edX plugins and themes.
- Is Tutor open source?
- Yes. Tutor is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at overhangio/tutor and is written mainly in Python.
- Is Tutor free?
- Yes. Tutor is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Tutor?
- Yes. Tutor can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Tutor an alternative to?
- Tutor is an open-source alternative to Thinkific, Teachable, Coursera and Udemy. Other open-source alternatives to Thinkific include Open edX, Frappe Learning and Moodle.
- Is Tutor actively maintained?
- Yes. The most recent commit to Tutor was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v22.0.2, published on 31 August 2026. The project has 1.1k stars on GitHub.
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