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3. xTuple Application Architecture

The xTuple applications are designed on a two-tier system:

  • Graphical client built using an open source development framework

  • Database server running on the open source PostgreSQL database

All of the xTuple business logic resides in the database, so there is no middle tier (i.e., Java/application server). And the client is thin. Since the development platform and the PostgreSQL database are cross-platform solutions, the application can be installed on Mac, Windows, or Linux machines—in any combination you prefer. There is also a wireless client which runs on a hand-held bar code scanner.

Installation of xTuple is easy and painless. Once you download the software, you then run the xTuple graphical client out of the directory it resides in. The same xTuple client can connect to a database for any of the xTuple ERP editions. Upgrading from one edition to the next involves little more than running a two-minute script on your database. The simplicity of the upgrade process illustrates the point that xTuple maintains a single code base for all of its ERP editions. Doing so enables our community of open source users to share and work together in one online hub for all the xTuple products.

There are several layers of security available with xTuple ERP. You can utilize a secure sockets layer (SSL) connection, and you can also enable an enhanced authentication mechanism which scrambles your users' passwords. In addition, you can also assign individual privileges with the system in as much detail as you see fit for your operation.