Requirements

Owned by Grace Potma
Last updated: Aug 27, 2024 by aahil
3 min read

Minimum Hardware Requirements

We recommend selecting your hardware and system requirements based on real-world needs, such as the number of users or expected patient records.

These specifications assume a bare metal installation of the OS. Running OpenMRS as a VM on a Windows computer for any production use is NOT recommended.

  • Minimum (1-10 users): Quad-core or higher desktop-class processor, 8 GB RAM, 100+GB HDD

  • Recommended (10+ users): 8 Core+ processor, 16 GB RAM, 100+ GB HDD in RAID configuration, with backup facilities

  • Cloud Requirements (AWS):

    • Minimum: EC2 t3.medium (1-10 users)

    • Recommended: t3.large (8GB RAM, more processors) or higher, depending on the number of users

  • Current O3 Demo Environments Specs:

    • The O3 Demo environment currently has: 16GB RAM, 50GB disk space, and 4 CPUs (though we don’t use all of this).

Backups

It’s crucial to have a reliable backup strategy in place. Always have a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) setup. RAID mirrors your instance, so if it fails, there’s always a backup ready.

As a widely embraced data backup strategy, the 3-2-1 Rule prescribes:

  • Three copies of your data: This includes the original data and at least two copies.

  • Two different types of media for storage: Store your data on two distinct forms of media to enhance redundancy.

  • One copy off-site: Have one backup copy stored in an off-site location, separate from your primary data and on-site backups.

Operating System

We strongly recommend using Ubuntu LTS for your operating system.

  • Ensure you're using a supported OS, not one that has reached its end of life.

  • Keep your operating system up to date to avoid security vulnerabilities.

  • If using Windows, be cautious not to use an unsupported version.

  • Always use a licensed operating system to prevent data breaches, as pirated OS versions often contain malware.

Browser

For the best experience, we strongly recommend using Chrome or Chromium. While Firefox receives some community testing coverage, Edge is not actively supported.

Tablet-Specific Considerations

For those running OpenMRS on tablets, we recommend the following minimum specifications:

  • OS Minimum: Device should support Android version 13 or higher

  • RAM Minimum: 4GB or more

  • Storage Minimum: 32GB or more

  • Processor Minimum: ARM version 7 or higher

While it’s possible to run OpenMRS on lower-spec tablets, such as 3GB 2019 Android tablets, they tend to perform poorly due to older OS versions and low RAM.

Hence, we recommend adhering to the above minimum specifications.

Our Testing Process

This section is in progress.

Our automated performance and load testing, using Gatling in Q2 2024, is ongoing to review and confirm these minimum requirements. The remaining steps include replicating GitHub actions for Gatling in AWS, expected by May 2024. You can follow the progress in the relevant thread.