ERPNext Glossary: Key ERP & Frappe Terms Explained
Every ERPNext implementation comes with its own vocabulary. This ERPNext glossary explains the ERP and Frappe terms you are most likely to meet, in plain English, so you can follow any scoping conversation with confidence.
Core terms in this ERPNext glossary
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Software that runs core business functions — accounting, inventory, buying, selling, manufacturing — on one connected system.
ERPNext
A modern, open-source ERP built on the Frappe framework, covering finance, inventory, manufacturing and CRM with no per-user licence fee.
Frappe
The open-source web framework ERPNext is built on. It lets teams extend ERPNext with custom apps and automation.
Doctype
The building block of ERPNext data. A doctype defines a type of record (such as Sales Order or Item) and its fields.
Module
A functional area of ERPNext, such as Accounts, Stock, Buying, Selling or Manufacturing.
Inventory and manufacturing
BOM (Bill of Materials)
The recipe for a manufactured item: the raw materials, quantities and operations needed to make it.
MRP (Material Requirements Planning)
Planning that works out what to buy or make, and when, based on demand and current stock.
UOM (Unit of Measure)
How an item is counted or measured: pieces, kilograms, litres, boxes.
Warehouse
A location where stock is held. ERPNext tracks quantities per warehouse.
Purchase Receipt (GRN)
The record created when goods physically arrive against a purchase order.
Serial and Batch
Ways to track individual units (serial) or groups (batch) of stock for traceability.
Reorder level
The stock quantity at which ERPNext flags that an item needs replenishing.
Buying and selling
Purchase Order (PO)
A formal order sent to a supplier to buy goods or services.
Sales Order (SO)
A confirmed order from a customer to buy your goods or services.
Price list
A set of item prices, which can vary by customer group, currency or territory.
Accounting
General Ledger (GL)
The master record of all financial transactions, organised by account.
Chart of Accounts
The structured list of all accounts a business uses to record transactions.
Accounts Payable / Receivable (AP / AR)
Money you owe suppliers (payable) and money customers owe you (receivable).
Cost Center
A part of the business, such as a department or branch, that costs are tracked against.
Fiscal Year
The 12-month period a business uses for accounting and reporting.
Working in ERPNext
Workspace
A customisable landing area that groups shortcuts, reports and charts for a role.
Report and Dashboard
Reports list and filter data; dashboards visualise key numbers so leaders see performance at a glance.
Role and Permission
Roles group users; permissions control what each role can see and do.
Workflow
A defined sequence of statuses and approvals a document moves through, for example draft to approved to submitted.
More terms you will hear
Journal Entry
A manual accounting entry used to record adjustments that do not come from a standard transaction.
Payment Entry
The record of money received from a customer or paid to a supplier.
Delivery Note
The document that records goods physically shipped to a customer.
Stock Entry
A movement of stock between warehouses, or into and out of production.
Naming Series
The automatic numbering pattern ERPNext uses for documents such as invoices and orders.
Print Format
A customisable template that controls how a document looks when printed or emailed as a PDF.
Keep this ERPNext glossary handy through your project; a shared vocabulary between your team and your implementation partner removes a surprising amount of friction from every scoping and testing conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn all these ERPNext terms?
No. Your implementation partner handles the technical detail. This ERPNext glossary is here so you can follow the conversation and make informed decisions.
Is ERPNext hard to learn for everyday users?
For daily tasks it is straightforward once configured to your processes and taught by role. The vocabulary above mostly matters during setup.
Keep this ERPNext glossary handy as your reference. For source definitions, see the official ERPNext project and the Frappe framework. When you are ready to apply these terms, our ERPNext implementation team turns this ERPNext glossary into a working system.