What are the system requirements for running Open edX?
Open edX is a resource-intensive platform that requires a well-configured server. The system requirements depend on the deployment size (number of users) and the installation method (Docker-based Tutor or native installation).
🖥️ Minimum System Requirements (For Small Deployments & Testing)
These specifications are suitable for small-scale testing and development (1-50 users):
| Component | Minimum Requirement |
|---|---|
| CPU | 4-core processor |
| RAM | 8 GB (16 GB recommended) |
| Storage | 50+ GB SSD |
| Operating System | Ubuntu 20.04 or later (64-bit) |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 / MariaDB 10.4+ |
| Web Server | Nginx / Apache |
| Other Dependencies | Docker, Python 3.8+, Redis, Elasticsearch |
🚀 Recommended System Requirements (For Production)
For a medium-sized deployment (500-2,000 users):
| Component | Recommended Requirement |
|---|---|
| CPU | 8-core processor |
| RAM | 16 GB+ |
| Storage | 100 GB SSD+ |
| Operating System | Ubuntu 20.04 or later |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 / MariaDB 10.4+ |
| Web Server | Nginx with Gunicorn |
| Caching | Redis |
| Search Index | Elasticsearch 7.x |
| SSL/TLS | Let’s Encrypt or Custom SSL |
🏢 Large-Scale Deployments (For Universities & Enterprises)
For a high-traffic production environment (10,000+ users):
| Component | Large Deployment Requirement |
|---|---|
| CPU | 16-core+ |
| RAM | 32 GB+ |
| Storage | 200 GB SSD+ |
| Load Balancer | AWS ELB, HAProxy, or Nginx |
| Database | MySQL Cluster or AWS RDS |
| Caching | Redis, Memcached |
| Search Index | Elasticsearch cluster |
| Content Delivery | AWS S3 / Cloudflare CDN |
| Auto Scaling | Kubernetes / AWS Autoscaling |
⚙️ Other Requirements
- Python 3.8+
- Docker & Docker Compose (if using Tutor)
- Node.js 14+ (for frontend services)
- RabbitMQ (for background tasks)
🔥 Hosting Options
You can deploy Open edX on:
- Cloud Servers: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean
- On-Premise: Dedicated Linux servers
- Managed Services: Use Open edX hosting providers
📌 Conclusion
The exact requirements depend on the number of users and traffic.
For small deployments, 8GB RAM and 4 CPUs are fine.
For production, at least 16GB RAM and 8 CPUs are recommended.