Odoo vs SAP
A technical comparison of OpenAPI adoption, REST maturity, and developer tooling between two enterprise platforms.
| Aspect | Odoo v19 | SAP BTP |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAPI Spec |
No official spec
Not published; third-party solutions only
|
@sap/openapi-specification
Full OpenAPI 2.0 & 3.0 support
|
| API Protocol |
JSON-RPC 2 (v19)
XML-RPC deprecated in v19, removal planned for v20; JSON-RPC 2 is the active path
|
OData + REST
Modern open standards throughout
|
| API Hub |
None
No centralised discovery portal
|
api.sap.com
SAP Business Accelerator Hub
|
| Interactive Docs |
/doc endpoint
Auto-generated and browsable in v19; not OpenAPI-based
|
Swagger UI
Full OpenAPI docs with live try-it
|
| REST Support |
Not native
JSON-RPC 2 is the native protocol; REST requires third-party App Store modules
|
Native REST
Across all SAP products
|
| Swagger / OAS UI |
Third-party only
|
Built-in
Integrated in SAP Integration Suite
|
| Code Generation |
Basic tooling
/doc generates Python/JS code snippets; odoo-client-lib available; no typed client generator
|
SAP Cloud SDK
OpenAPI generator for typed clients
|
| Standards Era |
Transitioning
Actively replacing XML-RPC with JSON-RPC 2; a deliberate architectural choice, not stagnation
|
Modern
OData + OpenAPI; note OData's verbosity adds implementation complexity
|
| OData Support |
N/A — different paradigm
Odoo uses model/method RPC, not OData; comparing here is like faulting SAP for not using Odoo's protocol
|
Primary protocol
+ OpenAPI conversion tools
|
| LLM / AI Ready |
Partial
No OpenAPI spec for automated tool generation; JSON-RPC 2 is manually consumable by any LLM
|
Good
OpenAPI enables automated tool generation; OData verbosity can complicate LLM parsing
|
| 3rd-Party Integration |
Mixed
JSON-RPC 2 works with any HTTP client or Postman directly; REST-based integrations need App Store modules
|
Native
Postman, Azure APIM, and more out-of-box
|
| API Versioning |
Manual
No built-in versioning; requires custom development
|
Standardised
Built into OpenAPI spec management
|
| Auth Methods |
API Keys, Session
No native OAuth2 in v19
|
OAuth2, API Keys
+ SAP Principal Propagation
|
| Developer Tools |
Functional
/doc auto-generates Python/JS samples; odoo-client-lib available; no full SDK
|
Advanced
SDK, generators, IDE plugins
|
| API Discovery |
Browsable /doc
Auto-generated model/method browser; not OpenAPI-based
|
Automated
Via OpenAPI spec browsing
|
| API Governance |
Limited
|
Comprehensive
API Management, policies, SLAs
|
| Verdict |
Odoo's model/method paradigm is internally consistent and deliberate — JSON-RPC 2 replaces legacy XML-RPC and the /doc endpoint provides real discoverability. The practical gaps are real: no OpenAPI spec, no native REST or OAuth2, and lighter tooling compared to OpenAPI-first platforms.
3 / 5
|
SAP BTP's OpenAPI-first approach, centralised API hub, and mature tooling set a high bar for enterprise interoperability. OData's verbosity and BTP's steep learning curve temper the picture, but for standards conformance, SAP leads clearly.
4 / 5
|
Intentional architecture, not neglect — but the absence of OpenAPI, native REST, and OAuth2 creates real integration overhead at scale.
Leads on standards conformance. OData complexity and BTP's steep curve are real, but the ecosystem depth is unmatched.
Compiled February 2026 · Based on public API documentation · Odoo v19 / SAP BTP