NocoBase

Posted on Jan 17

4 Lightweight Enterprise Software for Business Processes (With Real-World Cases)

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Originally published at https://www.nocobase.com/en/blog/4-lightweight-enterprise-software-for-business-processes

As a company grows and team roles become more diverse, adopting software to manage internal operations and business processes is almost inevitable.

Many teams start with off the shelf SaaS products: one for sales, another for task management, and a separate tool for customer support. This may seem efficient in the short term, but as more systems are added, per user subscription fees add up quickly. Processes and data become spread across multiple tools, making collaboration more complicated rather than simpler.

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Some teams choose to build a custom system that includes all required functions from the start. While this approach offers greater flexibility, it usually comes with higher costs and longer development cycles. When business priorities change, additional modification and maintenance costs follow, and the system can turn into a burden instead of a solution.

Recently, I came across a similar case on Reddit. A user shared that his team consists of only a few people, yet they are already subscribed to several per user tools for sales tracking, task management, and customer support. As collaboration increased, their monthly software expenses rose rapidly. Despite the investment, sales and operations data remained fragmented across different systems, and workflows were not any simpler.

In the discussion, some commenters pointed out that for these kinds of needs, many open source tools are already capable of covering them effectively.

Compared with vertical SaaS products, these tools focus more on the processes themselves. Compared with large scale custom projects, they are better suited for ongoing adjustment around business workflows, with more predictable costs and greater flexibility for configuration and extension.

Against this background, this article introduces four open source tools designed for business process management. Using real world examples, it outlines common ways these tools are used across different organizations and business scenarios.

Four open source lightweight enterprise software solutions

NocoBase

NocoBase is an open source, AI-driven enterprise system builder designed for internal business applications. It is well suited for organizations that need centralized management of data, workflows, and permissions. Built on data models and a plugin-based architecture, it supports the creation of approval systems, ticketing systems, ledgers, project management tools, and other business applications that support core internal processes and management logic.

Official website: https://www.nocobase.com

GitHub link: https://github.com/nocobase/nocobase

GitHub stars: 21.1k

Open source license: Apache-3.0 (commercial friendly)

Reasons for recommendation

Data model–driven system building

NocoBase uses data models as the foundation for system design, organizing business data through configurable tables, fields, and relationships. Core system capabilities such as pages and permissions are also defined on top of these data models. This allows different types of business systems to be built and managed within a single platform, making it suitable for use cases such as approvals, ticketing, and ledgers.

A permission system for multi-role and multi-department collaboration

The platform provides permission control based on roles, resources, and actions, with access and operation scopes configurable at multiple levels. Permissions can be refined down to individual fields, allowing different roles to view and modify different fields within the same data object. This makes it well suited for workflows involving multiple departments and responsibilities.

Composable business capabilities through a plugin-based architecture

NocoBase organizes its functionality as plugins. Different business systems can assemble the required capabilities based on actual needs, enabling multiple types of workflow systems to be built on the same platform. Capabilities can be adjusted or extended without disrupting existing system structures.

AI agents embedded in business processes and information handling

The system introduces configurable AI agents that can take on different responsibilities, including information organization, content generation, and structured output. These AI agents operate within the system’s data models, interface configurations, and business context, and can be placed at specific workflow steps to participate directly in execution.

Appsmith

Appsmith is an open source internal tool development framework designed primarily for engineering teams. It is used to quickly build interactive internal tools and management applications, commonly transforming existing data from databases and APIs into operable back-office interfaces for daily management, data maintenance, and internal operations.

Official website: https://www.appsmith.com

GitHub link: https://github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith

GitHub stars: 38.9k+

Open source license: Apache-2.0 (commercial friendly)

Reasons for recommendation

An operational interface for business systems

Appsmith typically serves as the operational layer of business systems. It is often used to organize data and APIs from existing systems into tables, forms, and simple interactive interfaces, enabling internal users to view data, make updates, and handle routine management tasks without direct exposure to databases or API details.

Clear and straightforward role and permission management

Appsmith provides role-based access control to define what different users can view and modify. For tools intended mainly for internal use, this level of permission granularity is generally sufficient for everyday management needs.

Using scripts to supplement essential business logic

When visual configuration alone cannot cover all requirements, Appsmith allows scripts to handle data processing and interaction logic. Simple workflow decisions and data transformations can be implemented directly within the tool, without building additional systems.

Budibase

Budibase is an open source, self-hosted low-code application builder that visually combines databases, forms, and pages into internal applications. Its workflows and logic focus primarily on data operations and event-driven automation. For advanced business systems that require complex state transitions, deep business rules, or large-scale cross-system coordination, additional scripting or integration with other systems is typically required.

Official website: https://budibase.com

GitHub link: https://github.com/Budibase/budibase

GitHub stars: 27.5k

Open source license: GPL-3.0 (commercial licensing available for certain features)

Reasons for recommendation

Data-first application building

Budibase applications typically start with data tables. By configuring forms and pages, data is directly turned into usable application interfaces. This makes it well suited for workflows focused on data entry, maintenance, and viewing.

Well suited for form-driven workflows

In practice, Budibase is often used to build processes centered on form submissions and status updates, such as requests, registrations, and internal records. The workflow logic is straightforward and easy to configure.

Built-in basic permissions and user management

Budibase provides role- and user-based access control to define how different users can interact with applications and data. This application-level permission model is well suited for teams with clearly defined processes and responsibilities.

NocoDB

NocoDB is an open source, self-hosted collaborative database platform designed to quickly turn existing relational databases into visual, collaborative table interfaces. By directly mapping database schemas, it enables non-technical users to view, maintain, and collaborate on data without working with SQL or database internals.

Official website: https://nocodb.com

GitHub link: https://github.com/nocodb/nocodb

GitHub stars: 61.5k

Open source license: AGPL-3.0 (community edition)

Reasons for recommendation

A data-layer tool built directly on existing databases

NocoDB does not replace the underlying database. Instead, it runs on top of existing databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, mapping existing table structures into interactive table interfaces. This approach is ideal for teams that already have databases but want to lower the barrier to everyday data access.

Spreadsheet-centric collaboration and data maintenance

The platform offers spreadsheet-like interactions for data entry, editing, and viewing. It supports multi-user collaboration and basic access control, and is commonly used for internal ledgers, configuration tables, and routine business data maintenance.

An API-first approach to data access

NocoDB automatically generates REST and GraphQL APIs for each table, allowing it to function both as an internal collaboration interface and as a data access layer for other systems, making integration with existing applications and tools straightforward.

Real-World Use Cases

Different businesses, scenarios, and industries require different types of internal systems, and the software that supports business processes naturally varies as well. Below are real-world examples of how NocoBase is used across industries, showing how these systems are built and put into practice.

Project Management in Technology Companies

ED is a Brazil-based technology company. To support internal delivery and project execution, the company built a suite of internal collaboration systems on top of NocoBase, covering core workflows such as project management, ticket handling, and vendor management. These systems help centralize data, permissions, and processes throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Project management platform: Manages the full lifecycle of client delivery projects, bringing project data, status updates, and collaboration relationships into a single system.
Ticketing system: Handles external support and service requests, allowing users to submit and track tickets while workflows automatically drive follow-up actions.
Vendor management system: Manages vendor invoice uploads and payment approvals, with automated processing enabled through data models and workflow configuration.

💡 Read the full story: NocoBase as ED’s Technology Foundation: From Internal Systems to Commercial Products

Equipment Operations and Maintenance Management in Manufacturing

Biel Crystal is a global manufacturer in the consumer electronics industry. With equipment-heavy production lines and complex processes, the company needed to move equipment inspection workflows from paper-based records to an online, real-time management system.

Using NocoBase, Biel built an equipment inspection system to manage equipment status records, fault histories, and on-site exception data in one place. The system connects frontline staff with back-office managers through shared data and collaborative workflows, making maintenance information easy to search, track, and circulate.

💡 Read the full story: BIEL Crystal’s Digital Factory: Powering 1.85 Billion Units a Year

Human Resources Management in the Real Estate Industry

HouseWell is a leading company within Japan’s Century 21 real estate brokerage network, with businesses spanning property sales, rental management, renovation, insurance consulting, and IT services. As the company grew beyond 100 employees, HR processes such as personnel management and leave requests still relied on paper or spreadsheets, leading to low efficiency, frequent errors, and limited traceability.

With NocoBase, the HouseWell team quickly built an administrative and HR management system to digitize common back-office workflows. Employees can submit leave requests through online forms, and approvers can review and process them immediately, enabling fully paperless operations. The team also created visual HR dashboards to view organizational structure, role distribution, and recruitment status in real time.

💡 Read the full story: What made Japan's leading real estate firm switch from Salesforce to open-source NocoBase?

Task Management in the Healthcare Industry

Zhuozheng Medical is a chain of general medical clinics operating across multiple cities in China. The organization promotes a “family doctor–style” care model that emphasizes proactive follow-ups, personalized services, and long-term patient relationships. With a broad service network and diverse workflows, traditional systems could not meet its need for high-frequency, lightweight, and fragmented operations, leading the team to adopt NocoBase as a unified internal tool platform.

Using NocoBase, the Zhuozheng Medical team first built a follow-up management system that brings together clinical data, historical medical orders, and appointment information. Doctors and nurses can view patient status and create tasks from a single workspace. As adoption expanded, teams across multiple departments began building their own tools on the same foundation, forming a cohesive internal collaboration ecosystem.

💡 Read the full story: How Distinct HealthCare Uses NocoBase to Build a Personalized, Long-Term Care System

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