100 Odoo Developer Interview Questions and Answers

Preparing for an Odoo developer interview is easier when you know the types of questions hiring managers normally ask. A strong understanding of core concepts, such as ORM, Python, XML views, APIs, module structure, Odoo.sh, security rules, helps you stay confident and show your experience clearly. This guide collects the most common Odoo developer interview questions and answers across all levels.

Preparing for the Odoo Developer Interview

Interview preparation is easier when you know how these questions are actually used in the hiring process. That’s why it’s useful to look at how both sides benefit from structured interview questions.

How Sample Interview Questions Help Recruiters

Recruiters use sets of sample questions to compare candidates in a clear and fair way. These questions help them see how well a developer understands the Odoo framework and how the person approaches real technical problems. Recruiters also use these questions to understand if the developer fits the company’s working style and project requirements.

How Sample Interview Questions Help Technical Specialists

Sample Odoo software developer interview questions are useful for developers because they show what hiring managers expect during an interview. Practicing these questions helps developers speak more confidently and avoid long pauses during the interview. It also helps them organize their answers in a simple, clear way. Reviewing these questions also helps you prepare for other topics that often appear in Odoo interviews, including Odoo consultant interview questions and basic system or integration tasks.

List of 100 Odoo Developer Questions and Answers for Interview

Below is a complete list of 100 interview questions for Odoo developer, divided by level and topic. These cover Python, XML, ORM, security, performance, module development, integrations, and system design.

Junior Odoo Developer Interview Questions

Junior Odoo developers are expected to understand the core framework, its modular structure, and basic development concepts. They should be familiar with creating models, fields, views, and basic business logic, as well as working with Odoo’s templating and automation features. The following questions cover foundational knowledge and practical skills required for entry-level development roles.

Middle Odoo Developer Questions

Middle-level Odoo developers are expected to have a deeper understanding of the framework, including the ORM, business logic, performance optimization, and multi-company setups. They should be able to safely customize modules, debug Python and QWeb code, handle access rights, and implement automated processes. The following questions cover practical knowledge and intermediate technical skills required for developers with a few years of experience.

1. Explain the Odoo ORM.
   Answer: The Odoo ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) maps Python classes to database tables and automatically handles CRUD operations. It simplifies database interaction, allowing developers to focus on business logic rather than SQL queries.
   
2. What is lazy loading in Odoo ORM?
   Answer: Lazy loading means records are not retrieved from the database until they are accessed. This improves performance by reducing unnecessary data fetching, especially for large recordsets.
   
3. How do you override create() safely?
   Answer: To safely override create(), call super() to maintain standard behavior, modify or validate values as needed, and then return the new record. This ensures system consistency while adding custom logic.
   
4. How do you prevent infinite recursion in computed fields?
   Answer: Avoid writing to fields inside a compute method without proper conditions, and use @api.depends correctly to specify dependencies. This prevents loops where changes trigger the same compute repeatedly.
   
5. What is context?
   Answer: Context is a Python dictionary used to pass parameters like language, default values, user-specific settings, or UI behavior to methods, actions, or reports.
   
6. How do you add custom filters to a search view?
   Answer: Custom filters are added in the XML <search> view using <filter> tags, which define the field, domain, and optional name or string for the filter.
   
7. How do you handle access rights in custom modules?
   Answer: Access rights are managed using ir.model.access.csv for CRUD permissions and record rules for more granular control over which records users can see or modify.
   
8. How do you load external Python libraries?
   Answer: External libraries are installed at the system level or in a virtual environment and imported into the module’s Python files. Ensure the dependencies are listed for deployment.
   
9. Explain API constraints.
   Answer: @api.constrains validates data after it is saved to the database. It checks conditions and raises errors if data does not meet specified rules, ensuring data integrity.
   
10. What is the difference between stored and non-stored computed fields?
    Answer: Stored computed fields write their values to the database and can be searched or filtered, while non-stored fields are recalculated on access and do not occupy database space.
    
11. Explain how to add a button to a form view.
    Answer: Add a <button> tag in the XML form view and link it to a Python method. You can define its type (object, action, or workflow) and control its visibility using attrs.
    
12. What is a Many2many relation?
    Answer: A Many2many field defines a bidirectional relationship between two models using an intermediate relational table. Each record can reference multiple records in the related model.
    
13. How do you trigger scheduled cron jobs?
    Answer: Cron jobs are defined as XML records of type ir.cron, specifying the Python method, interval, start time, and optional parameters for automated execution.
    
14. Explain the difference between API v7 and v8+.
    Answer: API v8 introduced the new Odoo API with decorators (@api.model, @api.multi, @api.depends) and recordsets, replacing the older style in v7. It improves readability, consistency, and reduces boilerplate code.
    
15. How do you debug Odoo Python code?
    Answer: Python code can be debugged using pdb breakpoints, logging statements, or the Odoo shell to inspect models, fields, and method execution interactively.
    
16. How do you debug QWeb templates?
    Answer: Enable developer mode and use t-debug in templates to inspect variable values. You can also check browser console logs and render the template with sample data.
    
17. What is the purpose of sudo(False)?
    Answer: sudo(False) runs methods with the current user’s privileges instead of superuser access, ensuring proper security and respecting record rules.
    
18. Explain how Odoo handles translations.
    Answer: Translations are handled using .po files stored in i18n/ folders. Each language has its translations, which can be loaded into the system to display labels, messages, and reports in the desired language.
    
19. How do you optimize slow SQL queries in Odoo?
    Answer: Optimize queries using read_group for aggregation, minimizing joins, adding database indexes, avoiding Python loops over large datasets, and using search efficiently.
    
20. What are server actions used for?
    Answer: Server actions execute Python code, create or update records, send emails, or perform other automated backend tasks triggered manually or by workflow events.
21. What is a computed Many2many?
    Answer: A computed Many2many field calculates its related records dynamically, often based on other fields or conditions, without storing the results in the database.
    
22. How do you manage multi-company behavior?
    Answer: Multi-company behavior is managed by using the company in context, setting proper domain restrictions, and testing workflows across companies to ensure correct access and data visibility.
    
23. What is Odoo’s caching mechanism?
    Answer: Odoo caches computations, method results, and RPC calls to improve performance. Understanding caching helps prevent stale data and optimizes system responsiveness.
    
24. How do you use name_get()?
    Answer: name_get() defines how records are displayed in dropdowns or relational fields. Customizing it allows adding prefixes, codes, or other identifying information for clarity.
    
25. What is the difference between filtered() and search()?
    Answer: filtered() operates on existing recordsets in memory, while search() queries the database to retrieve records that match the given domain.

Senior Odoo Developer Questions

Senior Odoo developers are responsible for designing scalable and modular architectures, optimizing performance for large datasets, managing complex workflows, and integrating Odoo with external systems. They must ensure code quality, security, and maintainability while handling multi-threading, multi-company setups, and enterprise-level deployments. The following questions cover advanced technical skills and strategic development knowledge expected at a senior level.

1. How do you design a modular Odoo architecture?
   Answer: Design modular architecture by splitting domain logic into small, independent modules with clear responsibilities and dependencies. This ensures easier maintenance, testing, and future upgrades while minimizing inter-module conflicts.
2. Explain the Odoo ORM’s prefetching system.
   Answer: Prefetching loads fields for multiple records in batches, reducing the number of database queries. It improves performance by fetching related data in advance rather than on-demand for each record.
3. How do you handle large datasets efficiently?
   Answer: Handle large datasets by using read_group for aggregation, SQL indexes for faster searches, batch processing, server-side pagination, and avoiding loading unnecessary fields.
4. How would you optimize a heavy compute method?
   Answer: Optimize heavy computations by using stored fields, minimizing nested loops, batching operations, and caching intermediate results to reduce redundant calculations.
   
5. Explain how Odoo handles multi-threading.
   Answer: Odoo uses multiple worker processes to handle requests concurrently. Shared resources like the database or cache must be carefully managed to avoid race conditions or deadlocks.
   
6. How do you scale Odoo for thousands of users?
   Answer: Scale by deploying multiple workers, separating PostgreSQL databases, using caching layers (Redis), load balancing, and optimizing queries and workflows for high concurrency.
7. How do you design custom APIs in Odoo?
   Answer: Use controllers with JSON routes and proper authentication. Validate input, handle errors gracefully, and follow Odoo security standards to expose safe and reliable endpoints.
   
8. Explain the difference between RPC, JSON-RPC, and XML-RPC.
   Answer: RPC is a general term for remote procedure calls. JSON-RPC and XML-RPC are transport formats for executing Odoo methods remotely. JSON-RPC is preferred for modern integrations due to better performance and compatibility.
   
9. How do you integrate third-party systems with Odoo?
   Answer: Integrate using REST APIs, webhooks, or direct database access with caution. Ensure proper authentication, data mapping, error handling, and testing to maintain system integrity.
10. Explain the role of compute_sudo.
    Answer: compute_sudo=True allows a computed field to run with elevated rights, bypassing record rules, which is useful when calculations require access to restricted records.
    
11. How do you implement custom security layers?
    Answer: Use a combination of record rules, access rights, secure controllers, and field-level filters. Validate all inputs and restrict API endpoints to prevent unauthorized access.
    
12. What is the purpose of prefetch=False?
    Answer: Disabling prefetch (prefetch=False) prevents Odoo from preloading field values for all records in a recordset, reducing memory usage when only a few records are accessed.
    
13. Explain Odoo’s bus service.
    Answer: The bus service enables real-time communication for notifications, chat messages, and POS updates using long polling or websockets. It allows live data updates without page reloads.
    
14. How do you use Odoo’s multi-website framework?
    Answer: Multi-website support allows configuring domains, menus, themes, and content per website. It ensures that different websites can run independently while sharing the same backend.
    
15. How do you optimize Python code in Odoo?
    Answer: Optimize Python code using caching, minimizing loops, leveraging vectorized operations, and avoiding unnecessary database queries. Profiling tools can identify bottlenecks.
    
16. How do you debug worker crashes?
    Answer: Debug by checking Odoo and worker logs, isolating the problematic worker, reproducing the issue with multithreading disabled, and inspecting memory usage or misconfigurations.
    
17. Explain the deployment steps for Odoo Enterprise.
    Answer: Deployment involves installing dependencies, configuring folders and permissions, setting up the database, configuring workers, reverse proxy, SSL, and finally testing the system before going live.
    
18. What is your approach to version migrations?
    Answer: Version migration requires analyzing custom modules, checking compatibility, using OpenUpgrade for schema changes, rewriting incompatible code, and thorough testing to ensure functional parity.
    
19. How do you structure complex business flows in Odoo?
    Answer: Structure workflows using reusable models, mixins, well-defined methods, clear separation of domains, and modular design to maintain clarity and reduce coupling between components.
    
20. How do you secure API endpoints?
    Answer: Secure APIs with authentication tokens, session validation, HTTPS, rate limiting, input validation, and logging. Restrict access to authorized users only.
    
21. Explain DB indexing strategy in Odoo.
    Answer: Add indexes on frequently searched or filtered fields, unique constraints, and foreign keys. Avoid unnecessary indexes that increase write overhead.
    
22. What is the purpose of test cases in Odoo?
    Answer: Test cases ensure the system behaves as expected, prevent regressions during upgrades, validate workflows, and increase confidence in customizations or new module deployments.
    
23. How do you test performance?
    Answer: Test performance using profiling tools, analyzing logs, simulating load, checking slow SQL queries, and optimizing code and workflows accordingly.
    
24. How do you manage module dependencies?
    Answer: Keep dependencies minimal, clearly declare them in manifests, and avoid circular dependencies. Proper management ensures smooth installation, upgrades, and maintenance.
    
25. Explain your experience with Odoo.sh.
    Answer: Odoo.sh provides cloud hosting with staging and production branches, CI/CD pipelines, build logs, submodule management, and easy deployments. Experience includes managing builds, reviewing logs, and coordinating team workflows.

Practice-Based Odoo Developer Technical Questions

This section focuses on hands-on, practical tasks that test an Odoo developer’s ability to implement real-world solutions. Candidates are expected to demonstrate skills in Python coding, XML view inheritance, server and automated actions, QWeb reports, cron jobs, data handling, security rules, and caching. These questions simulate common scenarios faced in Odoo projects and assess problem-solving and technical proficiency.

1. Write a method that calculates a discounted price.
   Answer: Create a Python method that takes price and discount as parameters, applies the discount formula (price * (1 - discount / 100)), and returns the resulting discounted price. Ensure input validation to handle edge cases like negative values.
2. Add a server action that creates a record from context values.
   Answer: In the server action, read values from self.env.context, then use self.env['model.name'].create({...}) to create a new record dynamically based on the context data.
3. Add a new tab in a form view using inheritance.
   Answer: Inherit the original form view in XML and use <xpath> to insert a new <page> inside the <notebook>. This allows adding a custom tab without modifying the original view.
4. Create a Many2many relation with a custom relation table.
   Answer: Define fields.Many2many('related.model', 'custom_table', 'col1', 'col2') in the model. This creates a bidirectional relation using a manually specified intermediary table with custom column names.
5. Override unlink() to restrict deletion.
   Answer: Override the unlink() method in Python, check conditions for restricted records, raise UserError for forbidden deletions, and call super() for records allowed to be deleted.
6. Build a controller that returns JSON data.
   Answer: Define a route using @http.route() in a controller class, process any logic needed, and return JSON data using json.dumps() or request.make_response() with proper headers.
7. Create an automated action to archive old records.
   Answer: Define an automated action that searches for records older than a specific date and sets active = False to archive them. This can be scheduled or triggered manually.
8. Add a computed field showing overdue invoices.
   Answer: Create a computed field with @api.depends('invoice_date', 'payment_state'), and calculate the number of unpaid invoices past their due date for each record.
9. Create a cron job running daily at midnight.
   Answer: Define an ir.cron XML record with interval_type="days" and numbercall=-1, set the nextcall to midnight, and link it to a method that performs the scheduled task.
10. Add a QWeb report for a custom document.
    Answer: Create a QWeb template in XML with the document layout, then define a report action referencing the template and model so it can be printed or exported.
11.  Write a domain filter selecting active partners only
    Answer: Use the domain [('active', '=', True)] in a search view or record query to filter and display only active partner records.
12. Add a security rule restricting access per department.
    Answer: Create a record rule that filters records based on the user’s department, e.g., [('department_id', '=', user.department_id.id)], combined with proper access rights in ir.model.access.csv.
13. Build a wizard that updates multiple records.
    Answer: Create a transient model and apply updates to selected records in a confirm method.
14. Add assets (JS/CSS) to a frontend module.
    Answer: Create a transient model for the wizard, provide selection fields for target records, and define a confirm method that iterates over the selected records to apply updates.
15. Implement caching using tools.misc.
    Answer: Register the JavaScript and CSS files in the module’s manifest under the assets section for frontend or backend, so they are loaded automatically when the module is installed.

Tricky Odoo Developer Questions

Tricky Odoo developer questions assess a candidate’s understanding of subtle pitfalls, best practices, and advanced technical behavior in Odoo. These questions go beyond basic coding and configuration, focusing on potential issues in performance, security, data integrity, and system stability that can occur in real projects.

1. What happens if you forget super() in create/write?
   Answer: Omitting super() skips important system logic defined in parent methods, such as automated fields, constraints, and notifications. This can cause unexpected bugs, broken workflows, or data inconsistencies.
2. Why is writing inside compute dangerous?
   Answer: Writing to fields inside a compute method without safeguards can trigger recursive loops, leading to infinite computations or severe performance issues. Proper conditions and @api.depends must be used.
3. How does Odoo handle circular dependencies in XML?
   Answer: Circular dependencies occur when views reference each other in a loop. Odoo stops loading the affected view and raises an error, preventing unpredictable behavior in the user interface.
4. Why might sudo() cause security problems?
   Answer: sudo() bypasses record rules and access rights, which can expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized changes if misused in code or controllers.
5. Why is editing Odoo core files not recommended?
   Answer: Direct modifications to Odoo core files are overwritten during updates, making maintenance difficult and introducing instability. Customizations should always be done via modules.
6. Why does onchange not write to DB?
   Answer: onchange updates only the form view temporarily for the user interface. Data is not saved to the database until the record is explicitly created or updated.
7. Why can computed fields slow down list views?
   Answer: Non-stored computed fields are recalculated every time the view is rendered. Large datasets or complex computations can significantly slow down list or kanban views.
8. Why is importing data via ORM safer than SQL?
   Answer: The ORM ensures all validations, constraints, and automated actions are executed. Direct SQL bypasses these checks, increasing the risk of inconsistent or invalid data.
9. Why does a Many2many search sometimes fail?
   Answer: Failures often occur if the relation table, field definitions, or domain conditions do not match the expected structure. Correct relation mapping is crucial.
10. Why is modifying a selection field risky across modules?
    Answer: Changing selection options can break dependencies in other modules that rely on the original values, potentially causing errors in workflows, reports, or business logic.

Tips for Odoo Interview Preparation for Candidates

Stepping into an Odoo interview is much easier with a bit of structure. A quick preparation plan helps highlight real experience, stay confident, and show a clear understanding of the platform.

• Review common Odoo developer technical interview questions and practice answering aloud.
• Prepare examples from your real projects, especially ORM logic and integrations.
• Be ready to explain Odoo module structure, inheritance, and view architecture.
• Know Odoo.sh basics: staging, builds, logs, submodules.
• Review your past work so you can discuss it clearly and confidently.
• Update your Odoo developer resume to match the job description.
• Know your expected compensation and understand the Odoo developer hourly rate in your region.
• Practice explaining your code and reasoning in simple language.

Conclusion

Preparing for an interview becomes much easier when you know what to expect. Reviewing common interview questions and answers helps you stay confident and explain your ideas clearly. Use this list to practice, update your developer resume, and get a better sense of what companies look for. With steady preparation, every interview becomes less stressful and your chances of receiving an offer increase.