Mayan EDMS

Mayan EDMS is a mature, scalable open-source document management system for organizations handling large volumes of documents.

🚀 Overview

Mayan EDMS is a free and open-source electronic document management system (EDMS) launched in 2010, designed to store, introspect, categorize, and process documents while preserving their contextual and business metadata. It stands out as one of the most advanced FOSS DMS solutions, with over 10 million downloads, 35,000+ commits, and support from 100+ contributors.

This project solves the challenges of inefficient document storage, retrieval, compliance, and collaboration in organizations by providing features like OCR, versioning, workflows, and fine-grained permissions. It's built for governments, non-profits, commercial businesses, and self-hosting enthusiasts who need a robust, scalable alternative to proprietary systems like SharePoint or Alfresco.

The Mayan EDMS team created it to deliver a high-quality, enterprise-grade open-source DMS that emphasizes longevity, scalability, and extensibility through its REST API and app ecosystem.

✨ Key Features

Document Versioning & OCR: Tracks changes over time and extracts text from scans/images for full-text search, crucial for compliance and accessibility.
Workflows & Permissions: Automates document approval processes with a fine-grained role-based access control system, ensuring security in team environments.
REST API & Linking: Enables integration with other tools and contextual linking between documents, boosting productivity.
Scalability & Preview/Signing: Handles massive scale with previews, electronic signing, and web-based setup; upcoming features include enhanced AI integrations.

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend: Django Templates, HTML, CSS, JavaScript
Backend: Python, Django 5.2 LTS
Database: PostgreSQL 13+
Auth: Built-in Role-Based Access Control
Hosting: Docker Compose, Kubernetes, self-hosted on GNU/Linux; optional Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ/Celery

👥 Who Is This For?

This project is useful for:

Organizations who want to digitize and manage documents compliantly
Teams looking for scalable self-hosted DMS solutions
Indie makers building custom workflows and integrations

📸 Screenshots / Demo

Live demo: No public hosted demo; quick start via Docker Compose (see docs)
GitLab: https://gitlab.com/mayan-edms/mayan-edms
GitHub Mirror: https://github.com/mayan-edms/Mayan-EDMS

🔥 Project Status

🟢 Actively building

Last updated: 2026-03-24

❓ FAQ

Is this project free?

Yes — Open Source (GNU GPL v2 License) (Completely free to use, modify, and distribute; commercial support available.)

Is the source code available?

Yes — https://gitlab.com/mayan-edms/mayan-edms (Mirror at GitHub: https://github.com/mayan-edms/Mayan-EDMS)

Can I contribute?

Yes — Fork the repo on GitLab, submit merge requests, report issues or discuss features on the forum at https://forum.mayan-edms.com/. All contributions welcome!