Sustainability and maintenance:
• Is this a project for which I would have access to the source code?
Yes, ABMaterial has been OpenSourced for a while now
• Are updates and improvements offered continuously?
Lattest version is v5.15 (first open source version) and no further development is to be expected as the framework has proven to be very stable
• Is it a project designed to be maintained long-term, without risk of being abandoned, considering that my ERP is intended to operate for several decades?
As long as you keep all the project dev in a "time capsule", meaning you keep the same IDE version and ABMaterial Lib, you should be good for a few centuries...
Programming and server requirements:
• What are the programming requirements to use ABMaterial? Is it compatible with modern IDEs and development workflows, for example using git with multiple developers?
Two part question, two part reply:
1 - The programing requirements are B4J (as it is a framework created to be coded in it), and it compatible with latest IDE version
2 - Well, as stated in the first part of this reply, It was created to be coded in B4J, so you can code in any Non-Specific-Language IDE, but you will need B4J to compile it.
As for GIT, I never did use it that, but each "Page" is a code module, so I guess it is easily used with GIT
• What type of server is required? Can the project be uploaded to standard hosting, or does it require a VPS/dedicated server?
It's a webapp... it runs Java code! So it needs a VPS.... not necessarily a dedicated on, but for YOUR requirements, I would go the dedicated VPS route
• Are there specific requirements regarding operating system, web server, database, or other components? For example, can it run on Linux + PostgreSQL + Apache or similar configurations? What additional software is required for it to work?
ABM encapsulates a Jetty web server, so any other webserver, if to be maintained in parallel, with need some redirection config.
Yes it can run in linux, and you can use any database engine you choose, as long as it is supported by B4J. Typically, you don't need anything else to run ABM, except for very particular cases...
• Are there performance considerations when handling multiple databases and several hundred (likely thousands) of clients, aside from the server hardware characteristics?
The Author of ABM (
@alwaysbusy ) uses it as part of his company software tools, with webaaps deployed to their clients specifications... so I would say yes, specially with company specific databases
Long-term requirements, development flexibility, and high performance:
• The software I choose must be a stable and sustainable solution for several decades, as the ERP is intended to run long-term and cannot depend on technologies that might be abandoned or left without support.
• I need full flexibility to create complex forms of all types, especially master/detail screens, multiple levels of detail, dynamic forms, and custom structures typical of an ERP.
• The development environment must allow building screens without structural limitations or overly rigid layouts.
• The system must operate efficiently even with many concurrent users working simultaneously on the ERP.
• It is also essential that the architecture allows managing hundreds (or thousands) of separate databases — one per company — with stable and predictable performance.
Well, no software is forever... you should already know that... Still, ABM exists for over 10 years now, and, although no longer updated,
@alwaysbusy still provides support in the forum...
My main question is:
Is ABMaterial suitable for a project of this type? Does it offer the flexibility, robustness, and long-term support necessary to develop a web-based ERP that handles multiple databases, integrates with common business hardware/devices, and runs efficiently on web servers?
That's for you to decide... All I (we, those who have explored, used, and helped evolve ABM along with
@alwaysbusy ) can do, is point you to the demo page of ABM
Hope to have been of help
