# REBUILD: a configurable Java platform for CRM, MES, WMS and workflow systems

> A Chinese enterprise management system built around graphical entity design rather than code, distributed as a Docker image or a SpringBoot jar, and dual licensed under GPL-3.0 and a commercial agreement.

**getrebuild/rebuild** — 最新版全面支持AI智能！通过自然语言操作业务数据，支持 Skills/工具/知识库/MCP。高度可配置化的国产企业管理系统，企业内部可免费商用！零代码/低代码快速搭建WMS库存管理、MES生产报工、CRM客户管理、HRM人事管理，以及 TMS/ERP 等

- Repository: https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild
- Website: https://getrebuild.com
- Stars: 1,069 · Forks: 257
- Language: Java
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/getrebuild-rebuild

## Configurable business systems rather than a framework to extend

REBUILD positions itself as a highly configurable enterprise management system, and the README is explicit about what it is not for: it focuses on implementing business requirements rather than on basic technical frameworks or project starter templates.

That distinction is the product. Most Java administration systems give you a framework and expect a developer to model your business in code. REBUILD expects a business user to draw it. The core idea, described as an open design approach, is graphical zero-code construction of business entities, fields and layouts with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get result.

The capability table in the README lists seven areas: zero-code entity modelling, process automation through triggers, approval flows and scheduled tasks, fine-grained permissions by team, role and department, a built-in AI assistant, a web plus mobile experience, open integration through OpenAPI with Java and SpringBoot extension, and simple deployment from a single package supporting Docker, private cloud or local installs.

The repository is Java, GPL-3.0, with 1069 stars, 257 forks and only 9 open issues, which is a low issue count for a project of this scope. It is not archived and the last push was on 2026-09-20, with the most recent release being 4.4.11 four days earlier.

There is a hosted nightly demo, and the default super administrator credentials are published as `admin` / `admin`, which is the kind of detail you will want to change immediately on any real deployment.

## One Docker command gets you a running instance

The installation story starts with a single container, and it is the shortest one in this batch:

```bash
docker run -d --name rebuild -p 18080:18080 getrebuild/rebuild:latest
```

Port 18080 is the consistent entry point across all three install methods, and the README suggests pairing the container with MySQL for production rather than relying on the embedded database.

The second path is a downloadable package, offered in two flavours: `standalone`, which bundles everything, and `boot`, which is a SpringBoot `jar`. The README is careful to say the two are functionally identical and differ only in what you need on the machine. The standalone build is unpacked and started with `start-rebuild.bat` or `start-rebuild.sh`.

The third path compiles from source, and the README attaches a warning to it: for production, use the `master` branch, because other branches are development branches with uncertain behaviour.

```bash
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild.git
mvn package
java -jar target/rebuild.jar
```

A Maven wrapper is committed as `mvnw` and `mvnw.cmd`, alongside `build.sh` and `build.ps1`, so a clean checkout can build without a system Maven install.

## Every runtime dependency is optional but one

The development environment table is unusually clear about what is mandatory. Only one row is marked required:

| Dependency | Requirement |
| --- | --- |
| JDK 1.8+ | required, compatible with OpenJDK |
| MySQL 5.6+ | optional, H2 database included |
| Apache Maven 3.6+ | optional, bundled with the IDE |
| Redis 3.2+ | optional, built-in Ehcache by default |
| Tomcat 8.0+ | optional, built-in Tomcat by default |

The pattern is substitution with a built-in fallback, and it is the reason the Docker image is a single command rather than a compose file with five services. Swap in MySQL when you want durability and concurrent write behaviour beyond what the embedded database gives you, swap in Redis when your deployment needs a shared cache across instances.

Packaging has the same two-option structure. REBUILD builds as either a `jar` or a `war`, with no functional difference, defaulting to the SpringBoot `jar` mode and the `BootApplication` entry point. Running under an external Tomcat means uncommenting one specific line in `pom.xml`, marked in the source with the comment `UNCOMMENT USE TOMCAT`, which is a pleasantly low-friction arrangement for shops that standardise on external containers.

The JDK 1.8 floor is the one thing to check against your own standards, since it means the codebase still targets a Java version many organisations have retired.

## Version 4.5 turns the AI assistant into a platform

The 4.5 feature list is the most substantial recent addition and it changes what the AI assistant is for. The architecture was overhauled with a standalone window mode, and a toolset was added covering more than 30 operations reachable from a conversation: entity and field management, automation, data operations, flow management and report export.

The other three additions are the ones that matter architecturally. Custom skills and knowledge base question answering let an organisation upload its own documents and get answers grounded in them. MCP protocol support runs in both directions: the assistant can consume MCP, and it can act as an MCP server so external AI clients can call into the system.

That last point is the significant one. Exposing a business platform as an MCP server turns every configured entity into something an external agent can operate, which is a considerably larger surface than adding a chat box. Whether that is desirable depends entirely on the permission model, and REBUILD does have one: team, role and department level controls are a listed core capability.

The remaining 4.5 items are unglamorous and tell you what the users actually needed. Charts gained a word cloud and a ranking view with colour options on numeric values. Form image and attachment fields support paste-to-upload. Record conversion supports automatic field mapping. The mobile app gained the AI assistant and a dark theme.

The smaller releases show the maintenance cadence, with 4.4.9, 4.4.10 and 4.4.11 shipping weekly in late August and September 2026. Their contents are bug fixes in formula evaluation, reference field filtering and duplicate value checks, one fix for a `IFNULL` function problem, and one entry that matters operationally: a fix for a CNVD-listed security vulnerability.

## Dual licensing shapes what you can rely on

REBUILD is dual licensed, and this is the part of the README that deserves careful reading rather than skimming. The project uses a GPL-3.0 open source licence together with a commercial licence, and use of the software is deemed a voluntary commitment to accept all terms of the user service agreement.

The README also carries a commercial licence badge alongside the GPL one, and the project description states that internal commercial use is free within the enterprise. So there is a free tier and a paid tier, and the paid tier exists to support continued development while unlocking additional advanced features.

What the open source version gives you is the whole configurable core: entity design, flows, permissions, mobile, OpenAPI. What the paid tier adds is not itemised in the README, which is the practical gap. For an organisation that needs the AI assistant's higher tiers, that ambiguity is the thing to resolve with the vendor rather than assume.

The repository tree backs up the licensing story in an unusual way. Alongside `LICENSE` and `SECURITY.md` there is a `COMMERCIAL` directory and an `@rbv` and `@rbvp` pair at the root, which look like separate commercial and packaged variants of the source. The JavaScript lint package.json also declares GPL-3.0 with two lint targets, one for `src/` and one for `@rbv/`, confirming that those directories carry their own frontend assets.

The `.mcp/` directory in the tree is a small but concrete confirmation that the MCP support in 4.5 has real configuration living in the repository.

## Who this suits and where it stops

The README includes a table of intended users, which is more useful than a generic feature list because it names the situations. Enterprise IT teams use it to stand up CRM, MES or WMS systems quickly with configurable entities, permissions and flows. Small and medium businesses use the free version for basic needs. Business managers use it for sales, supply chain and production work. Organisations replacing an old OA system or spreadsheet-based management get data migration, multi-entity relations and audit tracking. Developers use it for integration through OpenAPI and SpringBoot extension.

The common thread is a company with real processes and limited engineering capacity. Where that is your situation, the entity designer plus the trigger and approval system is a substantial amount of work delivered without writing code.

Where it stops is equally clear. The documentation for all of it lives outside the repository, on getrebuild.com, split across a quick start guide, installation guides, developer documentation and a changelog. The README is a good advertisement and a thin manual, and a system this configurable needs the manual. The primary documentation is also in Chinese, which is a real constraint for teams outside that market.

The topics list gives a sense of lineage and neighbours: akaunting, monica, erpnext, plus crm, erp, tms, oa, hr and workflow. That is a family resemblance to other open-source business platforms rather than a unique architecture, which is reassuring in one sense and means your alternatives include projects you have already evaluated.

## Conclusion

REBUILD is a genuine answer to a specific problem: a company that needs a CRM or an inventory system but has no IT department, and would rather configure entities through a designer than write and maintain a SpringBoot application. That focus explains both its strengths and its edges. The entity designer, the trigger and approval system, and the field-level permissions are where the accumulated work sits. The deployment story is unusually friendly for an enterprise Java product, since a single Docker command is enough to see it running. Licensing is the part to read carefully, because free internal commercial use sits alongside a commercial licence that unlocks the higher tiers, and the AI assistant added in 4.5 is where that split will show up first.

## FAQ

### What is REBUILD and what is it used for?

It is a highly configurable enterprise management system written in Java, focused on implementing business requirements through graphical configuration rather than code. It is used for CRM, MES, WMS inventory, approval workflows, TMS and HR systems, with the entity designer defining business entities, fields and layouts without writing code.

### How do I run REBUILD locally?

One Docker command is enough: `docker run -d --name rebuild -p 18080:18080 getrebuild/rebuild:latest`, then open port 18080. You can also download a `standalone` or `boot` installer package and start it with `start-rebuild.bat` or `start-rebuild.sh`, or compile with `mvn package` and run `java -jar target/rebuild.jar`.

### What databases and runtimes does REBUILD need?

Only JDK 1.8 or newer is required. MySQL 5.6, Apache Maven 3.6, Redis 3.2 and Tomcat 8.0 are all optional, with built-in defaults of an H2 database, Ehcache and an embedded Tomcat. It also packages as a jar or a war, with the war option enabled by uncommenting one line in `pom.xml`.

### What AI capabilities does REBUILD 4.5 add?

Version 4.5 overhauls the AI assistant with a standalone window mode and more than 30 tools covering entity and field management, automation, data operations, flow management and report export. It also adds custom skills, knowledge base question answering from uploaded company documents, and MCP support in both directions, including acting as an MCP server for external AI clients.

### Is REBUILD free to use for a company?

The project is dual licensed under GPL-3.0 and a commercial licence. Internal commercial use within an enterprise is free, and the paid commercial licence adds higher-tier features and more advanced technical support in exchange for supporting the project's continued development.

## Sources

- [getrebuild/rebuild on GitHub](https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild)
- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [Project website](https://getrebuild.com)
- [README](https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild/blob/master/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/getrebuild/rebuild/releases)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/getrebuild-rebuild