Before Odoo.sh was introduced, there were two ways to host Odoo instances. The first was to use Odoo online, which is a Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud service. The second method was the on-premises option, in which you needed to host an Odoo instance and configure it on your server by yourself. Now, both of these options have pros and cons. In the Odoo online option, you don't need to carry out any configuration or deployment, as it is an SaaS service. However, you cannot use custom modules on this platform. On the other hand, with the on-premises option, you can use custom modules, but you need to do everything by yourself. You need to purchase the server, you need to configure Nginx, and you need to set up the mail server, daily backups, and security.

For this reason, there was a need for a new option that provided the simplicity of Odoo online and the flexibility of the on-premises option. Odoo.sh lets you can use custom modules without complex configuration. It also provides additional features, such as testing branches, staging branches, and automated tests.