Carbon

WHAT IS IT?

Carbon is an open source suite for manufacturing that bundles an ERP, a MES for the shop floor and a QMS for quality. It targets complex assembly, contract manufacturing, high-volume production and configure-to-order. The stack is TypeScript on React Router and Supabase (Postgres with row-level security), and it runs either in the vendor's cloud or on your own servers.

WHY IS IT INTERESTING?

• Three apps on one base: the ERP covers sales, purchasing, inventory, items and accounting, the MES handles shop floor execution and job operations, the QMS tracks inspections, non-conformances and CAPAs. Auth and permissions are shared across apps.
• Manufacturing features: MRP, multi-level bills of material, a product configurator, scheduling against real resource capacity and full lot and serial tracking.
• API-first: the API docs are generated from the database schema and browsable inside the ERP. You call it with any Supabase client (JavaScript, Python, Flutter, C#, Swift, Kotlin) and an API key created in the settings. Webhooks and the examples folder are a starting point for building your own apps.
• MCP client and server: Carbon exposes its data to AI assistants, and the monorepo ships generators to add AI agents and tools (pnpm run agent:new, pnpm run tool:new).
• Fine-grained access control: ABAC, Customer, Supplier and Employee roles, Postgres row-level security and composable user groups. Custom fields can be added to any record.
• Rust geometry service: the optional assembler app converts STEP files to GLB and plans assembly motion, built on FCL and OpenCASCADE.
• Well-built dev environment: the crbn CLI creates one Git worktree per branch, each with its own Docker stack (Postgres, Supabase services, Inngest) on dynamic ports. crbn restore loads a production dump locally, with email addresses scrubbed by default.
• Integrations: the website lists Onshape, Xero, Stripe, Slack, Linear, Jira and Zebra (ZPL) label printing.

The code is AGPL-3.0, except for the Enterprise files (the packages/ee folder and any file whose name contains .ee.), which fall under the Carbon Commercial License. That license is also required if you don't want to share your changes with your users, as the AGPL demands. For self-hosting, the website lists deployment on a single box, in your own VPC or fully air-gapped, described as CMMC-compliant.

USE CASES

• Replace a proprietary ERP in a machine shop or at a contract manufacturer.
• Track job progress and material consumption at the work center with the MES.
• Handle non-conformances and CAPAs in the same tool as production.
• Trace lots and serial numbers in regulated sectors such as aerospace, defense or medical devices.
• Build an internal business app on top of Carbon's API and webhooks.