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GLPI is an open‑source IT service management solution used to centralize hardware inventory, technical support, and incident management. It is especially popular among companies seeking to improve visibility, organization and the efficiency of IT teams. According to the official GLPI documentation (https://glpi-project.org ), the software is distributed under a free licence and maintained by the company Teclib, with the active participation of the open‑source community. In this review we analyze its main features, common use cases, installation process and comparison with alternative solutions.
What problems does GLPI solve ?
Many organisations have a dispersed, poorly documented IT park or track assets with Excel sheets. Users submit technical support requests without structured follow‑up, leading to time loss and a decline in service quality.
GLPI addresses these difficulties by offering a centralized approach to:
maintain up‑to‑date hardware and software inventory,
manage tickets, incidents and user requests,
structure internal IT processes with workflows,
keep a history of interventions and maintenance.
Thus GLPI positions itself as a reliable open‑source service compared with costly solutions such as ServiceNow or Freshservice.
Key features and capabilities
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Interface and ergonomics | Web interface accessible, adaptable to roles, with summary dashboards |
| Performance | Able to handle small as well as large environments depending on the infrastructure, with optimisation options |
| Customisatio | Large plugin ecosystem, advanced workflow configuration, forms and notifications, REST API for integration |
| Security | Fine‑grained permission management, LDAP and SSO authentication support, regular updates according to project recommendations |
How to install and configure GLPI ?
Download the latest version from the official site (https://glpi-project.org/downloads)
Install a compatible web server, for example Apache, with PHP and a MariaDB or MySQL database
- Unzip the files into your server’s web directory
- Follow the installation wizard that creates the database
- Configure access rights, users and the required modules
- Add plugins if needed, according to the use cases
This procedure is documented on the official website and in the Wiki of the open‑source community.
Use cases for GLPI
GLPI is used in several professional contexts :
Corporate IT department to centralize technical support
- Public authorities to manage outsourcing of multiple sites
- Service providers to handle multi‑client support contracts
- Schools or universities to manage educational equipment
In these scenarios, GLPI often reduces maintenance costs and improves service quality.
Comparison with alternatives
| Criteria | GLPI | ServiceNow | OCS Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ticket management | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Integrated inventory | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cost | Free | Paid | Free |
| Advanced customisation | ✅ | ✅ | Limited |
Advantages and disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Free and open‑source | Significant learning curve |
| Highly customisable thanks to plugins | Some advanced features require technical skills |
| Large open‑source community and available documentation | Optimisations needed for large infrastructures |
Conclusion
GLPI is a mature and robust open‑source solution for organisations looking to structure their IT management. It is particularly suited for IT teams that want a customisable, scalable tool distributed under a free licence. For system administrators, technical support managers or integrators, GLPI represents a credible alternative to more expensive commercial solutions, provided they invest some time in deployment and adaptation.
