Odoo Inheritance Explained: _inherit vs _name vs _inherits

If you’ve worked with Odoo for a while, you’ve probably come across inheritance—and maybe even felt a bit confused by it.

At first glance, _inherit, _name, and _inherits might seem similar. But in reality, they serve very different purposes. Understanding this properly can make a huge difference in how clean, scalable, and maintainable your modules are.

In this blog, let’s break it down in a simple, practical way—so you know exactly when to use what.

Why Inheritance Matters in Odoo

Odoo is built around reusable models like:

• res.partner (Contacts)
• sale.order (Sales)
• product.template (Products)
• hr.employee (Employees)

Now imagine rewriting all of this logic every time you need a small customization. That would be a nightmare.

This is where inheritance comes in.

It allows you to:

• Extend existing functionality
• Reuse fields and methods
• Avoid duplicate code
• Keep your customizations upgrade-safe

In short, inheritance is what makes Odoo development efficient and powerful.

_inherit — When You Want to Extend

Think of _inherit as:

 “I don’t want to create something new. I just want to improve what already exists.”

This is the most commonly used inheritance in Odoo.

Example

from odoo import models, fields

class ResPartner(models.Model):
    _inherit = 'res.partner'

    customer_code = fields.Char("Customer Code")

What’s happening here?

• You’re extending the existing res.partner model
• Adding a new field (customer_code)
• No new table is created

You’re simply enhancing the same model.

When should you use it?

Use _inherit when you want to:

• Add fields to existing models
• Override methods
• Customize workflows
• Extend standard behavior

This is your go-to option in most cases.

_name — When You Want Something Completely New

Now think of _name as:

 “I want to build something from scratch.”

Example

from odoo import models, fields

class LibraryBook(models.Model):
    _name = 'library.book'
    _description = 'Library Book'

    name = fields.Char("Book Name")
    author = fields.Char("Author")

What’s happening here?

• You’re creating a brand-new model
• Odoo creates a new database table
• It’s completely independent

This is not an extension—this is creation.

When should you use it?

Use _name when you want to:

• Build new modules
• Create new business objects
• Define your own workflows

👉 Example: booking systems, approvals, custom master data, etc.

_inherits — When You Want to Reuse Without Copying

This is where things get interesting.

Think of _inherits as:

“I want a new model, but I also want to reuse another model’s fields.”

Example

from odoo import models, fields

class HospitalPatient(models.Model):
    _name = 'hospital.patient'
    _inherits = {'res.partner': 'partner_id'}

    partner_id = fields.Many2one('res.partner', required=True, ondelete='cascade')
    patient_id = fields.Char("Patient ID")

What’s happening here?

• You create a new model (hospital.patient)
• It is linked to res.partner
• All partner fields (name, phone, email, etc.) are available

Behind the scenes:

• Data is stored in multiple tables
• But it behaves like a single model

When should you use it?

Use _inherits when:

• Your model depends heavily on another model
• You want to reuse fields without duplicating them
• You need separate identity but shared structure

👉 Example: Employee ↔ Partner, Patient ↔ Contact

The Difference (Made Simple)

Common Mistakes Developers Make

This is where many developers struggle:

• Mixing up _inherit and _inherits
• Using _inherits when _inherit is enough
• Expecting _inherit to create a new model
• Forgetting the linking field in _inherits

These mistakes can lead to bad database design and complex bugs.

Best Practices

To keep your code clean and maintainable:

• Use _inherit for most customizations
• Use _name for independent models
• Use _inherits only when delegation is truly needed
• Avoid overcomplicating your model structure

 Always choose based on business logic, not convenience.

Odoo inheritance is powerful—but only when used correctly.

• _inherit → Extend existing models
• _name → Create new models
• _inherits → Delegate and reuse fields

Once you understand this clearly, your module design becomes:

• Cleaner
• More scalable
• Easier to maintain

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