CoreShop

CoreShop is a fully self‑hosted e‑commerce framework that extends the powerful Pimcore platform. From a developer’s standpoint, it provides a modular, PHP‑based codebase that can be dropped into any existing Pimcore installation or used as a fresh project. The core of CoreShop is built on Symfony 6, leveraging its dependency injection container, event system, and routing infrastructure. This tight integration allows developers to expose custom services or override existing ones with minimal friction, while still benefiting from Pimcore’s unified data model and object‑relational mapping.

Key Features

• PIM/MDM Integration: CoreShop taps into Pimcore’s data objects to expose a full product catalogue, variant handling, and multi‑channel availability. Developers can write custom data object types or use the existing Product class to model complex SKUs.
• RESTful & GraphQL APIs: The framework ships with a comprehensive API layer that supports CRUD operations on products, orders, customers, and inventory. These endpoints can be extended or secured with OAuth2 or API tokens.
• Event‑Driven Architecture: CoreShop’s event dispatcher enables plugins to hook into order lifecycle events (order.created, payment.completed) or inventory updates, making it straightforward to integrate third‑party services such as ERP or shipping providers.

Technical Stack

• Language: PHP 8.1+
• Frameworks: Symfony 6, Pimcore 12.x (extends its core bundles)
• Database: Doctrine ORM with MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL; optional MongoDB for catalog search via Elasticsearch.
• Front‑end: Twig templates with optional React/Vue integration; API responses are JSON/GraphQL.
• Testing: PHPUnit, Behat (UI & API), static analysis via PHPStan.

Deployment & Infrastructure

CoreShop is designed for containerized deployment. A Docker Compose example in the repository defines separate services: pimcore, db, and optional elasticsearch. The application is stateless except for session storage, making it horizontally scalable behind a load balancer. For high‑availability, you can run multiple Pimcore instances with shared database and cache (Redis or Memcached). The open‑source license (MIT) allows unrestricted use in production, while enterprise extensions provide additional features such as advanced product bundles or multi‑tenant support.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugin System: CoreShop follows Pimcore’s bundle architecture; developers can create custom bundles that register services, event listeners, or admin UI panels.
• Webhooks: The API exposes configurable webhooks for order events, inventory changes, and customer lifecycle stages.
• Customization: Because the product model is a Pimcore data object, you can add arbitrary fields or relationships without touching core code.
• SDKs: Official SDKs (PHP, JavaScript) wrap the REST/GraphQL endpoints, simplifying integration with front‑end SPAs or mobile apps.

Developer Experience

Documentation is centralized at docs.coreshop.com, offering a quick‑start guide, API reference, and developer hub. The community is active on GitHub; issue tracking and pull requests are well‑maintained. Configuration is largely YAML‑based, aligning with Symfony conventions, and the use of environment variables makes CI/CD pipelines straightforward. The framework’s modularity means you can start with a minimal install and incrementally add features (e.g., payment gateways, shipping modules) as your project grows.

Use Cases

• Enterprise Catalog Management: Companies with complex product hierarchies can leverage Pimcore’s MDM layer to maintain a single source of truth while exposing an e‑commerce storefront.
• Multi‑Channel Sales: CoreShop can publish products to marketplaces (Amazon, eBay) via custom plugins that sync inventory and order data.
• B2B Platforms: The extensible pricing engine allows for tiered discounts, custom tax rules, and contract‑based ordering.
• Headless Commerce: With robust GraphQL support, developers can build decoupled front‑ends (React, Flutter) while keeping business logic on the server.

Advantages

• Unified Data Layer: Eliminates data duplication between PIM and e‑commerce, reducing sync errors.
• Open Source Flexibility: MIT license removes vendor lock‑in, while the modular bundle system keeps core lean.
• Performance: Symfony’s HTTP cache and Doctrine’s query optimizations provide fast responses even for large catalogs.
• Community & Enterprise Support: Active development, frequent releases, and a partner program give confidence for production deployments.

In summary, CoreShop offers developers a robust, extensible foundation that marries Pimcore’s data management strengths with modern e‑commerce requirements. Its clean architecture, comprehensive APIs, and container‑friendly deployment make it a compelling choice for any organization looking to build or scale an online store on top of proven open‑source technology.