Saleor

Saleor is a GraphQL‑native, API‑only e‑commerce platform designed for composable architecture. It exposes a comprehensive GraphQL schema that covers product catalog, orders, payments, shipping, and user management. The backend is intentionally decoupled from any frontend technology, enabling developers to build custom storefronts with React, Vue, Flutter, or even static site generators while still leveraging the full power of Saleor’s commerce logic. By treating every interaction as a GraphQL operation, Saleor eliminates the need for REST endpoints or mixed‑model APIs, resulting in a predictable and type‑safe contract that is easy to version and document.

Saleor’s core stack is built on Python 3.11 and the Django framework, with Graphene‑Django for GraphQL integration. The service layer is heavily event‑driven: business rules are implemented as Django signals and custom middleware, while asynchronous tasks run on Celery with a Redis broker. The data layer uses PostgreSQL 15, leveraging its JSONB and full‑text search capabilities for metadata and product attributes. For performance, Saleor employs GraphQL caching with a custom CacheControl directive that exposes TTLs to client libraries. The entire application is container‑first; official Docker images are provided for each component (API, worker, scheduler), and the deployment model follows Kubernetes patterns with Helm charts available for production workloads.

• Schema‑First API: A single, versioned GraphQL schema with introspection and SDL export. Clients can generate types in TypeScript, Kotlin, or Swift automatically.
• Webhooks & Subscriptions: Out‑of‑the‑box support for outbound webhooks on order events, inventory changes, and channel updates. GraphQL subscriptions enable real‑time UI sync via WebSocket or long polling.
• Apps & Metadata: A lightweight plugin system where third‑party apps register GraphQL extensions and custom resolvers. Arbitrary key/value metadata can be attached to any entity (products, orders, users) for integration with external services.
• Channel Management: Multi‑tenant support through “channels” that isolate pricing, stock levels, and locales. Each channel has its own currency, tax configuration, and shipping zones.
• Payment & Shipping Integration: Built‑in adapters for Stripe, PayPal, and custom payment processors via a pluggable gateway interface. Shipping methods are configurable per channel with dynamic rate calculation.

Saleor is self‑hostable on any infrastructure that supports Docker or Kubernetes. The official Helm chart allows zero‑downtime upgrades and horizontal scaling of API replicas, Celery workers, and Redis. For smaller setups, a single‑node Docker Compose configuration suffices, with PostgreSQL and Redis bundled. The application is cloud‑native: it respects environment variables for configuration, supports health checks, and integrates with Prometheus/Grafana dashboards out of the box. Autoscaling can be achieved by coupling Kubernetes HPA with request metrics or Celery queue depth.

The platform exposes a public GraphQL endpoint and an internal schema that can be introspected by any client. Developers can extend the API by writing custom Django apps that add new fields, mutations, or subscriptions; these extensions are automatically merged into the global schema. Webhooks can be configured via the admin UI or programmatically, allowing downstream services (CRM, ERP, analytics) to react instantly. Additionally, Saleor’s metadata system lets you attach structured data to core entities without schema changes, facilitating integration with legacy systems or external data stores.

Saleor’s documentation is hosted at docs.saleor.io and follows a component‑first structure: API reference, developer guides, and example integrations. The codebase is heavily linted with Ruff, ensuring a consistent style across contributions. A vibrant community exists on Discord, GitHub Discussions, and Twitter, where developers can request features or report bugs. The open‑source license (MIT) removes feature fragmentation, and the unified codebase means you always run the latest version without vendor lock‑in.

• Headless Retailers: Brands that need a custom mobile app or progressive web app can use Saleor as the backend while building UI in any framework.
• Multi‑Channel Commerce: Companies operating across regions can use channels to manage local pricing, taxes, and inventory without code changes.
• Enterprise Integrations: With webhooks and metadata, Saleor can be hooked into ERP systems, marketing automation platforms, or custom analytics pipelines.
• Rapid Prototyping: The API‑first approach allows developers to spin up a functional store in minutes, iterate on the schema, and deploy new features without redeploying the entire stack.

Saleor offers performance through GraphQL caching and asynchronous workers, flexibility via a plugin‑friendly architecture, and license freedom with an MIT license. Its monolithic but modular Django base ensures a single source of truth, while its cloud‑native deployment model scales effortlessly. For developers seeking a modern, composable commerce platform that can be fully self‑hosted and extended with minimal friction, Saleor provides a compelling balance of power, simplicity, and community support.