Thelia

Thelia is a mature, PHP‑based e‑commerce framework that has been powering online stores in France and abroad since 2005. At its core, it is a full‑stack application that exposes a RESTful API, a powerful templating engine, and an extensible module system. Developers can treat Thelia as either a headless backend (serving JSON to a SPA or mobile app) or as a traditional server‑rendered storefront. The architecture is deliberately modular: core services such as product catalog, order management, and payment processing are decoupled from presentation layers, allowing teams to swap or augment components without touching the underlying engine.

• Language & Framework: PHP 8.x, Symfony 6 components (HTTP Foundation, Console, EventDispatcher) form the backbone. The core is structured around Symfony bundles, which simplifies integration with other Symfony‑based projects.
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB (default) or PostgreSQL via Doctrine ORM. The schema is fully data‑driven, with migration support that keeps production databases in sync across environments.
• Templating: Twig, enabling dynamic rendering of product pages, checkout flows, and admin dashboards. Developers can override any template or create new ones using Twig inheritance.
• API: A RESTful API built on Symfony’s Serializer component. Endpoints cover products, categories, orders, customers, and custom resources exposed by modules. The API supports pagination, filtering, and full CRUD operations.
• Event System: Symfony EventDispatcher powers a rich hook system. Modules can listen to events such as order.completed or product.created, making it trivial to integrate with ERP, CRM, or external analytics services.

• Multisite & Multilingual: Thelia natively supports multiple domains and languages, with a single database schema that isolates content per site. This is ideal for B2B marketplaces or brands operating in multiple regions.
• Advanced Cart & Checkout: Customizable cart logic, coupon handling, tax calculation, and shipping modules. Developers can replace the default shipping calculator with a custom plugin that pulls rates from external carriers.
• Extensible Module System: Modules are Symfony bundles packaged as Composer packages. The marketplace includes modules for payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe), shipping carriers, ERP integrations, and even full PIM solutions. New modules can be authored in minutes by extending base classes.
• Webhooks & Callbacks: Thelia can emit webhooks on key events, allowing real‑time synchronization with external systems such as inventory management or marketing automation platforms.

Thelia is designed for self‑hosting, giving developers full control over the stack. It runs on any LAMP/LEMP environment and can be containerized with Docker Compose or Kubernetes. The official Docker image exposes standard ports (80/443) and includes scripts for database migrations, cache clearing, and static asset compilation. Horizontal scaling is achieved by sharing a common MySQL instance or using read replicas; the stateless nature of the API layer allows for easy load‑balancing across multiple web nodes.

• Plugin Architecture: Modules are discovered automatically via Composer autoloading. They can register services, controllers, Twig extensions, and Doctrine mappings without modifying core files.
• API Hooks: Developers can create custom endpoints or extend existing ones by defining new controllers that consume the Thelia\Core\Api services. Authentication is handled via OAuth2 or API keys.
• Webhooks: Outbound webhooks can be configured per event, with payload customization. This is particularly useful for synchronizing order data with third‑party ERP or CRM systems.
• Custom Templates: The Twig integration allows developers to override any core template. Combined with CSS/JS asset pipelines, this gives complete control over the front‑end experience.

Thelia’s documentation is extensive, with a dedicated developer portal that covers installation, module development, API usage, and deployment best practices. The community is active on GitHub, Discord, and dedicated forums; most core bugs are addressed within days. Configuration is primarily YAML‑based, enabling version control of environment settings. The modular design reduces the learning curve for new contributors: a developer can start by creating a simple module that adds a custom field to the product form and gradually explore deeper layers of the framework.

• Click & Collect / Drive: Store chains can expose a unified online catalog while routing orders to local POS systems. Thelia’s integration hooks and API make this workflow seamless.
• B2B Marketplaces: Multisite support, custom pricing models, and ERP connectivity allow large enterprises to maintain separate storefronts for different customer groups.
• Headless Commerce: Front‑end teams can build React or Vue apps that consume Thelia’s API, while the backend remains a robust PHP service handling business logic.
• Custom ERP/CRM Integration: The API and event system enable tight coupling with internal systems, ensuring inventory levels, pricing, and order statuses stay in sync.

• Performance & Flexibility: Symfony’s HTTP cache and Doctrine’s lazy loading keep response times low, while the modular architecture lets teams drop or replace components as needed.
• Licensing: Thelia is released under the MIT license, offering unrestricted use in commercial projects without royalty obligations.
• Local Control: Self‑hosting eliminates vendor lock‑in, giving