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What is OpenCart?

OpenCart is a free open-source ecommerce platform designed for online merchants. It provides a professional and reliable foundation to build a successful online store with all the features you need to start selling online.
OpenCart requires PHP 8.0 or higher and runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS environments.

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Key Features

OpenCart offers a comprehensive set of features for building and managing your online store:
  • Product Management: Add unlimited products with multiple images, options, and variants
  • Multi-Store Support: Manage multiple stores from a single admin interface
  • Payment Gateway Integration: Support for numerous payment methods out of the box
  • Shipping Methods: Integrate with major shipping providers
  • Theme System: Customizable themes using the Twig template engine
  • Extension Marketplace: Thousands of extensions and modules available
  • SEO-Friendly: Built-in SEO features for better search engine visibility
  • Multi-Language & Multi-Currency: Sell globally with full internationalization support

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Technology Stack

OpenCart is built using modern, proven technologies: 
{
  "php": ">=8.0.2",
  "template_engine": "twig/twig ^3.18.0",
  "css_processor": "scssphp/scssphp ^1.10.0",
  "configuration": "symfony/yaml ^7.4.1",
  "cloud_services": "aws/aws-sdk-php ^3.336.13"
}
Check out the composer.json file in the source repository for the complete list of dependencies.

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Architecture Overview

OpenCart follows a custom MVC-A (Model-View-Controller-Admin) pattern: 
upload/
├── admin/          # Admin panel application
├── catalog/        # Frontend storefront application
├── extension/      # Extensions and modules
├── system/         # Core framework files
│   ├── engine/     # Core classes
│   ├── library/    # Helper libraries
│   ├── config/     # Configuration files
│   └── storage/    # Vendor dependencies
├── image/          # Product and content images
├── assets/         # CSS, JavaScript, fonts
└── install/        # Installation script

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System Requirements

Before installing OpenCart, ensure your server meets these requirements:
1

PHP Version

PHP 8.0.2 or higher is required
2

Required PHP Extensions

The following PHP extensions must be enabled:
  • curl - For HTTP requests
  • gd - For image processing
  • zip - For file compression
  • mbstring - For multi-byte string handling
3

Database

MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.2+ (compatible databases also supported)
4

Web Server

Apache 2.4+ or Nginx 1.18+ with proper URL rewriting support

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Version Numbering

OpenCart uses a 4-part version numbering system: MAJOR.MINOR.FEATURE.PATCH
  • MAJOR: Rare, significant rewrites or breaking changes
  • MINOR: Significant changes affecting core structures (may break some 3rd party modules)
  • FEATURE: New extensions or features added (low risk for 3rd party modules)
  • PATCH: Bug fixes and safe updates (e.g., 1.2.3.4 → 1.2.3.5)
Always backup your store before upgrading to a new MINOR or MAJOR version, as these may break compatibility with existing extensions.

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Community & Support

OpenCart has a vibrant community and multiple support channels:

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License

OpenCart is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3), which means:
  • ✅ Free to use for commercial purposes
  • ✅ Free to modify and distribute
  • ✅ Access to source code
  • ℹ️ Modifications must also be open-source under GPLv3

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Next Steps

Ready to get started with OpenCart? Here’s what to do next:

Installation

Learn how to install OpenCart on your server

Quick Start

Get your store up and running quickly

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

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