The Smartstore Open Source Community Edition – Free Entry into Professional E-Commerce

In the jungle of open-source e-commerce systems, one platform is increasingly coming into focus: Smartstore. Especially the Open Source Community Edition offers a powerful, full-fledged e-commerce solution without license fees – and with a user experience that covers professional shops as well.

What is the Smartstore Community Edition?

The Smartstore Community Edition is the free, open-source base version of the Smartstore platform – a modern e-commerce framework that supports both B2C and B2B shops. As an open source solution, it offers all the basic functions necessary for building, managing, and growing an online store and forms the foundation of all higher-level Smartstore editions.

The fully open source code allows not only to use the software but also to customize, extend, and integrate it into one's own development and corporate landscape.

Technical Basis and Architecture

Smartstore is based on the Microsoft technology stack, including:

  • State-of-the-art architecture with  ASP.NET Core 9 domain-driven  Entity Framework Core 9 design
  • Cross-platform: Runs on Windows, Linux, or Mac.
  • Docker Provides instant  support for easy deployment
  • Composable, extensible, and highly flexible thanks to modular design.
  • Highly scalable with full-page caching and support for web farms.
  • Thanks to theme inheritance, the powerful theme engine allows for creating or customizing themes and skins with minimal effort.
  • Point&Click theme configuration
  • Liquid Template Engine: Highly flexible templates for emails and campaigns with autocomplete and syntax highlighting
  • HTML-to-PDF converter: Creates PDF documents from regular HTML templates, fundamentally simplifying the customization of PDF output.
  • Consistent and sophisticated use of modern components such as  Vue.js ,  Sass ,  Bootstrap & more in frontend and backend.
  • Easy shop management thanks to modern and clear user interface

Functional Highlights of the Community Edition

1. Modern Shop Frontend & Backend

The Community Edition comes with a modern, responsive theme ("Flex"), optimized for desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, providing a contemporary UX. Online store operators can customize the design at the click of a button with hundreds of configuration variables without making code changes. The backend is clearly structured, enabling intuitive management of all shop areas – from products to orders to customers and marketing actions.

2. Extensive Catalog and Product Management

Smartstore supports:

  • Unlimited number of products

  • Product variants and attributes

  • Bundles and digital products (ESD)

  • Discount and voucher rules

This makes the Community Edition suitable for both traditional physical products and digital goods and complex product structures.

3. Out-of-the-box Marketing and Sales Tools

Even in the Community Edition, numerous functions are included to promote sales:

  • Newsletter features

  • Product reviews & ratings

  • Cross promotions

  • Loyalty and partner programs

These integrated tools allow operators to implement basic marketing strategies without additional extensions.

4. Global Reach & Multishop Support

Smartstore considers multilingualism and multishop not as an additional feature but as basic functionality:

  • Multilingual front- and backend texts

  • Support for different currencies

  • Multishop operation from a single installation

This allows merchants to operate different brands or country shops in parallel without managing multiple systems.

5. SEO and Performance Optimization

By default, Smartstore is designed for search engine-friendly structures:

  • Responsive layouts for Google Mobile-First

  • Canonical tags, friendly URLs, breadcrumbs

  • Optimized loading times through modern technologies

SEO elements are an integral part of the system and not just available as an add-on.

Why Open Source? Advantages at a Glance

The decision to offer Smartstore as an Open Source Community Edition pursues specific goals:

  • No costs, no license or subscription fees.

  • Transparency and adaptability through open source code on GitHub.

  • Community ecosystem with forums, extensions, developer assistance.

  • Upgrade path to premium or enterprise editions if needed.

Open source here means not only "free" but also control, flexibility, and future-proofing, as companies can further develop or customize the software themselves.

Use Cases & Target Groups

The Community Edition is particularly suitable for:

  • Beginners in e-commerce who want to start without investment.

  • Developers and agencies who want to build a custom solution.

  • Medium-sized retailers who want to design their shop infrastructure flexibly.

  • Companies with specific integration or customization needs.

Thanks to its high functionality, almost any standard e-commerce use case can be implemented with it.

International Case Study: Vehicle Marketplace Zingxe.vn Based on Smartstore


An impressive example of the international applicability of the Smartstore Open Source Community Edition is the Vietnamese vehicle platform www.zingxe.vn. The marketplace works conceptually similar to www.mobile.de in Germany but is functionally much broader in scope.

Zingxe.vn/ combines a classic online vehicle market with integrated services like vehicle inspection, auction or bidding mechanisms, document and registration services, and financing and insurance offers. The platform primarily targets end customers but also integrates dealers, inspection stations, banks, and insurers into a common digital ecosystem.

Technically remarkable is that this complex marketplace model was implemented based on the Smartstore Open Source Community Edition. The project shows that Smartstore is not only suitable for linear B2C shops but also serves as a flexible platform for vertical marketplaces with individual workflows, regional specialties, and high transaction volumes.

With nationwide coverage in Vietnam, tens of thousands of inspected and traded vehicles, and physically connected inspection sites, Zingxe.vn demonstrates the scalability and adaptability of Smartstore in the international environment. Especially for companies planning industry-specific marketplaces or hybrid online-offline models, this example provides practical proof of how far the Community Edition can be developed without proprietary license models.

Conclusion

The Smartstore Open Source Community Edition is a serious contender in the field of modern e-commerce software. It combines:

✔ Functionality comparable to many commercial systems
✔ Technologically modern platform on ASP.NET Core
✔ Full openness and adaptability
✔ No license fee

This makes the Community Edition suitable not only for beginners but also for professional projects that have to meet individual requirements. For many shop operators, Smartstore can therefore be a cost- and technology-conscious entry into the world of e-commerce, which can be expanded at any time if needed. 

Do you have questions about this topic? Or would you like to send us your feedback? You can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com or by phone from Monday to Friday between 10 am and 4 pm at +4923153350.