Magento
By Adobe (Adobe Commerce)
Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform built on PHP, offering deep customization and extensibility for online stores; it is now developed by Adobe under the Adobe Commerce brand, with Magento Open Source remaining as a free,…
Definition
Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform built on PHP, offering deep customization and extensibility for online stores; it is now developed by Adobe under the Adobe Commerce brand, with Magento Open Source remaining as a free, self-hosted edition.
Overview
Magento was built as a highly extensible e-commerce platform for merchants and developers who need deep customization beyond what hosted SaaS platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce typically allow. As open-source software, Magento Open Source can be downloaded and self-hosted on a merchant's own infrastructure, giving full access to the underlying PHP codebase, database schema, and module system for customization. After its acquisition by Adobe, Magento's commercial, cloud-hosted edition was rebranded as Adobe Commerce, integrating more tightly with Adobe's broader marketing and experience-management products, while Magento Open Source continues as a free, community-maintained edition of the core platform. Magento's architecture is built around a modular system of extensions and themes, and it is commonly chosen for complex catalogs, multi-store/multi-currency setups, and B2B commerce requirements that demand extensive backend customization. Because Magento offers so much flexibility, it typically requires more specialized development and hosting expertise than a hosted platform like Shopify — a tradeoff that has led many smaller merchants toward simpler SaaS options, while larger enterprises with dedicated development resources continue to use it for highly tailored commerce experiences, alongside comparable open-source alternatives like PrestaShop and OpenCart.
Key Features
- Open-source PHP codebase available for self-hosting and deep customization
- Modular architecture supporting extensions, themes, and custom modules
- Adobe Commerce offers a commercial, cloud-hosted edition with added features
- Supports complex multi-store, multi-currency, and multi-language setups
- Strong B2B commerce capabilities for wholesale and enterprise merchants
- Requires more specialized hosting and development expertise than SaaS platforms