Django Oscar vs Sylius
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Django Oscar | Sylius |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,628 | ★ 8,542 |
| First released | 2011 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Shopify, Magento | Magento, Shopify Plus |
What are Django Oscar and Sylius?
Django Oscar
Oscar is an open-source e-commerce framework for Django. Rather than a turnkey store, it provides flexible building blocks that can be overridden to model complex commerce domains.
- Highly customizable models
- Class-based override pattern
- Strong catalog and pricing
- Django ecosystem integration
Sylius
Sylius is an open-source e-commerce platform built on the Symfony framework. It targets mid-market and enterprise stores that need a fully customizable, API-first commerce solution.
- Built on Symfony components
- API-first architecture
- Behavior-driven testing baked in
- Highly customizable codebase
Django Oscar vs Sylius: key differences
Django Oscar is written in Python, while Sylius is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Django Oscar versus MIT for Sylius. Django Oscar is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Sylius. Sylius lists first-class Docker deployment; Django Oscar does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Django Oscar if…
- Extremely flexible
- Good for complex domains
Watch out for
- Requires Django expertise
- Not a ready-made store
Choose Sylius if…
- Clean, modern PHP codebase
- Strong testing culture
Watch out for
- Requires Symfony knowledge
- Steeper learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Django Oscar or Sylius better?
Neither is universally better. Sylius has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Django Oscar and Sylius free and open-source?
Yes. Django Oscar is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Sylius under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Oscar and Sylius with Docker?
Django Oscar: check the project docs for container support. Sylius: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django Oscar or Sylius?
Django Oscar has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Sylius. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.