Django Shop vs Shopware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-commerce platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Shopware
Flexible open-source commerce for growing brands
| Feature | Django Shop | Shopware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 23 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | E-commerce Platforms | E-commerce Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,317 | ★ 3,430 |
| First released | 2011 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Shopify, WooCommerce | Shopify, Magento |
What are Django Shop and Shopware?
Django Shop
django SHOP is an open-source e-commerce framework for building online stores on top of Django. It provides a flexible product model, cart, and checkout that developers extend for custom shops.
- Django e-commerce framework
- Flexible product model
- Cart and checkout
- Highly extensible
Shopware
Shopware is an open-source e-commerce platform from Germany built with Symfony and Vue.js. The community edition offers a modern admin, headless API, and a rich extension ecosystem.
- Modern Vue.js admin
- Headless API capabilities
- Rule-based merchandising
- Strong extension store
Django Shop vs Shopware: key differences
Django Shop is written in Python, while Shopware is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Django Shop versus MIT for Shopware. Django Shop is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Shopware.
Why pick each one
Choose Django Shop if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Shopware if…
- Polished merchant experience
- Powerful B2B suite available
Watch out for
- Heavy resource needs
- Complex for small shops
Frequently asked questions
Is Django Shop or Shopware better?
Neither is universally better. Shopware has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Django Shop and Shopware free and open-source?
Yes. Django Shop is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Shopware under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Django Shop and Shopware with Docker?
Django Shop: yes. Shopware: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Django Shop or Shopware?
Django Shop has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Shopware. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.