OpenCart

OpenCart is a free, open‑source e‑commerce platform that provides a professional foundation for building and managing online stores. It runs on PHP ≥ 8.0 and is released under the GPL‑3.0 license, allowing anyone to host the software themselves without subscription fees. The project includes tools for installation, upgrading, and local development, with a Docker‑based environment to simplify setup on various operating systems.

The system targets online merchants and developers who need a self‑hosted shopping cart solution that can be extended through community‑contributed modules and themes. Documentation covers bug reporting, contribution guidelines, and coding standards, encouraging collaborative improvement while maintaining code quality through automated linting and testing.

What distinguishes OpenCart is its focus on a stable, mature codebase that is freely available and fully customizable, supported by an active forum and a clear process for handling security and functional issues. The Docker setup and clear contribution workflow make it accessible for both new users and experienced developers.