Medusa

The open source Shopify alternative — a headless commerce engine for developers.

TypeScriptLicense: MITLevel: advanced26,000

#ecommerce#headless#commerce#shopify-alternative

About this project

Medusa is a digital commerce platform with a built-in framework for customization. It's a headless, API-first alternative to Shopify that gives you a fully extensible backend (products, carts, orders, payments, fulfillment) so you can build any commerce experience — storefronts, marketplaces, B2B, or subscriptions — with full control of the code.

How to use it

Get started

npx create-medusa-app@latest

This scaffolds the Medusa backend (Node + PostgreSQL) plus an optional Next.js storefront and admin. Customize with plugins and modules, then connect a payment provider (Stripe) and deploy.

💡 How to make a business with it

How to make a business with it

Custom commerce builds — agencies can deliver bespoke, code-owned stores for brands that have outgrown Shopify and bill premium project + retainer fees.
Vertical marketplace — build a multi-vendor marketplace (handmade, B2B wholesale, digital goods) on Medusa and take a transaction cut.
Plugin & theme shop — sell paid Medusa plugins (subscriptions, loyalty, ERP integrations) to the growing developer ecosystem.

Need technical help?

Want help setting up Medusa, customizing it, or building your product on top of it? Knock me — let's talk.