OsCommerce Web Hosting Comparison UK

osCommerce Hosting: For Online Retailers with Programming Skills

osCommerce was one of the first online shop systems released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Nowadays, a large number of forks are based on this system. The shopping system was developed in Germany in 2000 under the name The Exchange Project and was later renamed osCommerce in 2001. The original developer, Harald Ponce de Leon, is still responsible for the project's development. The software is now used worldwide by many online shops. The developers continue their work and, together with an international community, maintain interest in this continuously growing system. Since its launch, an enormous number of extensions have been developed for practically every purpose. Although the system was originally developed for the American market, members of the German community have put together a bundle essential for operating the shopping system in Germany. Many forks and developments such as xt:Commerce, xtModified, and Zen Cart are professionally distributed under new names. In most cases, the basic functions of osCommerce have been retained but supplemented in certain areas with extensions and modifications. In 2011, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warned of a security vulnerability in osCommerce, which was fixed with the release of version 3.0.2.

What Features Does osCommerce Have?

osCommerce is a widely used and freely available open-source shopping system. With its clear administration interface, the system is ideal for installing the numerous available extensions. A key feature of the e-commerce software is the practically unlimited design possibilities for shops in terms of design and functionality. On the server side, the shopping system is written in the open-source scripting language PHP, and MySQL is used as the database system. With sufficient knowledge, users can make independent changes and customizations. The system, like all derived forms, is based on procedural code that is now outdated and no longer state-of-the-art. Extensive customization work is currently required to make this still widely used shopping system legally compliant and modern. Only technically savvy users with knowledge of programming languages and databases have the ability to do this, while all others rely on professional help. Therefore, osCommerce is more suitable for medium and large companies that have the necessary budget for the required programmers.

Design, Layout, and Extensions for osCommerce

Programming and layout are not clearly separated in this shop system. Therefore, customizing the online shop's design is quite complex. Users with programming skills have a clear advantage here. However, those who do not prioritize a unique look for their shop can find a wide range of free and paid templates in the community's pre-made templates. Apart from the necessary country adjustments, the basic version of osCommerce is sufficient for smooth shop operation. Nevertheless, shop owners often desire an additional feature. The shop system can be functionally extended as needed. Fortunately, there is an almost limitless supply of extensions for osCommerce, many of which are offered for free on the manufacturer's website. However, these sometimes outdated modules often need to be manually integrated into the code, which can be time-consuming and error-prone even for those with programming knowledge.

What are the Costs Associated with osCommerce?

osCommerce is an open-source e-commerce solution, meaning shop owners can use and modify the system without having to pay license fees. The extremely stable Apache server, the PHP scripting language, and the MySQL database are also part of the open-source software and can be used for free. If a shop owner lacks the necessary knowledge for setting up and maintaining the shop system, these services can be carried out by one of the numerous agencies for a fee. Costs of varying amounts also apply to the customization or redesign of individual templates for the shop owner. Web providers ensure the reliability, flexibility, and performance reserves during peak times, hence hosting costs are incurred for a professional online shop.

The Pros and Cons of osCommerce

• Out of the box installation
• Integration with ERP systems possible
• Integration with CMS possible
• modular structure
• Currency and tax zones
• extensive statistics
• secure transactions through SSL
• multilingual
• temporary and permanent shopping carts
• lack of plug-in management
• partially outdated modules
• Extensions need to be integrated into the code
• PHP and MySQL knowledge required for customizations

Web Hosting Requirements for osCommerce

The shopsystem only requires minimal hardware specifications. It needs PHP script language support and the MySQL database software. Any system with CGI support can be used as a web server, such as Apache, Microsoft IIS, or Nginx. The program requires 500 MB of disk space for basic installation, with a recommended PHP memory limit of 256 MB. The shopsystem servers can run on Linux, Solaris, BSD, Microsoft Windows, or Mac OS X.

To install, simply transfer the osCommerce files to the server and create a database. The installation process is in English, and the backend interface is also in English. The comfort for the administrator is limited as the program lacks its own editor, requiring manual HTML formatting for product descriptions and image cropping.

Further details on the technical requirements of osCommerce web hosting can be found in the following table:

For detailed information on the technical requirements for the latest Shopware version, please refer directly to the developer at: https://www.oscommerce.com/wiki/index.php?title=Server_Requirements

Alternatives to osCommerce

osCommerce is still very suitable for operating a professional online shop. Shop owners who have solid PHP knowledge and are looking for a flexible shop system with high scalability will surely do well with osCommerce. A major advantage is certainly the extensive support provided by the community. Those who value a comprehensive standard installation and do not possess programming skills should rather opt for one of the many alternatives to osCommerce. Representatively, xt:Commerce, Magento, Shopify, and Drupal can be mentioned.

Also, find out about osCommerce VPS Hosting solutions as a powerful alternative for larger E-Commerce projects.