Cheap & Best Shopware Hosting in UK

Here you can find more information about Shopware web hosting:

What is Shopware web hosting and what is it used for?

Shopware web hosting is a special online shop web hosting designed specifically for running the E-Commerce solution Shopware. Customers can rely on a web space that ensures optimal performance and smooth operation when using Shopware as their online shop software.

Shopware is a popular E-Commerce system for the convenient creation, management, and coordination of online shops of various sizes. Among its features are high flexibility and innovation, as well as support for a variety of official extensions such as templates, add-ons, and plugins. Developed by a German company, Shopware complies with the legal requirements for operation in the country, unlike some international software packages. It also has an open API (Application Programming Interface) through which external programs or providers like payment services, logistics, or inventory management systems can communicate with Shopware. The manufacturer, shopware AG, provides a package management system with over 4000 verified extensions and plugins that users can access for secure operation and compatibility between components. This allows users to customize their online shop in a particularly flexible way.

What's behind Shopware?

The first version of Shopware was originally developed in response to a customer request from Hamann-Media GmbH in Münsterland. This start-up, founded in 2003 by brothers Stefan and Sebastian Hamann, focused on sophisticated IT solutions for commercial purposes. With its modularity, stability, refined aesthetics, and tailored adaptation to the German market, Shopware quickly gained popularity and spread, especially in the German-speaking region. Since 2008, the software has been developed and supported by Shopware AG, founded by the two developers along with Stefan Heyne, to meet the high demand. In addition to the paid edition, a version licensed under Open Source has been available since 2010, aiming to facilitate entry and transition for small businesses. In 2011, the Enterprise Edition was introduced, targeting large companies and extensive webshops, allowing distribution across multiple servers or clusters. Shopware now serves international brands and corporations.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Shopware?

Advantages:

• One-time acquisition costs
• Specially developed version available for the German market
• Includes 12 months of support
• High performance in the base version
• Suitable for projects of any size
• Open API enables integration of external providers
• Clean and intuitive interface requiring minimal training
• Extensive German-language wiki and support
• Geared towards individual customer needs and complex pages
• Enhanced marketing through "Storytelling"
• Over 4000 official extensions available

Disadvantages:

• Limited functionality of the Community Edition
• Restricted multi-client capability for overarching management
• System partially encrypted under proprietary license
• Less templates complicating customization

What are the costs involved in operating a Shopware web hosting?

The total costs of operating a Shopware web hosting consist of two main cost components: Firstly, there are the costs for web hosting to be paid to the web hosting provider. Secondly, there are costs for the license fees of Shopware to be paid to Shopware itself. The exact amount of costs depends on the selected Shopware web hosting package and the Shopware tariff used.

Unlike many other commercial shop systems, Shopware does not incur ongoing license costs. Instead, it operates on a system with a one-time purchase price and a time-limited, individually extendable technical support. The Community Edition is completely free, but it does not include any technical warranty or professional technical support from the developers. The Enterprise Version is designed for large companies and includes personalized support and flexible acquisition costs based on the project scope and the effort required for software customization. The one-time costs do not include IT services such as servers or web space, which may result in additional costs for ongoing operations. Depending on the scope of the e-commerce project and expected customer inquiries, solutions range from simple Shopware web hosting to dedicated servers for large enterprises. There are some B2B operators specializing in providing Shopware solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.

What technical requirements does Shopware have for web hosting?

Shopware is very efficient in simple installation without additional plugins and consumes minimal resources. However, using numerous extensions can significantly increase its demands, requiring a more powerful web hosting or server, thus raising operating costs accordingly. Shopware generally supports most Unix-based operating systems. However, it is recommended to install Shopware on a Linux environment (e.g., Ubuntu). Shopware is not designed to run on a Windows server.

When choosing a provider that does not offer specific hosting for Shopware, it is advisable to inquire about the exact server configuration before installation. For optimizing performance, however, a special Shopware web hosting is recommended, which is currently only offered as standard by a few web hosts. With a local storage space of at least 4 GB solely for the system, Shopware also requires a relatively large web space, which additionally increases the hosting costs. Since these are only the minimum requirements for operation, appropriately large resources should be allocated for potential peak loads on productive systems.

What are the alternatives to Shopware?

One of the most well-known and comprehensive e-commerce solutions is Magento. This is also available as an open-source solution for free, but except for the special Enterprise Edition, it does not include professional support. Another option is the Oxid shop system, which offers a much more extensive Community Edition than Shopware. Developed in Germany like Shopware, it is also adapted to the corresponding legal requirements of the Federal Republic. Web hosts specializing in e-shops typically offer specialized solutions for both software packages, providing users with good performance without having to worry about technical configuration. Another alternative is PrestaShop, which shares a modular structure with flexible extension possibilities across all systems. Released under an open software license, it is also the most flexible, cost-free option for startups if external support can be foregone.

At Hosttest.de, suitable web hosting packages for other online shop systems can also be found, including:

Magento Web Hosting Providers Comparison

Oxid Web Hosting Providers Comparison

Prestashop Web Hosting Providers Comparison

xtCommerce Web Hosting Providers Comparison

Find Suitable Shopware Web Hosting for Professional E-Commerce Projects

The online shop software named Shopware is developed by a German company and is particularly characterized by its simple operation and high functionality. Here we present suitable Shopware web hosting providers for comparison.

Shopware is a modular E-Commerce system that can be expanded in functionality with plugins from the manufacturer as well as from external authors. In addition, there is the possibility via an open API to integrate your own shop with external ERP systems or payment providers. The first version of Shopware was released over 10 years ago. Currently, there are four different editions available for users. Besides the commercial Professional and Enterprise editions, the Community Edition is particularly popular as it has been available for free as an Open Source version since 2010. One of the biggest advantages of Shopware is its user-friendliness. Shop operators do not need programming skills to create an appealing online presence. When combined with a Shopware hosting provider from our price comparison, interested parties can start their own E-Commerce business completely without expertise.

Requirements for Shopware Hosting

For running Shopware, the hosting must have PHP and a MySQL database or a MariaDB database. Apache with enabled mod-rewrite is recommended as the web server. Additionally, cron jobs must be executable on a Shopware hosting. The recommended disk space is at least 5 GB.

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

Detailed information on the technical requirements for the latest Shopware version can be found directly from the developer at: https://docs.shopware.com/de/shopware-6-de/erste-schritte/systemvoraussetzungen

With a Shopware hosting provider from the comparison, optimal operation of a Shopware online shop can be ensured.

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