Drupal Commerce

What is Commerce Core

Commerce Core is an open-source eCommerce framework built specifically for the Drupal content management system. It is not a standalone platform but a module that adds powerful online store functionality to a Drupal website. Its main purpose is to provide a flexible and scalable foundation for developers and businesses to build custom eCommerce solutions. Developed with a framework-first approach, it emphasizes adaptability over out-of-the-box features, allowing for deep customization. The project is actively sponsored and maintained by Centarro, a company specializing in Drupal Commerce development and support.

Commerce Core Features

Commerce Core provides a robust set of tools to build a fully functional online store. Its main features include:

• Custom Product Types: Create different types of products, each with its own set of custom attributes. This is useful for selling items that have unique characteristics, like clothing with sizes and colors.
• Dynamic Product Pages: The framework supports products with multiple variations. This allows you to manage a single product entry that has different options, such as size, color, or material, each with its own SKU, price, and stock level.
• Flexible Order Management: You can create multiple order types and customize the checkout process for each one. This is ideal for handling different fulfillment needs, like physical goods, digital downloads, or subscriptions.
• Promotions and Discounts: A built-in promotion system allows you to create complex discounts. You can set up offers with various conditions and generate coupon codes to attract customers.
• Payment Gateway API: It includes a powerful payment API that integrates with over 100 payment gateways, including major providers like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.Net.
• Customer Address Book: Registered customers can save multiple shipping and billing addresses to their profiles for a faster checkout experience.
• Tax Calculation: The system supports tax calculation rules, including VAT support for European businesses. You can configure tax rates based on location and product type.

Commerce Core Pricing Plans

Commerce Core is an open-source module for Drupal, which means it is free to download and use. There are no licensing fees or monthly subscription costs for the software itself. However, building and maintaining a store with Commerce Core involves other costs. These costs typically include website hosting, domain registration, development services for customization, and ongoing maintenance and support. Companies like Centarro offer professional support and development services on a retainer or project basis.

Commerce Core Free Plan

As an open-source project, Commerce Core is inherently free. There is no 'free plan' or 'trial period' because the full software is available for anyone to use without charge. You can install it on your Drupal site and access all its core features without any limitations. The only costs are related to the infrastructure and expertise needed to run a Drupal website.

How to use Commerce Core

Using Commerce Core requires a working Drupal installation and some technical knowledge. Here is a general workflow:

1. Set up Drupal: First, you need a server with a Drupal installation. Drupal 10 or newer is recommended.
2. Install Commerce Core: The recommended way to install Commerce Core is using Composer, a dependency manager for PHP. You run a command like composer require drupal/commerce in your project's root directory.
3. Enable Modules: After installation, you enable the Commerce modules through the Drupal admin interface.
4. Configure Your Store: Go to the 'Commerce' section in the admin menu to configure basic store settings, such as currency, country, and tax information.
5. Create Products: Define your product types and add your products with their prices, images, and other attributes.
6. Set up Payments: Configure at least one payment gateway so you can accept payments from customers.
7. Customize Checkout: Adjust the checkout flow to match your business requirements.
8. Launch: Once everything is configured and tested, you can make your store live.

Pros and Cons of Commerce Core

Pros

• High Flexibility: Because it is a framework, you can customize every aspect of your store.
• Scalability: It is designed to handle growth, from small shops to large enterprise-level stores.
• Content and Commerce: It integrates seamlessly with Drupal's powerful content management features, which is great for content-rich eCommerce sites.
• No Licensing Fees: Being open-source, it saves you money on software costs.
• Strong Community: There is a large community of developers providing support and contributed modules for extra functionality.

Cons

• Steep Learning Curve: It is not a beginner-friendly tool. You need knowledge of Drupal and web development.
• Requires Development: Significant customization requires a developer. It is not a simple 'plug-and-play' solution.
• Maintenance Responsibility: You are responsible for all updates, security, and maintenance of your site.
• Dependency on Drupal: Your eCommerce functionality is tied to the Drupal ecosystem.

Commerce Core Integrations

Commerce Core integrates with a wide range of other Drupal modules and third-party services. Integrations are typically added by installing contributed modules. Key integration areas include:

• Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.Net, and many more through dedicated modules.
• Shipping Providers: Modules for FedEx, UPS, and services like ShipStation allow for real-time shipping rate calculation and label printing.
• Marketing Automation: Integration with tools like Mailchimp for email marketing and customer list management.
• Analytics: Works with Google Analytics and other tracking tools to monitor store performance.
• Taxes: Integration with services like Avalara or TaxJar for automated tax compliance.

Commerce Core Alternatives

• WooCommerce: An open-source eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It is easier to get started with than Commerce Core but is tied to the WordPress platform. It is best for users who are already familiar with WordPress.
• Adobe Commerce (Magento): A very powerful open-source eCommerce platform. It is known for its extensive feature set but is also very complex and resource-intensive, often requiring specialized developers.
• Shopify: A fully hosted, SaaS eCommerce platform. It is extremely easy to use for non-technical users but offers less customization flexibility and involves monthly subscription fees.
• BigCommerce: Another leading SaaS platform that balances ease of use with a strong feature set and API access for customization.

Commerce Core API

Yes, Commerce Core provides a robust, API-first architecture. The entire platform is built as a set of APIs, which allows developers to extend and interact with every part of the system programmatically. This includes APIs for products, orders, promotions, payments, and more.

Drupal's core RESTful Web Services API can be used to expose Commerce data (like products and orders) as web service endpoints. This allows you to build headless or decoupled applications, such as a mobile app or a JavaScript-based front-end.

To use the API, you would typically enable the JSON:API or RESTful Web Services modules in Drupal and configure permissions for the specific Commerce entities you want to expose. There is no single API key; access is managed through Drupal's user roles and permissions system.

Example API Interaction (Conceptual):

A GET request to a JSON:API endpoint might look like this: GET /jsonapi/commerce_product/default

This would return a JSON object containing a list of products, which a front-end application could then display.

Commerce Core Affiliate Program

Commerce Core, as an open-source software project, does not have a traditional affiliate program where you earn commissions for referring sales. The software itself is free. However, individuals and companies can get involved with the project in other ways. You can contribute to the code, help with documentation, or provide support in the community forums. For business partnerships or to become a service provider, it is best to contact Centarro, the primary maintainer of the project, to inquire about potential partner programs.