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What is WooCommerce and when should you use it to sell online?

WooCommerce: what it is, what it's for and how it relates to web applications and CMS in a hosting service.

Glossary

Quick summary

  • What it is: WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress that turns any website into a fully-featured online shop.
  • What it's for: helps create and manage websites, online shops, blogs or content platforms.
  • When to check it: when installing, updating, migrating or maintaining an application such as WordPress, PrestaShop or Joomla.

WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress that turns any website into a fully-featured online shop. It is the most widely used e-commerce system in the world and is available from the official WordPress plugin repository.

What does WooCommerce include?

  • Product catalogue: Physical, digital, variable (with sizes, colours, etc.) and subscription products.
  • Shopping cart and checkout: Integration with PayPal, Stripe, credit cards, bank transfer and more.
  • Order management: Administration panel to view, manage and update order statuses.
  • Inventory management: Stock control and low-stock alerts.
  • Tax and shipping calculation: Configuration by geographic zones.
  • Extensions: Thousands of additional plugins to expand functionality (subscriptions, bookings, marketplace, etc.).

What hosting resources does WooCommerce need?

WooCommerce adds significant server load compared to a standard WordPress site. For smooth operation, the following is recommended:

  • At least 256 MB of PHP memory (512 MB or more for medium/large shops).
  • Hosting with a fast MySQL/MariaDB database (NVMe or SSD drives).
  • Updated PHP 8.x for better performance.
  • Active caching to reduce server load.

If your shop receives high traffic or has a large catalogue, consider a VPS or a higher-capacity hosting plan.

When will you come across this term?

WooCommerce appears in articles about building online shops with WordPress, in comparisons of e-commerce platforms and in hosting selection guides for online shops. It is the most popular choice when you already have WordPress and want to add online selling functionality without switching platforms.

Why it matters in hosting

Understanding this concept will help you make better decisions when managing your service. In practice, it relates to the creation and management of websites, online shops, blogs or content platforms. If it appears in a guide, the control panel or a support response, review the context before making changes.

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  • Joomla
  • PrestaShop
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