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Medusa

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Top open-source alternative to Shopify

Medusa is the developer-first alternative to Shopify. Provides modular e-commerce building blocks: cart, promotions, payment providers, inventory management, and multi-currency orders.

Tech StackNode.js, TypeScript, Next.js
Self-Host DifficultyMedium
License ModelMIT
GitHub Repositorymedusajs/medusa

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode)
Min RAM:2 GB
Rec RAM:4 GB
Compute:2 vCPU
Disk Space:25 GB SSD

Medusa vs Shopify Comparison Matrix

Evaluation CriteriaMedusa (Open Source)Shopify (Proprietary)
Transaction Fees0% (Gate fee only)0.5% - 2.0% cut of revenue
Backend FlexibilityFull TypeScript code accessShopify closed API walls
Custom Database SchemasTotal schema controlRestricted metafields
INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $219/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Shopify to Self-Hosted Medusa

Detailed Stack Calculator →
5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)
Shopify (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax
$65,700per year ($5,475/mo)
3-Year Spend:$197,100

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

Medusa (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee
$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)
3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$196,740Net savings across 36 months (100% reduction)
Annual Free Cash:+$65,580/yr
Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.

Core Capabilities & Features

✓0% Platform Fees
✓Fully Headless Next.js Storefronts
✓Multi-Warehouse & Multi-Currency
✓Custom Business Logic

Self-Host Medusa with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

MedusaMIT

The open-source headless commerce platform for developers

Difficulty: Medium36,713 ⭐
Configure Parameters
docker-compose.medusa.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  medusa:
    image: medusajs/medusa:latest
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-9000}:9000"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://postgres:${DB_PASSWORD:-medusa_pwd}@postgres:5432/medusa
      JWT_SECRET: "${JWT_SECRET:-medusa_super_secret_jwt}"
    depends_on:
      - postgres
      - redis
    restart: unless-stopped
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-medusa_pwd}
      POSTGRES_DB: medusa
    volumes:
      - medusa_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
  medusa_db:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Medusa

How do I self-host Medusa using Docker Compose?

You can deploy Medusa (medusajs/medusa) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does Medusa compare to Shopify?

Medusa is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Shopify built with Node.js, TypeScript, Next.js. Unlike Shopify ($39 - $399 / month + 2% transaction fee), Medusa has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Medusa?

For production self-hosting (Medium difficulty tier), we recommend at least 4 GB RAM (minimum 2 GB), 2 vCPU, and 25 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode).

Is Medusa free for commercial business use under the MIT license?

Yes. Distributed under the MIT license, Medusa can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

Embed Official Medusa Badge in GitHub README

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