Shopware Plugin Installer - Open Source Plugin Discovery Platform

A Shopware 6 extension that brings Packagist's open-source plugin ecosystem into the admin interface, enabling one-click discovery and installation of community plugins

PHP Shopware 6 Elasticsearch JavaScript Composer Go GitHub Actions REST API Packagist
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Democratizing Access to Open-Source Shopware Plugins

The Shopware Plugin Installer is a Shopware 6 extension that revolutionizes how developers and shop owners discover and install open-source plugins. Built in collaboration with Alex Jank at nuonic Digital, it bridges the gap between Packagist’s vast plugin ecosystem and Shopware’s administration interface, making thousands of community plugins accessible through an intuitive GUI.

The Challenge

Shopware’s ecosystem hosts hundreds of open-source plugins distributed via Packagist, but accessing them presents significant barriers:

  • Command-line requirement: Installation requires terminal access and Composer knowledge
  • No centralized discovery: Finding relevant plugins means manually searching Packagist or documentation
  • Limited visibility: No insight into plugin popularity, maintenance status, or download statistics
  • Technical barrier: Non-developer shop owners struggle with CLI-based workflows
  • Fragmented information: Plugin metadata scattered across multiple sources

This creates a gap where valuable community plugins remain undiscovered by the majority of Shopware users.

The Solution

The Plugin Installer brings Packagist’s entire open-source plugin catalog directly into the Shopware admin panel with automated metadata management and one-click installation. The solution employs a dual-repository architecture: a Go-based metadata aggregator that scans Packagist every 30 minutes, and a PHP-based Shopware plugin that presents this data through an elegant search interface powered by Elasticsearch.

Key Features

  • One-Click Installation: Install any open-source Shopware plugin directly from the admin panel without touching the command line
  • Advanced Search & Discovery: Elasticsearch-powered full-text search across plugin names, descriptions, and manufacturers with real-time indexing
  • Smart Filtering System: Multi-select license filters (MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, OSL-3.0), date range filtering by last commit, and activity-based sorting
  • Social Proof: Display Packagist download counts to help users identify popular and trusted plugins
  • Update Notifications: Automatic alerts when newer versions of installed plugins become available
  • Version Compatibility Checking: Validates PHP version and Shopware compatibility before installation to prevent conflicts
  • Automated Metadata Sync: Background tasks update plugin information every 30 minutes via scheduled jobs
  • Multi-Language Support: Full German and English localization for international teams
  • Real-Time Quality Filtering: Only shows plugins updated within the last 48 hours to ensure current, maintained packages
  • Responsive Interface: Dashboard-style module with pagination, persistent filters, and user-friendly empty states

Technical Implementation

The project showcases sophisticated architectural decisions with a clear separation of concerns:

Dual-Repository Architecture:

  • Main Repository (PHP/Shopware): Handles UI, search indexing, and installation logic using Shopware 6 framework patterns
  • Companion Repository (Go): Automated metadata aggregator that scans Packagist for shopware-platform-plugin packages, validates licenses and extension files, then publishes a JSON API

Technology Stack:

  • Backend: PHP with Shopware Core 6.6-6.7, layered architecture (Action/Command/Service/Infrastructure)
  • Frontend: JavaScript/Vue.js for admin components, Twig templates, SCSS styling
  • Search: Elasticsearch integration for scalable, performant plugin searches
  • Automation: GitHub Actions for 30-minute sync intervals
  • Quality Tools: PHPStan 2.1+ for static analysis, PHP-CS-Fixer for code style, PHPUnit for testing
  • Development: Docker Compose environment with consistent tooling

Plugin Qualification Pipeline: The system automatically qualifies plugins based on strict criteria:

  1. Must specify type: shopware-platform-plugin in composer.json
  2. Must have valid, non-proprietary license
  3. Must contain .shopware-extension.yml in repository root
  4. Must be actively maintained (updates within 48 hours)

Integration Points:

  • Shopware’s native extension management system for seamless installation
  • Composer for actual package resolution and dependency management
  • Packagist API for real-time download statistics
  • GitHub API for repository metadata and activity tracking

Business Impact

The Plugin Installer addresses a critical gap in the Shopware ecosystem by making open-source plugins accessible to non-technical users:

  • Lowered Technical Barriers: Shop owners without CLI experience can now discover and install community plugins
  • Ecosystem Growth: Increased visibility for open-source plugin developers through download metrics and search rankings
  • Time Savings: Eliminates manual Packagist searches and command-line installation workflows
  • Informed Decisions: Download statistics and last-update timestamps help users evaluate plugin quality
  • Platform Adoption: Makes Shopware more accessible to agencies and merchants evaluating the platform

Project Metrics:

  • 10 GitHub stars, 4 forks across both repositories
  • 88 commits with semantic versioning (v1.0.0 → v2.0.0)
  • Active maintenance with Shopware 6.7 compatibility updates
  • MIT licensed for maximum community adoption
  • Published on Packagist with auto-updating enabled

Developed collaboratively at nuonic Digital with Alex Jank, the project demonstrates modern DevOps practices, clean architecture, and user-centered design in the Shopware ecosystem.