Overview

Vendure is a modern, headless e-commerce framework built on Node.js. Unlike WooCommerce (which is WordPress-dependent), Vendure offers a decoupled architecture with GraphQL APIs out of the box.

Before installation, review the Vendure system requirements. If you need hosting, consider providers like Railway, Heroku, or DigitalOcean that support Node.js applications.

When Vendure is running, it provides:

  • A GraphQL Admin API for managing products, orders, and customers.
  • A separate Shop API for frontend applications.
  • Built-in user roles (Administrator, Seller, Customer).
  • Support for multi-channel, multi-language stores.

Unlike WooCommerce, Vendure’s data is fully removable during uninstallation (if configured or using sqlite database).

Installation via NPX (Recommended)

To set up Vendure quickly:

  • Run the following command: 
npx @vendure/create my-vendure-store

  • Follow the interactive CLI prompts to configure:

    • Database (SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
    • Admin UI credentials

  • Launch your store:

cd my-vendure-store
   yarn dev

The Admin UI will be available at http://localhost:3000/admin.

Vendure backoffice dark theme

Reverting to a Previous Version

Vendure uses semantic versioning. To downgrade:

  1. Check your package.json for the target version.
  2. Install Vendure packages of your choice.
  3. Revert your database schema if needed (via migrations).

💡 Pro Tip: Always test upgrades in a staging environment. Vendure provides database migration scripts to minimize compatibility issues.

Uninstalling Vendure

To completely remove Vendure:

  1. Stop the server (Ctrl+C if running locally).
  2. Delete the project folder.
  3. Optional: Drop the database if you want to erase all data: (no actions needed when using sqlite) 
DROP DATABASE vendure;

Unlike WooCommerce, Vendure doesn’t leave orphaned data in external systems.

WooCommerce vs. Vendure: Key Benefits

Feature WooCommerce Vendure
Architecture Monolithic (WordPress-dependent) Headless (API-first)
Performance Slower (PHP-based) Faster (Node.js/GraphQL)
Multi-store Limited (separate installs) Native multi-channel support
Data Ownership Leaves DB remnants Clean uninstallation
Frontend Flexibility Requires WordPress themes Works with any frontend (React, Vue)
Scalability Limited by WordPress Cloud-native ready

Why Vendure? If you’re building a Jamstack site, need better performance, or want to avoid WordPress lock-in.

Support & Resources

Need help? Or I made a mistake in the post above! Leave a comment below!

Cover image icons by Tabler Icons (MIT License).