Technical Analysis: Magento, Sylius and Shopware

Comparison of three e-commerce platforms

Choosing an e-commerce platform is one of the most important decisions a company makes when growing its online sales. Magento, Sylius, and Shopware are three popular open-source solutions that differ in architecture, feature sets, and ease of implementation and maintenance. By analyzing their source code and system structure, we can draw concrete conclusions that help in making an informed technology choice.

Code Volume vs. Functionality

Let’s take a look at how extensive the codebase of each platform is and what that means in practice – from feature richness to implementation and maintenance complexity.

Magento has the largest number of lines of code among the three. This translates to a rich set of features available “out of the box.” Unfortunately, this comes at a cost: high complexity and maintenance challenges. Sylius is on the opposite end – it’s a minimalist platform with a modular structure. Its code is lighter, easier to customize, and easier to extend. Shopware sits in the middle, offering a balanced approach between functionality and clarity, making it more flexible and less burdensome to maintain than Magento. Conclusion: Less code often means better optimization and easier maintenance. Magento is feature-rich but highly complex, while Shopware and Sylius offer more thoughtful, scalable architectures.

Object-Oriented Programming – Modularity and code organization

How do the platforms handle object-oriented architecture? How many classes and methods do they use? How is logic organized, and what does this mean for flexibility and project growth?

Magento uses a large number of classes and methods. While this may suggest modularity, in practice it leads to tight dependencies and difficulty in extending code without overriding. Sylius uses fewer classes but more methods per class. This suggests a more compact code structure – which can be an advantage (less fragmentation) or a disadvantage (harder extensibility). Shopware, like Sylius, emphasizes modularity without unnecessary complexity, enabling easier implementation of changes and the addition of new features without class overrides. Conclusion: Magento can be difficult for developing complex applications. Shopware and Sylius offer a cleaner, more scalable architecture.

Coupling – Code dependencies

Let’s see how tightly code components are connected and what this means for modification, testing, and long-term maintenance.

Magento shows high incoming coupling – many classes are interdependent, increasing the risk of errors when making changes. Sylius features lower coupling, making modules more independent and easier to test or replace. Shopware stands out here by replacing class overriding with modern extensibility through an event-driven architecture. Instead of traditional patterns (decorators, adapters, factories), it uses events to achieve compatibility between versions, minimize interfaces and abstract classes, and increase modularity – enabling safer integrations. Conclusion: Thanks to its event system, Shopware is more flexible and extensible than Magento, and more structurally transparent than Sylius.

Code Complexity – Management difficulty

Let’s analyze how complex the internal logic of each platform is and what this means for development teams in daily work.

Magento has the highest cyclomatic complexity, meaning its logic is more intricate and harder to debug, which makes development slower and more expensive. Sylius has a simpler codebase, making it easier to maintain and less prone to bugs. Shopware strikes a good balance – clear structure with flexible extension mechanisms. Its lower complexity compared to Magento means fewer bugs and easier project management. Conclusion: Magento is complex and risky. Shopware and Sylius are easier to manage, with Shopware offering the best compromise between simplicity and flexibility.

Code Quality – Stability and cleanliness

Let’s assess how the platforms score in terms of code quality – from the number of issues and warnings to long-term maintainability.

Magento performs worst in this area. A high number of errors, warnings, and quality violations result from its massive and complex codebase. Sylius has the fewest violations, indicating better code quality and structure. Shopware maintains high code quality thanks to its architectural approach, offering long-term stability and easier maintenance. Conclusion: Magento requires constant attention to code quality. Sylius and Shopware are safer choices in terms of stability and code cleanliness.

Summary – what does this analysis tell us?

Each of these platforms presents a different approach to building and developing e-commerce projects. Magento impresses with its extensive feature set but comes with high complexity. Sylius offers simplicity and clean code, making it a great choice for custom projects. Shopware stands out as a well-balanced solution – modern, flexible, and optimized for long-term development.

The final choice depends on your resources, goals, and the level of experience of your IT team. Below are practical guidelines to help match a platform to your business scenario:

Magento = Huge feature set, but with complexity, high costs, and development challenges. Requires a dedicated full-time development team. Sylius = Minimalist and modern – clean code, easy testing, great for projects with modest functionality needs. Shopware = the perfect balance – modern architecture, good modularity, and expandability without Magento’s downsides.

Which platform should you choose?

All three platforms are open source, but they vary significantly in complexity, features, and required support. The choice depends not only on the codebase but also on your business model, development plans, and team capabilities:

If you need something simple and flexible – choose Sylius. If you want a massive platform and have a full-time tech team – Magento may be the right (but challenging) choice. If you’re planning a large project but want to avoid technical debt – go with Shopware.

At CREHLER, we specialize in modern, scalable e-commerce implementations for B2B and B2C. If you need help choosing a platform or launching an e-commerce system – contact us! Our experts will help you select a platform that grows with your business.