Saleor is a headless, API-first commerce platform designed to manage complex retail operations through a decoupled architecture. It provides a centralized backend that uses a GraphQL-based interface to handle product catalogs, order lifecycles, and multi-channel sales across diverse global markets. By separating the commerce engine from the storefront, the platform enables developers to build custom, high-performance shopping experiences while maintaining granular control over data interactions.
The platform distinguishes itself through an event-driven architecture that allows for deep extensibility without modifying core code. It utilizes both synchronous and asynchronous webhooks to delegate business logic—such as tax calculations, shipping, and payment processing—to external services. This system is further enhanced by a plugin-based dashboard that allows custom applications and administrative widgets to be mounted directly into the management interface, creating a unified environment for staff operations.
Beyond its core commerce capabilities, the platform supports sophisticated data management through dynamic modeling and metadata-driven extensions, allowing for the storage of custom attributes on any entity. It includes robust infrastructure for multi-warehouse inventory tracking, promotional rule application, and secure multi-tenant data isolation. The system also provides built-in observability through distributed tracing and standardized performance monitoring to ensure visibility across complex, integrated commerce workflows.
