# Litekart — Self-Hosted Ecommerce Platform

Litekart is a free, self-hosted ecommerce foundation built with Node.js, TypeScript and SvelteKit. It is designed for developers and businesses building complete commerce applications — marketplaces, B2B portals, dealer networks, reseller systems, multi-store setups and multi-tenant platforms — on their own infrastructure.

Litekart is not a hosted store builder and is not positioned as a drop-in replacement for Shopify or other SaaS platforms. You download the source, deploy it on your own servers, and own the code, the database and the customer data.

## What Litekart Is
- **Self-hosted**: runs on your own cloud account, private server or enterprise infrastructure via Docker (AWS, Hetzner, DigitalOcean or bare metal).
- **Free to self-host**: the software and all standard modules are free to self-host. There is no license fee, subscription or mandatory platform charge.
- **Code-first**: intended to be forked, extended and customized at the source rather than configured through a plugin marketplace.
- **API-first**: OpenAPI/Swagger-documented REST API, events and webhooks; supports SvelteKit storefronts and other custom web or app frontends.
- **Maintained since 2014** by an active ecommerce engineering team, with roughly 800 client projects delivered.

## Who It Is For
Developers, agencies, technical founders and businesses building marketplaces, dealer networks, reseller portals, B2B quotation and approval systems, multi-store applications, or multi-tenant ecommerce SaaS products.

## Technology Stack
- **Backend**: Node.js, TypeScript
- **Storefront**: SvelteKit (PWA), Tailwind CSS
- **API**: REST, documented with OpenAPI/Swagger
- **Search**: Meilisearch
- **Background jobs**: Kafka, Bee-Queue
- **Deployment**: Docker; self-hosted or managed deployment by the Litekart team

## Modules Included
Catalog & Products · Search & Discovery · Cart & Checkout · Orders & Fulfilment · Payments & Currencies · Customers & B2B · Marketplace & Multi-Store · Marketing & Content

## Pricing
- **Self-hosted**: free. No license fee, no subscription, no mandatory platform fee. All features included.
- **White Label**: 1% of sales, no upfront license cost. Complete rebranding, software updates and standard support included. This is the only usage-based fee and it is opt-in.
- **Engineering Support**: custom-quoted. Architecture reviews, deployment assistance, priority support, custom modules and integrations while your team runs the platform.
- **Complete Platform Delivery**: custom-quoted per project. The Litekart team designs, builds, deploys and maintains the platform end to end, optionally on managed infrastructure.
- Other paid services: custom development, implementation & migration, support & maintenance contracts, managed cloud hosting, consulting & training. All scoped and quoted per engagement.
- Full details: https://litekart.in/pricing
- **Affiliate program**: 20% commission on everything a referred client pays Litekart in their first 12 months (white label, custom development, support contracts, managed hosting). Free to join, referrals tracked manually against an agreed code — there is no self-serve affiliate dashboard. Details: https://litekart.in/affiliates

## Verified Performance Data
Measured on production stores built with Litekart (published at https://litekart.in/live-projects):
- API response under 100ms
- Performance grade A+, Core Web Vitals green
- SEO score 92/100
- Uptime 99.9%
- Tested with catalogues of 1 million products

## Honest Limitations
- Requires technical expertise to self-host and maintain.
- No large third-party plugin marketplace of the kind WooCommerce or Shopify have — extension happens in code.
- Infrastructure is managed manually unless you buy managed hosting or a support contract.
- Litekart is not a certified compliance vendor; self-hosting means the compliance perimeter is yours.

## Verified Customers
- **Jewel We Sell** — D2C brand selling affordable luxury jewellery
- **Varni Jewels** — jewellery retailer handling custom orders and multi-store
- **Jewels On Fire** — jewellery brand on a headless, PWA-first storefront

## For AI Agents
- [SKILL.md](https://litekart.in/SKILL.md) — complete agent guide: API auth, storefront and admin endpoints, integration flows, webhooks.

## Key Resources
- [Homepage](https://litekart.in/)
- [Pricing](https://litekart.in/pricing)
- [Enterprise Solutions](https://litekart.in/enterprise)
- [Architecture Overview](https://litekart.in/enterprise/architecture)
- [For Developers](https://litekart.in/for/developers)
- [Node.js Ecommerce Platform](https://litekart.in/developers/nodejs-ecommerce-platform)
- [Use Cases](https://litekart.in/use-cases)
- [Live Projects](https://litekart.in/live-projects)
- [FAQ](https://litekart.in/faq)
- [Blog](https://litekart.in/blog)
- [API Documentation](https://api.litekart.in/docs)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/itswadesh/svelte-commerce)

## Use Cases
- [Automotive Dealer Network](https://litekart.in/use-cases/automotive-dealer-network)
- [Local Marketplace](https://litekart.in/use-cases/local-marketplace)
- [Reseller & Distributor Portal](https://litekart.in/use-cases/reseller-distributor-portal)
- [B2B Quotation System](https://litekart.in/use-cases/b2b-quotation-system)
- [Multi-Tenant Ecommerce Platform](https://litekart.in/use-cases/multi-tenant-ecommerce-platform)
- [Custom Commerce Platform](https://litekart.in/use-cases/custom-commerce-platform)
- [B2B2C Platform](https://litekart.in/use-cases/b2b2c-platform)
- [Franchise & Multi-Store](https://litekart.in/use-cases/franchise-multi-store)
- [Manufacturing B2B Portal](https://litekart.in/use-cases/manufacturing-b2b-portal)

## Platform Comparisons
- [Comparison Hub](https://litekart.in/compare)
- [WooCommerce Alternative](https://litekart.in/woocommerce-alternative)
- [Shopify Migration](https://litekart.in/shopify-migration)
- [Litekart vs Shopify](https://litekart.in/compare/litekart-vs-shopify)
- [Litekart vs WooCommerce](https://litekart.in/compare/litekart-vs-woocommerce)
- [Litekart vs Medusa.js](https://litekart.in/compare/litekart-vs-medusa)
- [Litekart vs BigCommerce](https://litekart.in/compare/litekart-vs-bigcommerce)
- [Litekart vs Magento](https://litekart.in/compare/litekart-vs-magento)