Shopware plugins - blessing and curse

On the other hand, not all plugins meet our quality standards. In this case, we usually recommend the development of a new plugin. From our own experience as a plugin manufacturer, we know what is important during development. This is because we develop complex plugins ourselves, for example for connecting Pimcore as the leading system for product data (PIM), media data (DAM) or content (CMS). Our developers attach great importance to plugin development:

• Code quality:
  • Clean structure of the code with comprehensibility and logical structure.
  • Clear structuring of the code into subscribers, models, services, controllers and helper classes with the help of meaningfully named folder structures.
  • Implementation based on the code structures of the Shopware core.
• Error handling: Comprehensive error reporting in the form of e-mail notifications and extensive log files
• Logging: Extensive logging of processes mapped in plugins with the aim of traceability, especially in the event of problems.
• Compatibility: An extension should always be compatible with current Shopware and PHP/MySQL versions.
• Security:
  • Validation of data input and output for security reasons
  • Checking the plugins for possible security gaps
• Documentation: Both inline in the code and externally in the form of installation instructions, manuals, websites, etc.
• Update capability: From our experience, we usually have a clear picture of whether a plugin will survive the next Shopware update or not. With far-reaching consequences for your store. Because in the worst case, the plugin has to be removed. And a business-critical function is no longer available.
• Flexibility: Expandability for new requirements from the customer’s perspective

We always apply these points when evaluating Shopware plugins. Although plugins are initially checked by Shopware before uploading, these checks are usually no longer carried out for further updates.

Plugin reviews in the Shopware Store are often not helpful. On the one hand, only a few customers leave reviews, and on the other hand, the causes of problems often lie in the individual environment.

Plugins can be easily purchased from the Shopware store. We strongly recommend taking advantage of the test phase offered. And to test the desired plugin intensively in the context of your own online store. Test licenses can be easily purchased in the store for this purpose. These are usually free of charge for a test phase of 30 days. It is important to cancel and completely uninstall the plugin in good time after 30 days. Otherwise, the test can switch to a paid rental version.

Never install new plugins in the backend (Plugin Manager) of a live environment first. This is because third-party plugins can affect your own functions and extensions as well as other plugins. If you decide to purchase a plugin, you can buy the license – as with the test version – in the Shopware store.

Attention: If you are not convinced by the tested plug-in, remove it completely from all environments. Both from test and live environments. Uninstalling it in the backend area of the Plugin Manager is not sufficient. The plugin must be deleted completely. Otherwise this may be billed via your Shopware account.

We use these 3 plugins again and again in our projects and can recommend them without reservation:

• Store Locator Plugin from Netinventors for the store and retailer search in an online store
• SEO Professional from Dreischild. From our point of view, very valuable for the search engine optimization of online stores, especially for Google.
• Paypal from Shopware: The classic payment provider with a wide range of payment methods.

We would be happy to advise you on the selection of plugins. Both for a new store and for an individual requirement in your system. Or we can analyze an existing store to determine which plugins are future-proof. Simply get in touch with scope01 in Frankfurt am Main. We look forward to hearing from you.