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Medusa is a modular commerce platform for building custom e-commerce backends without reimplementing core commerce logic. It provides foundational commerce primitives (such as products, carts, and orders) and a backend framework designed for deep customization and specialized setups.

Key Features

• Decoupled commerce modules (e.g., product, cart, order, sales channels) that can be adopted incrementally or replaced
• Extensible backend framework to add custom modules, data models, workflows, and API endpoints
• Admin dashboard for managing commerce operations, with support for UI extensions
• Headless architecture suited to custom storefronts and multi-channel commerce
• Integration ecosystem to connect common commerce services and tools

Use Cases

• Custom DTC storefront backends with tailored checkout, pricing, or catalog logic
• B2B commerce (quotes, company accounts, specialized order flows) and wholesale/distributor platforms
• Marketplaces, omnichannel setups, or POS-adjacent systems that require custom workflows

Limitations and Considerations

• Building advanced setups typically requires backend development and ongoing module/workflow maintenance
• A complete production solution often involves selecting and operating external services (e.g., database, payment, search) via integrations

Medusa fits teams that need a flexible foundation for commerce and want to compose functionality using modules rather than a monolithic platform. It is especially well-suited when business requirements demand custom data models, workflows, or multi-channel operations.