> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to WooCommerce Development

> Welcome to the WooCommerce developer documentation. Learn how to extend and customize WooCommerce.

## What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a customizable, open-source ecommerce platform built on WordPress. It powers millions of online stores worldwide and provides a robust framework for developers to create extensions, themes, and custom integrations.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="For Extension Developers" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/extensions/getting-started">
    Build powerful extensions using WooCommerce's extensive hook system and APIs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Theme Developers" icon="palette" href="/themes/overview">
    Create beautiful, customized storefronts with classic or block themes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For API Integrations" icon="code" href="/api/rest-api/overview">
    Integrate with products, orders, and customers via the REST API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="For Contributors" icon="code-branch" href="/contributing/overview">
    Contribute to the WooCommerce core codebase and help improve the platform.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What You Can Build

WooCommerce's flexible architecture enables developers to:

### Extensions

* **Payment Gateways**: Integrate custom payment methods using the Payment Gateway API
* **Shipping Methods**: Add custom shipping options and integrations
* **Product Add-ons**: Extend product functionality with custom fields and options
* **Marketing Tools**: Build integrations for email marketing, analytics, and more
* **Inventory Management**: Create custom inventory and warehouse management solutions

### Themes

* **Custom Storefronts**: Design unique shopping experiences
* **Classic Themes**: Build with traditional PHP templates and hooks
* **Block Themes**: Create modern FSE (Full Site Editing) themes
* **Mobile-Optimized Designs**: Responsive themes for all devices

### Integrations

* **Headless Commerce**: Build decoupled frontends using the Store API
* **Third-Party Services**: Connect to CRMs, ERPs, and other business tools
* **Custom Analytics**: Create specialized reporting and data visualization
* **Multi-Channel Sales**: Integrate with marketplaces and sales channels

## Developer Ecosystem

<Info>
  WooCommerce has a thriving developer ecosystem with:

  * **9,000+ extensions** available on the WooCommerce Marketplace
  * **Active community** on Slack with thousands of developers
  * **Regular releases** with new features and improvements
  * **Comprehensive APIs** for deep integrations
</Info>

## Architecture Overview

WooCommerce is built as a WordPress plugin with a modern monorepo structure:

```
woocommerce/
├── plugins/
│   └── woocommerce/          # Core plugin
│       ├── src/              # Modern PHP (PSR-4)
│       ├── includes/         # Legacy code
│       └── client/           # React admin
├── packages/
│   ├── js/                   # JavaScript packages
│   └── php/                  # PHP packages
└── tools/                    # Development tools
```

### Key Technologies

* **Backend**: PHP 7.4+, WordPress hooks system, PSR-4 autoloading
* **Frontend**: React, TypeScript, Gutenberg blocks
* **APIs**: REST API, Store API, PHP class APIs
* **Build Tools**: PNPM, Webpack, Composer

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up your development environment">
    Install Node.js, PNPM, PHP, and Composer. Clone the WooCommerce monorepo.

    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce.git
    cd woocommerce
    nvm install
    pnpm install
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build the project">
    Build all packages and plugins in the monorepo.

    ```bash theme={null}
    pnpm build
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your path">
    Decide what you want to build:

    * [Extension development](/extensions/getting-started)
    * [Theme development](/themes/overview)
    * [API integration](/api/rest-api/overview)
    * [Core contribution](/contributing/overview)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Community Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="WooCommerce Slack" icon="slack" href="https://woocommerce.com/community-slack/">
    Join the community for help, discussions, and announcements.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Developer Blog" icon="newspaper" href="https://developer.woocommerce.com/blog/">
    Stay updated with development news and tutorials.
  </Card>

  <Card title="GitHub Repository" icon="github" href="https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce">
    Browse source code, report issues, and submit pull requests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Code Reference" icon="book" href="https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/woocommerce/">
    Complete reference for WooCommerce classes and functions.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Documentation Structure

This documentation is organized into several sections:

### Documentation Tab

* **Getting Started**: Setup, quickstart, and project overview
* **Core Concepts**: Architecture, monorepo, modern vs legacy code
* **Extension Development**: Build extensions using hooks and APIs
* **Theme Development**: Create custom storefronts
* **Block Development**: Extend WooCommerce with Gutenberg blocks
* **Features**: Payment gateways, shipping, analytics, HPOS, and more

### API Reference Tab

* **REST API**: Complete endpoint reference for products, orders, customers
* **Store API**: Unauthenticated endpoints for headless commerce
* **PHP APIs**: Payment Gateway, Shipping Method, and Payment Token APIs

### Contributing Tab

* **Contribution Guide**: How to contribute code and documentation
* **Coding Standards**: PHP and JavaScript style requirements
* **Testing**: PHPUnit, Jest, and E2E testing guidelines
* **Git Workflow**: Branching, commits, and pull request process

## Support

<Note>
  This documentation is for **developers**. If you're a merchant or store owner, visit [woocommerce.com](https://woocommerce.com/) for merchant-facing documentation.
</Note>

### For Developers

* **Community Slack**: Ask questions in developer channels
* **GitHub Discussions**: Community Q\&A and discussions
* **Stack Overflow**: Tag questions with `woocommerce`

### For Merchants

* [Self-service guide](https://woocommerce.com/document/woocommerce-self-service-guide/)
* [Premium support portal](https://woocommerce.com/contact-us/)
* [Community forum on wp.org](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce)

## Next Steps

Ready to start building? Choose your path:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quickstart Guide" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Get up and running in minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Development Environment" icon="laptop-code" href="/development-environment">
    Set up your local environment
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project Structure" icon="folder-tree" href="/project-structure">
    Understand the monorepo
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.