GraphCommerce Headless Development
GraphCommerce Headless Development Services
We build headless Magento and Adobe Commerce storefronts on GraphCommerce, the React and Next.js framework, and we help you settle licensing, payments, and extensions before the build starts.
- Next.js storefronts on Magento's GraphQL API
- Licensing and payments checked first
- Delivered on our Tong Garden storefront
A Next.js storefront reads from and writes to Magento through its GraphQL API.
Service Overview
GraphCommerce development for Magento and Adobe Commerce teams that need a custom storefront.
We design, build, and support headless storefronts on GraphCommerce, from the licensing decision to launch and long-term care.
GraphCommerce is a React and Next.js framework for building headless storefronts on Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce. It gives your team a working storefront to customize instead of a blank repository, while Magento keeps managing the catalog, pricing, customers, and orders.
Our team handles the whole path: deciding whether GraphCommerce fits, settling the license, planning payments and extensions, building and integrating the storefront, and supporting it after launch.
A storefront framework, not a theme
Your developers restyle and extend ready components instead of rebuilding common pages from scratch.
Magento stays the commerce engine
Catalog, pricing, promotions, customers, and orders continue to be managed in Magento.
Licensing handled up front
We help you read the license terms, budget them, and plan the build around them.
What GraphCommerce Is
What GraphCommerce is, in plain terms.
A framework for headless storefronts, built on a modern JavaScript stack.
GraphCommerce is a framework for building headless ecommerce storefronts in React and Next.js. The storefront runs as its own application and talks to Magento through Magento's GraphQL API.
Its current major release, GraphCommerce 10, runs on Next.js 16, React 19, MUI 7, and Apollo Client 4, according to its release notes. Which of those details matter for you depends on your team, and we confirm them in discovery.
GraphCommerce Model
A React and Next.js storefront
Pages are built with the same frameworks many frontend teams already use, so the codebase is familiar to React developers.
Magento through GraphQL
The storefront reads and writes Magento data through its GraphQL API instead of through theme code.
GraphQL Mesh for other sources
GraphCommerce ships GraphQL Mesh, which combines Magento and other services, such as a CMS or search provider, into one GraphQL endpoint.
Components you customize
Customizable components for search, navigation, the cart, checkout, and account management come with the framework.
What Is Included
What a GraphCommerce storefront starts with.
Based on the GraphCommerce 10 release notes. Features vary by edition and license tier.
Product pages
Packages cover simple, configurable, bundle, grouped, downloadable, and virtual products.
Cart and checkout
Cart, coupons, shipping and billing addresses, and payment-method steps, built on Magento's APIs.
Customer accounts
Orders, invoices, shipments, credit memos, addresses, wishlists, comparison, reviews, and newsletter preferences.
Search and navigation
A search overlay and navigation, with Magento search by default and Algolia packages available.
Content
Hygraph integration, Magento CMS pages and blocks, or a build with no CMS at all.
Payments
Packages are listed for Adyen, Braintree, Klarna, Mollie, MultiSafePay, and PayPal. Other gateways need integration work.
Shipping and pickup
Shipping-method selection, plus a pickup package for in-store collection.
Stores and currencies
Multi-store setups, a store selector, and display currencies for viewing the cart in different currencies.
Analytics and security
Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, reCAPTCHA, and a service worker for progressive web app behavior.
GraphCommerce's Pro demos show further features, such as Cache Notify, Private Pricing, and Multi Cart on Magento Open Source, and returns, store credits, gift cards, and reward points on Adobe Commerce. We confirm which of these your build needs before we quote.
Benefits
Benefits of GraphCommerce development, and what each one depends on.
These are possibilities a well-planned build can unlock, not guarantees. A framework does not make a storefront fast or cheap on its own.
A Modern Frontend Stack
Next.js and React give your storefront a current toolchain, a large talent pool, and regular framework updates.
Design Freedom
Layout, navigation, and interaction are designed around your brand instead of adapted from a Magento theme.
A Head Start on Common Pages
Ready components for search, cart, checkout, and account can save time on pages every store needs.
Composable Data Sources
GraphQL Mesh lets Magento, a CMS, and a search provider sit behind one GraphQL endpoint.
Content Beside Commerce
With the Hygraph integration, editorial content and products can live in the same pages. A no-CMS build is also possible.
Independent Storefront Releases
Storefront changes ship on their own cycle, without redeploying Magento. A first build usually takes longer than a theme.
A Smaller Upgrade Surface
The storefront talks to Magento through GraphQL, so there is less frontend code tied to each Magento upgrade. Upgrades still need testing.
Familiar Developer Skills
Teams that already know React and TypeScript can contribute without learning a platform-specific theme system.
Licensing And Cost
GraphCommerce licensing and cost, explained plainly.
The project describes itself as open source, but its license file says something more specific. We would rather you hear it from us before the build than from an invoice after.
The GraphCommerce repository states that its source code is covered by the Elastic License 2.0. That license lets you use, copy, modify, and distribute the software. It also says you may not offer it to others as a hosted or managed service, and you may not move, change, disable, or circumvent its license key functionality. That makes it source-available rather than a standard open-source license.
On cost, GraphCommerce's pricing page says using the framework is free of charge, but that running it with Adobe Commerce requires an Enterprise license, billed annually and licensed per instance. Its README adds a paid Pro tier and, at the time of writing, lists 1,000 euros a year for Magento Open Source and 2,500 euros a year for Adobe Commerce, with multi-year bundles.
Magento Open Source
The pricing page calls the framework free. The README lists a Pro license for extra features.
- Pricing page: free of charge
- README: Pro tier listed
- Confirm which features you need
Adobe Commerce
The pricing page says an Enterprise license is required, licensed per instance and billed annually.
- Enterprise license required
- README: annual price listed
- Budget for it up front
The two sources do not line up perfectly, so we recommend getting the current terms in writing from GraphCommerce before you budget. License terms are set by GraphCommerce, not by us, and we describe them here rather than interpret them. For anything binding, ask GraphCommerce or your legal counsel.
No storefront option is free of a license decision. Adobe says its drop-in components come with Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service or Adobe Commerce Optimizer, and that Adobe Commerce on Cloud needs a separate Optimizer license to use them. We simply help you put the right line in the budget.
When To Consider It
When GraphCommerce becomes the right choice.
GraphCommerce is worth the extra engineering when one or more of these situations describes your store.
Custom Design Requirements
You have layout, navigation, or interaction requirements that a Magento theme cannot deliver, so the storefront has to be designed and built as its own application.
How we help: We turn your design direction into a GraphCommerce storefront, starting from its ready components.
Scalability
Traffic or catalog size is growing, and you want to scale the storefront layer on its own hosting and caching, separately from the Magento backend.
How we help: We plan hosting, caching, and rendering for the storefront and keep the commerce engine in Magento.
Integration With Third-Party Tools
You rely on a CMS, a search provider, or other systems, and want them combined behind one GraphQL endpoint instead of stacked as extensions.
How we help: We design the GraphQL Mesh connections in the architecture phase and confirm what each system needs.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile shoppers are a large part of your audience, and you want a mobile experience that is designed and tuned deliberately.
How we help: We plan mobile journeys and performance from the start, and test them before launch.
Content-Led Commerce
Editorial content and brand storytelling play a large role in how customers decide what to buy.
How we help: We connect a CMS, such as Hygraph, so your team can publish alongside products.
Modernizing an Older Storefront
Your storefront still runs on an older theme, and you want to modernize the experience without replacing the Magento backend.
How we help: We assess the current storefront and extensions, then plan a staged move to GraphCommerce.
Honest Scoping
When GraphCommerce may not be the right fit.
A GraphCommerce storefront is a custom application, so it carries more engineering and ongoing ownership than a theme. We would rather say so early than sell something you do not need.
A faster theme already solves it
If the goal is speed and a cleaner frontend, a performance-focused theme such as Hyva keeps Magento's own rendering and is often the simpler first step. See Hyva Theme Development.
You need a license-free path on Adobe Commerce
GraphCommerce's pricing page says Adobe Commerce needs an Enterprise license. If that line cannot go in the budget, another option fits better.
Your payment gateway is not covered
The release notes list packages for six providers. Any other gateway needs custom integration work, and checkout lives in the storefront.
Heavy reliance on storefront extensions
Extensions that add storefront UI through the theme will not carry over by themselves. Each needs an API-based replacement or custom work.
Limited engineering capacity
A custom storefront is an application you maintain, alongside the Magento backend. Someone needs to own both.
A backend that is out of support
Headless does not replace upgrades. Adobe publishes support dates for each version, and the Magento backend still needs to stay on a supported one.
We say this early in discovery. If a lighter option fits your goals better, we will recommend it.
Compare Options
GraphCommerce compared with other Magento storefront options.
The short version: pick the lightest option that solves your actual problem.
GraphCommerce
A React and Next.js framework with ready components for headless Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce. Best for teams that want a head start and full control.
- React and Next.js
- Elastic License 2.0
- Edition-based licensing
Adobe Commerce Storefront on Edge Delivery Services
Adobe's recommended starting point, built from drop-in components with document-based authoring. Best for merchants following Adobe's direction.
- Drop-in components
- Document-based authoring
- License tied to Adobe offering
PWA Studio
Adobe's toolkit for progressive web app storefronts, built around its Venia storefront. Payment methods beyond its defaults need extra work, per Adobe's FAQ.
- React
- Venia storefront
- Payments need extra work
A custom Next.js storefront
Your own application on Magento's GraphQL API. Full control, no framework license, and every component is yours to build.
- Next.js or others
- GraphQL
- Highest effort
For a deeper look at Adobe's options and the wider decision, see our headless commerce development services and our guide to when headless commerce makes sense.
What We Deliver
GraphCommerce services, from assessment to long-term support.
Our team covers the full path, from deciding whether GraphCommerce fits to running the storefront after launch.
GraphCommerce readiness assessment
Review your Magento version, extensions, payment gateways, content needs, and license position before any build starts.
Storefront build and theming
Build and style the storefront on GraphCommerce's components, shaped around your catalog, content, and customer journeys.
Magento GraphQL integration
Connect the storefront to Magento's GraphQL API and extend the integration where a feature needs data the standard API does not provide.
CMS, search, and payment integration
Set up Hygraph or another content source, Magento or Algolia search, and the payment methods your customers use.
Migration from a Magento theme
Move an existing Magento storefront to GraphCommerce while the backend keeps running, as in our Tong Garden project.
Hosting, deployment, and ongoing support
Deployment pipelines and hosting for the storefront, plus monitoring and upkeep. See CI/CD Pipeline Setup and Magento Support Services.
Integrations
Integrations that connect a GraphCommerce storefront to the rest of your business.
Because the storefront talks to other systems through GraphQL and APIs, integrations are planned in the architecture phase instead of added at the end.
Content
Hygraph is the default integrated CMS, and it can be removed or replaced. Magento CMS pages and blocks, or no CMS, also work.
- Hygraph
- Magento CMS
- No CMS
Search
Magento search by default, with Algolia packages for products, categories, and recommendations.
- Magento search
- Algolia
Payments
Packages are listed for six providers. Other gateways are built as custom integrations.
- Adyen
- Braintree
- Klarna
- Mollie
- MultiSafePay
- PayPal
ERP, CRM, and PIM
Business systems connected through GraphQL Mesh or Magento's own integrations, planned with your team.
- GraphQL Mesh
- Magento integrations
Analytics and consent
Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and reCAPTCHA packages are available.
- GA4
- Tag Manager
- reCAPTCHA
Shipping and fulfilment
Delivery options and order handoff connected to the way you fulfil orders.
- Rates and tracking
- Order handoff
For platform-specific integration work, see Magento Integrations and Adobe Commerce Integrations.
Migration Path
A typical path from a Magento theme to a GraphCommerce storefront.
Most migrations rebuild the storefront while the Magento backend stays in place. The exact steps vary by store and scope.
Assess and license
Review the Magento version, theme, extensions, payment gateways, and license position, and confirm current GraphCommerce terms.
Plan the architecture
Choose the content layer, search provider, hosting, and how GraphQL Mesh will combine your data sources.
Build on the GraphQL API
Build the storefront against your existing Magento backend, starting from GraphCommerce's components.
Rebuild what the theme did
Recreate payments, search, content, and any storefront features that lived in theme code or extensions.
Test what matters
Test cart to order, payments, redirects from old URLs, SEO basics, and performance before anything goes live.
Launch and support
Cut over, monitor, and keep the storefront and the Magento backend current.
Case Study
GraphCommerce in practice: the Tong Garden storefront.
One of our GraphCommerce projects, described with the scope we actually delivered.
Tong Garden: from a Magento-led storefront to GraphCommerce
The project. Tong Garden's India storefront was moved from a Magento-led storefront layer to GraphCommerce, while Magento continued to run the underlying commerce engine.
Our role. Ethnic Infotech handled the technical migration and storefront implementation, in partnership with Thirteen Ideation, which led the brand and design direction.
The goals. Faster storefront speed, a smoother buying journey, less frontend complexity, and stronger conversion support.
- GraphCommerce frontend
- Magento backend kept
- Headless replatform
Why Choose Us
Why brands choose our GraphCommerce development team.
- Delivery history we can point to: a GraphCommerce storefront on a Magento backend (Tong Garden), described with the scope we delivered.
- Experience across the full stack, Next.js, React, GraphQL, and commerce backends including Adobe Commerce, Magento, and Shopify.
- Honest scoping: we cover licensing, payments, and extensions up front, and we say when GraphCommerce is not the right fit.
- Long-term partnership: the team that builds the storefront also maintains it.
Engagement Models
Ways to work with our GraphCommerce development team.
Dedicated Team
Hire GraphCommerce developers on a dedicated, ongoing basis for continuous delivery.
Fixed-Scope Project
A defined scope, timeline, and budget for a specific storefront build or migration.
Staff Augmentation
Add frontend and GraphQL engineers into your existing in-house team.
For Magento developers more broadly, see Magento Development.
FAQs
GraphCommerce development FAQs
What is GraphCommerce?
A framework for building headless ecommerce storefronts in React and Next.js, made for Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce. The storefront runs separately and talks to Magento through its GraphQL API. See the What GraphCommerce Is section above.
Is GraphCommerce open source?
Its own pages call it open source, but the license file is the Elastic License 2.0, which is source-available. You can use and modify it, with limits such as no offering it as a hosted service and no circumventing its license key functionality. See the Licensing And Cost section above.
Is GraphCommerce free?
Partly. Its pricing page calls the framework free of charge but says Adobe Commerce requires an Enterprise license, and its README lists paid Pro tiers. The sources differ, so we confirm current terms with you before you budget.
Does GraphCommerce work with Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce?
Yes, both, but the licensing and some features differ by edition. Its pricing page says Adobe Commerce needs an Enterprise license, and its Pro demos show extra features for each edition. We confirm what your edition needs during the assessment.
Which Magento versions does GraphCommerce support?
The GraphCommerce 10 release notes include features for Magento 2.4.7 and a compatibility layer for 2.4.6 and earlier. Check the current notes for your exact version, and keep the backend on a version Adobe still supports.
Should we choose GraphCommerce or Adobe's Edge Delivery Services?
It depends on your edition, team, and budget. Adobe names Edge Delivery Services as its recommended starting point, and its drop-ins have their own licensing. GraphCommerce suits teams that want its component set, a React and Next.js stack, and more control. See Compare Options.
Can we use our own CMS and search?
Often, yes. Hygraph is the default CMS, but the project says it can be removed or replaced, and a no-CMS build exists. Search uses Magento by default, with Algolia packages available. We confirm the combination during discovery.
Will our extensions and payment gateway work?
Backend extensions keep running in Magento. Extensions that add storefront UI through the theme need an API-based replacement or custom work. The release notes list payment packages for Adyen, Braintree, Klarna, Mollie, MultiSafePay, and PayPal, and any other gateway needs custom integration.
How long does a GraphCommerce build take, and what does it cost?
Both depend on catalog size, design scope, integrations, and how much of the current storefront is being rebuilt. A custom storefront is usually a larger investment than theme work, and GraphCommerce licensing is a separate line. We confirm scope and timeline after discovery. See Engagement Models.
Do you support GraphCommerce storefronts after launch?
Yes, including monitoring, integration maintenance, and keeping the storefront compatible as GraphCommerce and Magento release updates. See Magento Support Services.
Ready to Talk
Planning for a GraphCommerce storefront, a licensing decision, and a migration from your current theme.
Considering GraphCommerce for Your Magento Store?
Talk through whether GraphCommerce fits your Magento store, what the license means for your budget, and what a migration from your current theme would involve.
- A GraphCommerce fit and licensing assessment before any build
- Payments, extensions, and content planned up front
- Migration planned around SEO and your Magento version