About Entaprenua
Entaprenua is an e-commerce platform builder that lets you create and manage multiple independent online stores from a single dashboard.
Unlike traditional platforms, every store gets its own codebase — a standalone SolidStart application that you fully own. Or share one codebase across stores while keeping each store's products, orders, inventory, and team fully independent. For example, franchise branches or multi-location merchants can run the same code on every store while each location manages its own catalog and operations. You get a production-ready storefront with pre-built components, instant page loads through server-side rendering, and the ability to customize anything.
Why We Built This
Most e-commerce platforms fall into two camps:
- Hosted platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce) — you rent a store, you follow their rules, you pay their fees. Customization is limited to their theme system.
- Self-hosted monoliths (Magento, WooCommerce) — you install one instance, you manage one store. Multi-store means multiple installations and separate admin panels.
We wanted a third option: multi-store from day one, with independent storefronts you fully control.
Templates are optional — use one to get started or build from scratch with your own framework (Next.js, Nuxt, Remix, anything). Every template is a full codebase hosted on GitHub that you can clone, fork, or refactor freely. No framework lock-in, no template lock-in. Push code, trigger a build, your store updates. It's your code.
Your storefront is a standalone Node.js application that runs anywhere. Deploy it on our infrastructure, your own VPS, a cloud edge function, or your own server — you just need your store API key in the environment variables to connect it to the platform. Your storefront is yours, not locked to our infrastructure.
How We Compare
vs Shopify
| Shopify | Entaprenua | |
|---|---|---|
| Store ownership | Rented — Shopify controls your store | Owned — your code, your repo |
| Transaction fees | 2.9% + 30¢ (plus 2% if not using Shopify Payments) | None |
| Multi-store | Requires separate plans | Unlimited stores, one account |
| Template language | Liquid — proprietary template language: {% for %}, {{ variable }}, custom filters |
SolidStart + GraphQL — reactive JSX components that auto-fetch data. No new language to learn |
| Customization | Limited to Liquid templates and theme settings | Full codebase — any framework, any library |
| API access | Rate-limited, schema-fixed, store-specific | Full GraphQL + REST — no rate limits, stream any data |
| Custom backend | Not possible (must use Shopify backend) | Run your own server — connect Zoho, ERPs, CRMs, anything |
| Data streaming | Limited webhook topics (delayed) | Real-time — orders, inventory, customers — pipe anywhere |
| External integrations | Through App Store only | Direct API from your server — no gatekeepers |
| SSR performance | Server-rendered, but not your server | SolidStart with edge-ready SSR |
| M-Pesa | Third-party apps only | Bonus in templates — refactorable |
| Deployment | Upload theme files | Git push → auto-build → live |
vs Magento (Adobe Commerce)
| Magento | Entaprenua | |
|---|---|---|
| Stack | PHP + MySQL monolith | Kotlin/Spring Boot API + SolidStart storefronts |
| Performance | Heavy — requires caching layers | Reactive WebFlux backend, instant SSR |
| Multi-store | Multi-site within one instance | Fully independent storefronts |
| Hosting | Expensive dedicated servers required | Lightweight Node.js + PostgreSQL |
| Learning curve | Steep — PHP, XML layout, EAV database | Compose components with JSX, no PHP |
| Build/deploy | Manual file uploads, composer | Git-connected CI/CD with GitHub |
vs WooCommerce
| WooCommerce | Entaprenua | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | WordPress plugin | Standalone platform |
| Performance | WordPress overhead, plugin conflicts | Purpose-built, no bloat |
| Multi-store | Requires WordPress Multisite or separate installs | Native multi-store, one dashboard |
| Security | WordPress vulnerability surface (plugins, themes) | Minimal attack surface, isolated stores |
| Payment options | Depends on plugins | Stripe + M-Pesa in templates — refactorable |
| SEO | WordPress SEO plugins | Built-in SSR with meta tags, sitemap-ready |
vs Custom Build
| Custom Build | Entaprenua | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 3–6 months for a production store | Minutes from a template |
| Maintenance | You maintain everything | We maintain the platform, you own your store |
| Components | Build from scratch or wire APIs | Pre-built components that auto-fetch data — zero API wiring |
| Best practices | Depends on your team | Battle-tested patterns (JWT + CSRF, rate limiting, inventory tracking) |
| Updates | You handle everything | Platform updates independent of your store code |
Platform Architecture
Entaprenua is a platform — not a product. We provide the commerce engine; you build whatever you want on top.
[Spring Boot Platform] ← We maintain
↓ (GraphQL + REST + streaming)
[Your Servers & Apps] ← You own, deploy anywhere
↓
[Zoho / ERPs / CRMs / Custom middleware]
The SDK
Entaprenua ships with Jupiter — a core SDK library containing 40+ production-ready components, API clients, and server actions (payments, auth, email, config). Your store codebase (whether from a template or custom) imports it:
store/
├── node_modules/jupiter/ ← Core SDK
│ ├── components/ui/ ← Card, Cart, Checkout, Auth, GoogleMap, etc.
│ └── lib/ ← API clients, payments, OAuth, email, config
│
├── src/
│ ├── routes/ ← Your page routes
│ └── app.css ← Your theme
│
└── package.json ← jupiter is a dependency
Build your own template from scratch — or skip our frontend entirely and use the APIs directly.
Key Differentiators
1. Pre-Configured Storefront Components
Your storefront comes with 40+ production-ready UI components that fetch their own data. No manual API calls, no state management wiring. Drop a <ProductList> on a page and it just works:
<ProductList>
<Grid cols={4} gap={4}>
<CollectionView>
<Product>
<ProductImage class="aspect-square object-cover rounded-lg" />
<ProductName class="font-semibold" />
<ProductPrice class="text-lg font-bold" />
<ProductAddToCartTrigger class="w-full" />
</Product>
</CollectionView>
</Grid>
</ProductList>
2. Independent Storefronts
Each store runs as a separate Node.js process with its own port. A store going down doesn't affect others. You can deploy stores on different domains, customize each independently, and manage them all from one admin panel.
3. Git-Connected Deployments
Connect a GitHub repository to your store. Push code — we build and deploy automatically. Full CI/CD without setting up GitHub Actions.
4. Team Collaboration with RBAC
Invite team members with granular roles: Owner, Admin, Editor, Viewer. Full access control per store, not account-wide.
5. AI-Powered Search & Recommendations
Typo-tolerant full-text search with faceted filtering, dynamic sorting, and synonyms. Product recommendations powered by purchase history and browsing patterns — personalized, popular, related, and "bought together".
6. Payment Freedom — Your Choice of Provider
Payment code lives entirely in your storefront — the platform never touches it. Templates (full GitHub repos, fully refactorable) ship with Stripe and M-Pesa as ready-to-use bonuses, but you can drop, swap, or add any provider: PayPal, Flutterwave, Squad, a custom gateway, anything. It's a standard Node.js app; integrate whatever you want.
Add your payment credentials (Stripe keys, M-Pesa till number) in .env — your storefront talks directly to the payment provider. The platform only records the transaction after your storefront reports it via API. No platform payment holds, no delayed payouts.
7. Shared Codebase, Independent Stores
Multiple stores can share the same Git repository while maintaining completely separate data. Product catalogs, orders, inventory, team members, and settings are all independent per store — but the code is the same.
This is ideal for franchise networks and multi-branch retailers: push a code update once, all branches get the improvement. Each branch manages its own products, pricing, and inventory through its own admin dashboard. No data leaks between stores.
8. No Vendor Lock-In
Your storefront is a standalone application with no proprietary runtime. The API is open — full GraphQL and REST with no rate limits, no request quotas, no gatekeepers.
If you ever leave Entaprenua, you take everything:
- Your store code — it still runs, just swap the API endpoint
- Your data — full database access
- Your integrations — they talk to our open APIs, not proprietary SDKs
Contrast this with Shopify, where your store dies the moment you cancel your plan, your data is locked behind rate-limited APIs, and any custom integrations break.
You can also skip our frontend entirely — build a native mobile app, a PWA, a custom checkout flow, or a server-to-server integration that streams orders into your ERP. The platform is just an API; your business logic lives where you want it.
9. Reactive Architecture
Our API layer is built on Spring WebFlux with non-blocking I/O — every request is handled asynchronously without tying up threads. This means higher concurrency with fewer resources. While Magento and WooCommerce block a thread per request, Entaprenua handles thousands of concurrent API calls with minimal overhead.
10. Multi-Storefront Marketplace (Coming Soon)
A unified storefront that aggregates products from every store on the Entaprenua platform into a single searchable catalog. Customers browse and search across all merchants, add items from different sellers to one cart, and check out once — with the marketplace storefront splitting payments and routing them to each merchant's own payment provider.
This is bonus marketing for merchants — alongside their independent storefront websites. Each merchant retains full ownership of their brand, catalog, and payment accounts. The marketplace is a discovery layer: a shopping mall that amplifies every merchant's reach while every transaction remains a direct purchase between customer and store owner. No commissions, no payment holds, no platform interference in your money.
11. No Template Language to Learn
Shopify requires you to learn Liquid — a proprietary template language with its own syntax ({% for %}, {{ variable }}, custom filters) that only works on Shopify. Magento uses XML layout files and PHP .phtml templates.
Entaprenua uses SolidJS + JSX — standard JavaScript and TypeScript, the same languages you already use for web development. No template language, no special syntax, no lock-in to a platform-specific skill. Every component is plain JSX: familiar, transferable, and debuggable with the tools you already know.
12. Built for AI Coding
AI coding tools (Copilot, Cursor, Claude) are trained extensively on JavaScript, TypeScript, and JSX — the exact stack Entaprenua storefronts use. An AI assistant can generate entire product pages, wire up new components, and refactor your store code because it already understands JSX inside and out.
Shopify requires Liquid — a proprietary template language AI tools have far less training data for. Magento uses XML layouts and PHP .phtml templates. With Entaprenua, AI-assisted development is a first-class experience, not an afterthought.
13. Real-Time Data Streaming & Custom Backends
Entaprenua exposes the full commerce engine through open GraphQL and REST APIs — no rate limits, no request quotas, no secret endpoints. But more importantly, you own the deployment, so you can run your own server alongside your storefront:
- Stream every order, inventory change, and customer registration to your own services in real time
- Run a custom middleware server that pipes data into Zoho, QuickBooks, SAP, or any ERP
- Build a server-to-server integration that processes fulfillment through your warehouse system
- Push customer data to your CRM without waiting for platform-supported webhooks
- Connect your own payment gateway — the payment code is in your repo, not ours
Because you control the server, there's no platform between you and your data. Build the exact pipeline your business needs.
When to Use Entaprenua
- You need multiple stores (different brands, regions, or product lines) from one dashboard
- You want code-level customization without building everything from scratch
- You want freedom from any payment provider lock-in — Stripe and M-Pesa in templates are just a starting bonus, fully refactorable
- You're running a franchise or multi-branch operation that needs shared branding but independent per-branch management
- You want instant page loads (SSR) without managing server infrastructure
- You're an agency managing stores for multiple clients
- You want to own your storefront code, not rent it
- You need to sync commerce data with your ERP, accounting system, or CRM
- You want to build custom backend services that integrate with your business tools