CS-Cart / Multi-Vendor: Installing Russian E-commerce Platform for Stores and Marketplaces

CS-Cart is professional e-commerce platform of Russian development. Created in 2005 by Simtech Development, today used in over 35,000 stores worldwide. Unlike Western solutions, CS-Cart initially adapted for Russian realities: integrations with domestic payment systems, delivery services, accounting programs built-in out of box.

CS-Cart exists in two editions:

• CS-Cart - classic online store with single seller
• Multi-Vendor - full marketplace where multiple sellers manage their catalogs

Multi-Vendor allows creating analog of Amazon, eBay under own brand. Sellers register, upload products, process orders. Marketplace owner receives commission from sales, controls moderation, sets rules.

Platform distributed under commercial license with open source code. Purchase license once ($1450-4950), get full code access, modify as needed. Updates and tech support paid separately.

Why CS-Cart Is Chosen for Online Retail

CS-Cart occupies unique niche—Russian development with Western quality standards. Doesn't require monthly subscription like SaaS solutions, but more expensive than open-source platforms at start.

Russian Localization Out of Box

CS-Cart developed in Russia for Russian market. All integrations with YooKassa, Robokassa, Sberbank, CDEK, Boxberry, Russian Post work natively. No need to search third-party plugins, configure API—everything built-in and tested. Taxes configured for VAT 20%, documents formed per GOST, 1C integration out of box.

Multi-Vendor: Marketplace Without Development

Want to launch marketplace—Multi-Vendor ready. Seller registration, personal cabinets for vendors, separate warehouses, commission model, product moderation, financial reports per seller. Functionality that competitors require months of development works out of box.

500+ Features Without Additional Plugins

In base delivery, CS-Cart has more features than PrestaShop and OpenCart combined. Manage promotions and discounts of any complexity, loyalty program, gift certificates, product comparison, wish lists, reviews with photos, product variations (color/size), wholesale prices, multiple currencies, multilingual. Competitors require dozens of paid plugins for such functionality.

Open Source Code

Despite commercial license, code completely open. Hire developer, modify platform for business processes, integrate with internal systems. Not dependent on manufacturer like with closed SaaS platforms.

Performance Under Load

CS-Cart optimized for high loads. Built-in caching (blocks, queries, pages), Redis and Memcached support, CDN integrations, image optimization. Stores with 100,000+ products work fast with proper server setup.

Active Development and Support

Simtech Development releases updates monthly. New features, bug fixes, security patches. Paid tech support answers in Russian and English, understands market specifics. Documentation detailed, forum active.

CS-Cart System Requirements

CS-Cart less demanding on resources than Shopware, but more demanding than WooCommerce.

Operating System:

• Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS (recommended)
• Debian 11 or 12
• CentOS 7+ or AlmaLinux 8+
• FreeBSD (supported but rarely used)

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS optimal choice. Fresh packages, stability, huge community.

Web Server:

• Apache 2.4+ with mod_rewrite (recommended)
• Nginx 1.18+ (requires additional configuration)
• LiteSpeed

CS-Cart initially developed for Apache. Official documentation and all instructions for Apache. Nginx works, but some features require manual rewrite rules setup.

PHP:

• PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1 or 8.2 (8.1 recommended)
• Required extensions: curl, gd (or imagick), json, mbstring, mysqli (or pdo_mysql), openssl, xml, zip
• Settings: memory_limit 256M+, max_execution_time 300+, upload_max_filesize 20M+

PHP 8.1 is golden middle. Performance higher than PHP 7.4, compatibility with most addons better than PHP 8.2.

Database:

• MySQL 5.7+ or MySQL 8.0+
• MariaDB 10.3+
• Percona Server 5.7+

MariaDB 10.11 optimal. Performance higher than MySQL, compatibility complete.

Additional Components:

• Imagick or GD (for image processing, Imagick preferable)
• Redis or APCu (for caching, critical for production)
• OPcache (mandatory for PHP 7+)
• Curl with SSL support
• mod_deflate for Apache (gzip compression)

Hardware Resources:

Minimum configuration (up to 1,000 products, 50 orders/day):

• 2 GB RAM
• 2 vCPU
• 20 GB SSD

Recommended configuration (up to 10,000 products, 300 orders/day):

• 4 GB RAM
• 4 vCPU
• 40 GB SSD

For Multi-Vendor marketplace (50,000+ products, 1,000+ orders/day):

• 8+ GB RAM
• 6+ vCPU
• 80+ GB NVMe SSD

Multi-Vendor requires more resources than regular CS-Cart due to multiple sellers, separate catalogs, complex commission calculations.

Preparing THE.Hosting VPS for CS-Cart

THE.Hosting VPS ideal for CS-Cart. NVMe drives accelerate database work, dedicated resources ensure stability under load, European datacenters provide low latency.

Choosing Configuration

For starting store (up to 500 products, testing):

• 2 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40 GB NVMe
• 1 IPv4

Cost around $5-10/month. Sufficient for first months.

For growing business (3,000-10,000 products, active trading):

• 4 vCPU
• 8 GB RAM
• 80 GB NVMe
• 1 IPv4

Such configuration comfortably handles 300-500 orders daily.

For Multi-Vendor marketplace (10-50 sellers, high load):

• 6 vCPU
• 16 GB RAM
• 120 GB NVMe
• 1 IPv4

Multi-Vendor requires more resources due to simultaneous work of multiple sellers.

Initial Server Setup

After ordering VPS, get root access. Connect:

ssh root@your-IP-address

Update system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Create user:

adduser cscart
usermod -aG sudo cscart

Firewall:

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable

Timezone:

timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

Installing Software Stack

CS-Cart works on classic LAMP: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP.

Installing Apache

apt install apache2 -y
systemctl start apache2
systemctl enable apache2

Enable necessary modules:

a2enmod rewrite
a2enmod deflate
a2enmod headers
a2enmod expires
systemctl restart apache2

Installing MariaDB

apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y
systemctl start mariadb
systemctl enable mariadb

Secure setup:

mysql_secure_installation

Create database for CS-Cart:

mysql -u root -p

In MySQL:

CREATE DATABASE cscart CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'cscart_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON cscart.* TO 'cscart_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Installing PHP 8.1 and Extensions

add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
apt update
apt install php8.1 libapache2-mod-php8.1 php8.1-mysql php8.1-curl \
php8.1-gd php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xml php8.1-zip php8.1-opcache \
php8.1-imagick php8.1-intl -y

Configure PHP. File /etc/php/8.1/apache2/php.ini:

nano /etc/php/8.1/apache2/php.ini

Change:

memory_limit = 512M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_vars = 10000
date.timezone = America/New_York
opcache.enable = 1
opcache.memory_consumption = 128

Restart Apache:

systemctl restart apache2

Installing Redis

apt install redis-server php8.1-redis -y
systemctl enable redis-server
systemctl start redis-server

Check:

redis-cli ping

Should return "PONG".

Installing CS-Cart

Download CS-Cart from official site. For Multi-Vendor process identical.

Create directory:

mkdir -p /var/www/cscart
cd /var/www/cscart

Download installation archive:

wget https://www.cs-cart.com/files/cscart_latest.zip

Unpack:

apt install unzip -y
unzip cscart_latest.zip
rm cscart_latest.zip

Set permissions:

chown -R www-dаta:www-data /var/www/cscart
find /var/www/cscart -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /var/www/cscart -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
chmod 666 /var/www/cscart/config.local.php
chmod -R 777 /var/www/cscart/images
chmod -R 777 /var/www/cscart/var

Configure Apache. File /etc/apache2/sites-available/cscart.conf:

nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/cscart.conf

Configuration:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    ServerAlias www.your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/cscart

    <Directory /var/www/cscart>
        Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/cscart_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/cscart_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Activate:

a2ensite cscart.conf
a2dissite 000-default.conf
systemctl reload apache2

Running Web Installer

Open browser: http://your-domain.com/install/

Step 1: Language Selection - choose English or Russian.

Step 2: License Agreement - read and accept CS-Cart license terms.

Step 3: Server Check - installer checks PHP version, extensions, write permissions. Everything green—continue.

Step 4: Database Configuration - enter database details (localhost, cscart, cscart_user, password). Disable demo data for production.

Step 5: Administrator Settings - admin email, password (strong), main language, main currency.

Step 6: Store Information - store name, timezone, store email.

Step 7: Installation - takes 3-5 minutes. After success:

• Storefront: http://your-domain.com
• Admin panel: http://your-domain.com/admin.php

Initial CS-Cart Configuration

After installation, store works but requires configuration.

Basic Settings

Administration → Settings → General - fill company info, address, phone, email.

Payment Methods

Administration → Payment Methods

For US market activate:

• Stripe: accepts Visa, Mastercard, commission 2.9% + $0.30
• PayPal: international payments
• Square: for US businesses
• Cash on delivery: built-in method

Shipping Methods

Administration → Shipping & Taxes → Shipping Methods

Configure methods:

• UPS: automatic rate calculation
• FedEx: integration through API
• USPS: US Postal Service
• Courier: custom rates by zone
• Pickup: free, specify pickup address

Taxes and Currencies

Administration → Shipping & Taxes → Taxes - for US configure sales tax by state.

Currencies: Main currency USD. Add EUR, GBP if selling internationally.

Adding Products

Products → Categories - create catalog structure.

Products → Products → Add Product: name, description, price, images (recommended 1000x1000px), SKU, stock quantity, features (color, size, weight).

CS-Cart supports product variations and options.

Installing SSL Certificate

HTTPS mandatory for online stores. Install Let's Encrypt:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
certbot --apache -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com

Certbot automatically configures Apache and gets certificate.

After SSL, update CS-Cart settings: Administration → Settings → Security - enable "Use secure connection for storefront" and admin panel.

Check auto-renewal:

certbot renew --dry-run

Performance Optimization

CS-Cart out of box works slowly without caching.

Enable Built-in Cache

Administration → Settings → Caching

Enable:

• Block caching: saves HTML blocks
• Query caching: saves SQL results
• Page caching: full HTML pages

Choose caching mechanism:

• File - on disk (for VPS with fast SSD)
• Redis - in memory (recommended, much faster)

Configure Redis for Cache

Edit config.local.php:

nano /var/www/cscart/config.local.php

Add:

$config['cache_backend'] = 'redis';
$config['cache_redis_server'] = '127.0.0.1';
$config['cache_redis_global_ttl'] = 3600;

Clear cache:

rm -rf /var/www/cscart/var/cache/*

Image Optimization

Settings → Appearance → Thumbnails - reduce thumbnail sizes (512x512 instead of 1000x1000), enable "Use WebP" if server supports, JPEG quality 80-85%.

MySQL Optimization

Edit /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf:

nano /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf

Add to [mysqld]:

innodb_buffer_pool_size = 2G
innodb_log_file_size = 256M
query_cache_type = 1
query_cache_size = 64M
max_connections = 150

For VPS with 4 GB RAM: innodb_buffer_pool_size = 2G. With 8 GB—4G.

Restart:

systemctl restart mariadb

OPcache Configuration

OPcache already installed, check settings in /etc/php/8.1/apache2/php.ini:

opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=128
opcache.max_accelerated_files=10000
opcache.validate_timestamps=0

validate_timestamps=0 critical for production—PHP doesn't check file changes, always uses cache.

CS-Cart Store Security

Basic Measures

Updates: CS-Cart releases updates regularly. Check: Administration → Update Center. Install updates in couple clicks. Before updating, definitely create backup.

Strong Passwords: Admin panel, database, FTP, SSH—unique passwords everywhere. Minimum 16 characters.

Two-Factor Authentication: "Two-factor authentication" addon available in CS-Cart marketplace for free.

Admin Panel Protection

Change Admin URL:

By default admin at /admin.php. Rename file:

mv /var/www/cscart/admin.php /var/www/cscart/secret_admin.php

Update configuration:

nano /var/www/cscart/config.local.php

Add:

$config['admin_index'] = 'secret_admin.php';

Now admin: http://your-domain.com/secret_admin.php

IP Restriction for Admin:

In .htaccess:

nano /var/www/cscart/.htaccess

Add:

<FilesMatch "^(secret_admin\.php)$">
    Order Deny,Allow
    Deny from all
    Allow from your.IP.address
</FilesMatch>

Fail2ban for Server Protection

apt install fail2ban -y

Configure /etc/fail2ban/jail.local:

[apache-auth]
enabled = true
port = http,https
logpath = /var/log/apache2/*error.log

[apache-noscript]
enabled = true
port = http,https
logpath = /var/log/apache2/*access.log

Restart:

systemctl restart fail2ban

Regular Backups

Auto-backup script /usr/local/bin/cscart_backup.sh:

#!/bin/bash

DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/cscart"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Database dump
mysqldump -u cscart_user -p'password' cscart | gzip > "$BACKUP_DIR/db_${DATE}.sql.gz"

# Files archive
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/files_${DATE}.tar.gz" \
    /var/www/cscart/images \
    /var/www/cscart/var \
    /var/www/cscart/design \
    /var/www/cscart/config.local.php

# Delete old (>7 days)
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "*.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $DATE"

Add to cron:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/cscart_backup.sh
crontab -e

Line:

0 3 * * * /usr/local/bin/cscart_backup.sh

Common Problems and Solutions

Error 500 After Installation

Cause: incorrect permissions or insufficient PHP memory.

Solution:

chown -R www-dаta:www-data /var/www/cscart
chmod -R 777 /var/www/cscart/var
chmod -R 777 /var/www/cscart/images

Check logs:

tail -f /var/log/apache2/cscart_error.log

Slow Page Loading

Cause: caching disabled or Redis not configured.

Solution: enable caching, configure Redis as cache backend.

Images Don't Upload

Cause: insufficient permissions or upload_max_filesize limit.

Solution:

chmod 777 /var/www/cscart/images

Increase limits in php.ini:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M

Restart Apache.

Ready to launch store or marketplace on CS-Cart?

THE.Hosting VPS with NVMe drives—optimal platform for CS-Cart. Root access, dedicated resources, 24/7 support.

Order VPS for CS-Cart

FAQ

How much does CS-Cart cost?

CS-Cart license—$1450 (1 domain), Multi-Vendor—$1950-4950 depending on edition. One-time payment, no monthly subscription. Updates paid separately (~$200/year), but optional.

Difference between CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor?

CS-Cart—regular store with single seller. Multi-Vendor—marketplace where multiple sellers manage catalogs, like Amazon or eBay. If planning marketplace—need Multi-Vendor.

Can migrate from other platform?

Yes, CS-Cart supports CSV import. Export products from old platform, import to CS-Cart. For complex migrations (with orders, customers) hire integrator.

Is programming knowledge needed?

For basic work, no. Adding products, processing orders, configuring payments—through admin panel. For design customization and complex modifications need PHP, Smarty (templates), jаvascript.

Essential addons?

For US store, built-in integrations sufficient: Stripe, PayPal, UPS, FedEx. Additionally useful: SEO optimization, social media integration, loyalty program.

CS-Cart vs PrestaShop?

CS-Cart commercial ($1450 vs free), but more features out of box. PrestaShop requires dozens of paid plugins, CS-Cart works immediately. Multi-Vendor provides marketplace functionality PrestaShop doesn't offer at all.

How many products and sellers Multi-Vendor handles?

On VPS 8 GB RAM—tens of thousands products and 50-100 sellers comfortably. For large marketplaces (1000+ sellers, 100,000+ products) need powerful server (16+ GB RAM) and additional optimization (CDN, Elasticsearch, server cluster).