At a Glance:
Spree is an open-source headless eCommerce platform providing a REST API, TypeScript SDK, and a Next.js storefront for building cross-border storefronts, B2B wholesale, or custom commerce backends, with multi-store support and provider-agnostic payment processing.
Overview:
Spree is an open-source headless eCommerce platform designed for developers building custom storefronts and commerce backends. It provides a complete REST API with an OpenAPI 3.0 spec, a TypeScript SDK for type-safe development, and a production-ready Next.js storefront. The platform supports cross-border commerce through bundled markets, multi-currency, and localization tools, alongside B2B wholesale features like price lists and customer groups. A multi-store architecture allows multiple distinct storefronts to run from a single backend. Spree is BSD 3-Clause licensed, and the core ships with payment integrations for Stripe, Adyen, and PayPal, a promotions engine, and a MeiliSearch integration for product search.
Key Decision Points:
Headless API-First Architecture: The platform is operated through a REST API and TypeScript SDK, making it suitable for developers building custom storefronts, not a click-and-build SaaS product.
Built-in Next.js Storefront: A complete, production-ready storefront built with Next.js 16, React 19, and Tailwind CSS 4 is provided as an open-source starting point.
Multi-Store & Cross-Border Core: Multi-store management, multi-currency, and market localization are core features available in the open-source version, not hidden behind a paywall.
B2B Capabilities in Core: Features like Price Lists, Customer Groups, and gated storefronts via publishable keys are available, with more advanced buyer organization structures planned for a future core release.
Enterprise Feature Separation: Advanced B2B workflows, multi-vendor marketplaces, multi-tenant SaaS, and enterprise security features are exclusively part of a paid Enterprise Edition.
Provider-Agnostic Payments: The "Payment Sessions" model integrates Stripe, Adyen, and PayPal without requiring changes to the storefront's checkout code.
Core Features:
REST API & TypeScript SDK: A production-grade REST API with publishable API keys, rate limiting, and an OpenAPI 3.0 specification, alongside a TypeScript SDK that provides autocomplete and type safety.
Next.js Storefront: An open-source storefront application built with Next.js 16, React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, and TypeScript, featuring Stripe payments, multi-region URL routing, and customer accounts.
Cross-Border Commerce: Markets that bundle currency, language, payment methods, and shipping rules per country, with a Translations Center for bulk product localization.
B2B & Wholesale: Includes Price Lists for varied pricing, Customer Groups for segmentation, and Catalogs for curated product assortments, with gated access controlled by publishable keys.
Multi-Store: The ability to run multiple, distinct storefronts—each with its own domain, branding, and products—from a single Spree backend.
Payment Sessions: A provider-agnostic payment processing abstraction that ships with support for Stripe, Adyen, and PayPal.
Use Cases:
Developers building a custom, headless eCommerce experience with a Next.js storefront.
Teams needing to launch and manage multiple country-specific storefronts with local currencies and languages from a single backend.
Developers implementing B2B wholesale functionality with segmented pricing, customer groups, and gated catalogs for different buyer organizations.
Open-Source Alternative Value:
Spree's open-source core provides a commercially viable foundation, shipping under a BSD 3-Clause license that allows full ownership of custom code and data. It offers a complete headless commerce stack including a REST API, SDK, and storefront, enabling developers to build cross-border and B2B storefronts without platform fees. The openly available API specification and event bus also provide a documented path for building custom integrations, while the separation of advanced enterprise features into a paid edition clarifies the scope of the free, self-maintainable core.