1. Introduction

Medusa is a digital commerce platform with a built-in framework for customization.

Medusa ships with three main tools:

1. A suite of commerce modules that provide core commerce functionalities, such as tracking inventory, calculating cart totals, accepting payments, managing orders, and much more.
2. A framework to build custom functionalities specific to your business, product, or industry. This includes tools for introducing custom API endpoints, business logic, and data models; building workflows and automations; and integrating with third-party services.
3. A customizable admin dashboard for merchants to configure and operate their store.

When you start Medusa the first time you get a fully fledged commerce platform with all the features you need to get off the ground.

However, unlike other platforms, Medusa is built with customization in mind. You don't need to build hacky workarounds that are difficult to maintain and scale. Instead, you can focus on building features that brings your business's vision to life.

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Get started#

Prerequisites3

Node.js v20+↗Git CLI tool↗PostgreSQL↗

Create your first Medusa store by running the following command:

Terminal
❯npx create-medusa-app@latest

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Who should use Medusa#

Medusa is for businesses with unique requirements that other digital commerce platforms can't easily support. Businesses of any size can use Medusa, from small startups to large enterprises - all it takes is a developer to manage and deploy your project.

Below are some stories from companies that use Medusa:

Use Case: D2C

How Matt Sleeps built a unique D2C experience with Medusa

Use Case: OMS

How Makro Pro Built an OMS with Medusa

Use Case: Marketplace

How Foraged built a custom marketplace with Medusa

Use Case: POS

How Tekla built a global webshop and a POS system with Medusa

Use Case: B2B

How Visionary built B2B commerce with Medusa

Use Case: Platform

How Catalog built a B2B platform for SMBs with Medusa

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Who is this documentation for#

This documentation is for developers looking to master Medusa. The documentation is structured to gradually introduce Medusa's concepts, from basic to advanced, with easy-to-follow examples to assist you along the way.

By the end of this documentation, you’ll be able to create custom commerce experiences that would otherwise take large engineering teams months to build.

How to use the documentation#

The documentation for Medusa v2 is split into the following sections:

1. The main documentation, which is the one you're currently viewing. It's recommended to follow the chapters in this documentation to understand the core concepts of Medusa and how to use them.
2. The Development Resources documentation provides guides and resources useful during your development, such as tools, API references, recipes, step-by-step guides and examples, and more.
3. The Store and Admin API references provide a reference to the Medusa application's endpoints and instructions related to authentication, parameter types, and more.

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