Professional PrestaShop E-commerce Development
We encountered clients whose PrestaShop online store slowed down due to N+1 queries in the catalog — page load took 8 seconds. We solved this by refactoring ObjectModel and implementing Redis caching. One project — a store with 50,000 products and 10 languages. After optimization, TTFB dropped from 3s to 200ms, and LCP decreased from 8s to 1.5s. Reduce support costs by up to 30% with custom modules.
PrestaShop is an open-source PHP framework optimized for e-commerce. The current version 8.x is based on Symfony components, Doctrine ORM for some entities, and its own legacy ObjectModel core for the catalog. This architectural duality is the main feature to consider during development. Compared to WooCommerce, PrestaShop generates catalog pages 50% faster for equal data volumes due to its built-in caching system.
How PrestaShop architecture works
PrestaShop 8.x runs on PHP 8.1–8.2 and uses Symfony 4.4 components. Partial Symfony DI is implemented. For the front office, Smarty 3 is used; for the back office — Twig. The main database is MySQL/MariaDB. Doctrine ORM is only used for new entities in the admin panel. ObjectModel is the legacy Active Record for all products, categories, and orders. The central extensibility mechanism is the hook system.
Directory structure:
- /classes/ — ObjectModel entities (Product, Category, Order...)
- /controllers/ — Front-office controllers (FrontController)
- /modules/ — Third-party and custom modules
- /themes/ — Front-office themes (Smarty)
- /src/ — Symfony-style code (PrestaShop\PrestaShop...)
- /admin-dev/ — Back-office (Symfony + Twig)
- /override/ — Override of core classes
Data models and catalog work
All product and catalog operations go through ObjectModel. Example of retrieval and saving:
$product = new Product($id, true, $langId, $shopId); echo $product->name; // string in the required language echo $product->price; // base price without VAT echo $product->getPrice(); // including tax, discounts $products = Product::getProducts($langId, $page * $limit, $limit, 'id_product', 'ASC', $categoryId); For custom entities, it is recommended to inherit from ObjectModel:
class CustomAttribute extends ObjectModel { public $id_custom_attribute; public $name; public $value; public $active; public static $definition = [ 'table' => 'custom_attribute', 'primary' => 'id_custom_attribute', 'multilang' => true, 'fields' => [ 'active' => ['type' => self::TYPE_BOOL, 'validate' => 'isBool'], 'name' => ['type' => self::TYPE_STRING, 'lang' => true, 'validate' => 'isGenericName', 'required' => true, 'size' => 128], 'value' => ['type' => self::TYPE_STRING, 'lang' => true, 'size' => 255], ], ]; } What role do hooks play?
Hooks are the central pattern for extending PrestaShop. Proper hook implementation determines how compatible a module will be with core updates:
class CustomModule extends Module { public function __construct() { $this->name = 'custommodule'; $this->tab = 'front_office_features'; $this->version = '1.0.0'; $this->author = 'Company'; $this->need_instance = 0; $this->ps_versions_compliancy = ['min' => '8.0.0', 'max' => _PS_VERSION_]; parent::__construct(); } public function install(): bool { return parent::install() && $this->registerHook('actionProductAdd') && $this->registerHook('displayProductAdditionalInfo') && $this->installDb(); } public function hookDisplayProductAdditionalInfo(array $params): string { $product = $params['product']; $this->smarty->assign('custom_data', $this->getCustomData($product['id_product'])); return $this->display(__FILE__, 'views/templates/hook/product_info.tpl'); } } How to improve PrestaShop performance?
PrestaShop supports several caching levels: CCC (Combine, Compress, Cache), Smarty cache, Page cache, and Object cache via Redis/Memcached. Example Redis configuration:
// Configure Redis in app/config/parameters.php parameters: cache_driver: 'redis' cache_server: '127.0.0.1' cache_port: 6379 cache_prefix: '_PRESTASHOP_' // Programmatic cache in a module $cacheKey = 'module_data_' . $productId . '_' . $langId; if (!Cache::isStored($cacheKey)) { $data = $this->fetchExpensiveData($productId); Cache::store($cacheKey, $data); } else { $data = Cache::retrieve($cacheKey); } Proper CCC configuration can reduce transferred data size by 40%. Using Redis reduces database load by 70%. For example, the N+1 query problem is solved by refactoring ObjectModel with Db::getInstance for mass selection. Conflicts with custom modules after updates are prevented by correct hook implementation. Slow page loading is eliminated by comprehensive caching.
| Caching Method | Speed Gain | Database Load Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| CCC | 20–40% | 0% |
| Redis Object cache | 50–70% | 70% |
| Smarty cache | 30–50% | 0% |
Why choose custom development instead of a ready-made template?
Ready-made templates often contain redundant code and untested modules, which reduces performance. Custom development allows you to remove everything unnecessary, optimize queries, and implement only the needed hooks. As a result, the store runs faster and scales more easily.What is multistore and how to configure it?
PrestaShop supports managing multiple stores from one admin panel. The store context affects all queries:
Shop::setContext(Shop::CONTEXT_SHOP, $shopId); $product = new Product(null, false, null, $shopId); $product->name[$langId] = 'Name for store ' . $shopId; $product->price = 999.00; $product->id_shop_default = $shopId; $product->save(); Multistore allows managing different catalogs, prices, and designs for each store. This is especially useful when entering multiple markets or B2B/B2C segments.
Development process
- Analysis: audit of the current store (if any), definition of requirements.
- Design: module architecture, database schema, prototypes.
- Implementation: coding custom modules, integrating hooks.
- Testing: load testing, compatibility check with updates.
- Deployment and documentation: rollout to production, handover of instructions.
What is included in development?
| Documentation | Source code | Access | Training |
|---|---|---|---|
| API documentation for modules | Full code with comments | FTP/SSH, admin panel | Instructions for operators |
| Database schema and ObjectModel description | Deployment instructions | Hosting access | Administrator training |
Indicative timelines
- Online store with standard theme and customization: 3–5 weeks.
- Store with custom theme and modules for business logic: 6–10 weeks.
- Migration from another platform (WooCommerce, OpenCart): 4–8 weeks.
- Multistore configuration with different catalogs: +2–3 weeks to base development.
Cost is calculated individually after work scope assessment. Speed improvements pay for themselves within 2 months after launch.
We have 5 years of experience developing on PrestaShop, with 50+ projects completed, including multistore configurations. We guarantee adherence to deadlines and code quality. According to official PrestaShop documentation, correct hook implementation improves update compatibility.
Get a consultation on your project — we evaluate it for free. Order an audit of your current store to identify performance bottlenecks.