Go backend. Svelte storefront. One platform, two packages.
This page explains how the two packages of KitCommerce relate — what talks to what, which parts are real today, and when you would reach for one, the other, or both.
Two flows, one database
A shopper and a merchant arrive by different routes and meet at the same Postgres. Nothing proxies for anything else.
Customer
Browsing, searching, buying.
HTTPS
Svelte Commerce
Storefront. SvelteKit, server-rendered.
REST / JSON — connector
GoCommerce
Commerce API. Go.
pgx
PostgreSQL
One database, yours.
Merchant
Fulfilling, pricing, restocking.
HTTPS
GoCommerce admin
Svelte, compiled into the Go binary.
same documented API
GoCommerce
Commerce API. Go.
pgx
PostgreSQL
One database, yours.
The merchant path is worth noticing: the admin is a client of the same published contract an integration reads. There is no private channel the panel uses and you cannot — its 142 endpoints are privileged, not undocumented. See the live admin.
They do not require each other
GoCommerce and Svelte Commerce are packages of one platform, and neither needs the other. Either can be used on its own.
GoCommerce runs with no Svelte storefront in front of it, serving any client that speaks HTTP. Svelte Commerce runs against 26 commerce backends, none of which is GoCommerce.
A direct connector between GoCommerce and Svelte Commerce is published, and early (0.1.0): catalogue, cart, checkout and order lookup work; customer accounts and a search index do not, and no store is known to run the pair in production. See the connector status.
When to use each
Use GoCommerce when you need
- a commerce backend
- REST / OpenAPI
- an admin panel
- orders and fulfillment
- inventory across locations
- customers and pricing rules
Use Svelte Commerce when you need
- a storefront
- a Svelte / SvelteKit frontend
- backend flexibility
- a custom commerce UI
- server-rendered product pages
- to keep the backend you have
Use both when you want
- a Go backend
- a Svelte storefront
- one database you run
- a fully owned open-source stack
- no hosted control plane
- and can build on an early connector
Side by side
| Property | GoCommerce | Svelte Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Backend + admin | Storefront |
| Primary language | Go | Svelte / SvelteKit |
| Can be used standalone | Yes | Yes |
| Can work together | Yes — early connector (0.1.0) | |
| Open source | MIT | MIT |
| Maturity | 1.0 — stable contract, no production mileage yet | Public for years, running production stores |
| Runs against | PostgreSQL | 26 commerce backends |
| One-command deploy | Docker Compose, three services | Not yet — its image has no published tags, so it runs from source |
| Repository | itswadesh/gocommerce | itswadesh/svelte-commerce |
FAQ
How the packages relate
Do GoCommerce and Svelte Commerce require each other?
No. They are two packages of one platform, and each can be used on its own or combined into a complete ecommerce stack. GoCommerce runs with no Svelte storefront in front of it, and Svelte Commerce runs against 26 backends that are not GoCommerce.
What is KitCommerce?
KitCommerce is an open-source ecommerce platform, and kitcommerce.store is its website. Its packages are GoCommerce, the backend and admin, and Svelte Commerce, the storefront — MIT licensed, used together or either one on its own. An early connector (0.1.0) joins them.
Can Svelte Commerce work with another ecommerce backend?
Yes. Svelte Commerce is a headless storefront that reaches a backend through a connector package, and 26 connectors exist today — Litekart and Vendure are the most complete at 39 of 43 services. The storefront imports no connector by name, so switching backends is a package change rather than a rewrite.
Can GoCommerce work with another frontend?
Yes. GoCommerce exposes commerce backend functionality that any compatible storefront or application can consume. It serves 342 documented operations over REST, published as OpenAPI, so any framework that can call HTTP can drive it.
Can I run the two together today?
Yes, through an early connector. @misiki/gocommerce-connector 0.1.0 is on npm and maps the GoCommerce API onto the Svelte Commerce data layer from a shelf to a placed order: catalogue, cart, checkout and order lookup. Customer accounts and a search index are not covered, and no store is known to run the pair in production.
Which should I start with?
Start with whichever solves the problem you actually have. If you need orders, inventory and an admin, start with GoCommerce. If you have a backend already and need a storefront, start with Svelte Commerce. Neither choice commits you to the other.
Pick the piece you need
Neither package asks you to adopt the other.