Shopware to Lightspeed
A Shopware to Lightspeed migration moves your store from self-hosted open-source to Lightspeed. Whether you're reducing DevOps overhead, scaling infrastructure, or tapping into its ecosystem—this guide covers the data mapping, migration steps, and SEO preservation you need.
This technical blueprint helps store owners and developers execute a Shopware to Lightspeed store migration without losing products, customers, orders, or rankings. We cover API structures, field mappings, migration costs, and step-by-step execution.
Why Migrate from Shopware to Lightspeed?
Shopware is a powerful open-source eCommerce platform, but it often becomes limiting for businesses that need hosted infrastructure and minimal technical maintenance. Moving to Lightspeed opens specific opportunities:
💰 Hosted Infrastructure
The Shopware Pain: Shopware requires self-hosting, server management, and technical maintenance. You're responsible for updates, security, and performance optimization.
The Lightspeed Gain: Fully hosted. No server management. Lightspeed handles updates, security, and scaling.
🚀 App Ecosystem
The Shopware Pain: Shopware has a smaller plugin marketplace compared to major hosted platforms. Limited third-party integrations.
The Lightspeed Gain: Access to thousands of Lightspeed apps. One-click integrations. Extensive app store.
🛠 Ease of Use
The Shopware Pain: Shopware requires technical knowledge for advanced customization. Symfony-based development can be complex.
The Lightspeed Gain: User-friendly admin. Liquid templating. Non-technical users can manage stores easily.
⚡ Quick Launch
The Shopware Pain: Shopware requires you to manage hosting, updates, and technical aspects yourself.
The Lightspeed Gain: Launch quickly. No DevOps. Focus on selling, not infrastructure.
Pre-Migration Audit: Shopware vs Lightspeed
Before migrating from Shopware to Lightspeed, map how your data translates. Shopware (Symfony/Store API) and Lightspeed use different structures.
What to Check Before Migration
Shopware uses Symfony entity structure with Store API. Lightspeed uses REST Admin API for data import.
- Shopware Version: Are you on Shopware 5 or 6? Database structure differs. Migration tools handle both versions.
- API Access: Shopware 6 provides Store API. Shopware 5 may require bridge extension. Migration tools use bridge for data extraction.
- Lightspeed Setup: Ensure Lightspeed store is set up and ready. Configure API access if required.
- Product Structure: Shopware products with option groups map to Lightspeed products with variants. Lightspeed has 100 variant limit per product.
- Images: Shopware images are in media system. Need to be transferred to Lightspeed CDN.
Shopware to Lightspeed Data Mapping
Exact field mappings for a Shopware to Lightspeed migration. Use SKU for product linking—Lightspeed generates new IDs.
🛍 Products
| Shopware (Source) | Lightspeed (Target) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
product.id |
Product ID |
Lightspeed generates new IDs. Use SKU for mapping. |
product_translation.name |
Product Name |
Direct string transfer. |
product.number |
SKU |
Shopware SKU at product level. Lightspeed SKU at variant level. |
product_price.price |
Price |
Direct mapping with currency conversion if needed. |
product_translation.description |
Description |
HTML content. Images need re-uploading to Lightspeed CDN. |
product_category |
Category |
Shopware categories become Lightspeed collections. |
property_group_option, product_configurator_setting |
Variants/Options |
Shopware variants map to Lightspeed variants. Lightspeed limits 100 variants per product. |
👥 Customers
| Shopware Field | Lightspeed Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
customer.email |
Email |
Unique identifier. |
customer.password (hashed) |
Password (on create) |
Password migration depends on Lightspeed support. Shopware uses bcrypt. Migration tool handles conversion if supported, otherwise customers must reset passwords. |
customer_address |
Address |
Shopware addresses map to Lightspeed customer addresses. |
📦 Orders
| Shopware Field | Lightspeed Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
order.order_number |
Order Number |
Preserve Shopware order number in Lightspeed order field. |
order_state_machine_state |
Order Status |
Map Shopware order states to Lightspeed's dual status system. |
order.price.totalPrice |
Total |
Direct mapping with currency conversion if needed. |
How to Migrate Shopware to Lightspeed: 3 Options
Choose based on budget and technical skill:
Automated Migration (Recommended)
Tools: Shopware Migration Hub, LitExtension, Cart2Cart
Specialized tools that connect via Shopware bridge extension and Lightspeed Admin API.
- ✅ Pros: Handles API complexity, preserves relationships, formats data for Lightspeed automatically.
- ❌ Cons: Cost scales with data ($200 - $400). Requires bridge extension on Shopware.
CSV Import
Tools: Shopware Admin Export + Lightspeed CSV Import
Export from Shopware, format for Lightspeed, and import manually.
- ✅ Pros: Lower cost, direct control.
- ❌ Cons: Manual work required, may lose some data relationships. Limited to products and categories.
Custom Script
Tools: Shopware Store API + Lightspeed Admin API
Build a custom script using Shopware Store API and Lightspeed Admin API.
- ✅ Pros: Complete control, reusable.
- ❌ Cons: Expensive ($2,500+), time-consuming. Must handle both platform structures.
Shopware to Lightspeed Migration Steps
Using automated migration (recommended for most stores):
Phase 1: Environment Preparation
1.1. Prepare Target (Lightspeed):
Set up your Lightspeed store. Complete Lightspeed setup wizard. Configure API access if required. Do not point your domain there yet. Use subdomain for testing.
Tip: Use password protection to prevent public access during setup.
1.2. Prepare Source (Shopware):
Install migration bridge extension on Shopware. Ensure Store API or database access is available. Keep your Shopware store live during migration.
Phase 2: The Connection Setup
2.1. Lightspeed Access:
Generate API credentials in Lightspeed admin. Create private app with write permissions for products, customers, and orders.
2.2. Shopware Access:
Bridge extension connects to Shopware. Migration tool authenticates via bridge extension API.
Phase 3: Migration Execution
Select what to move. Be careful with these specific settings:
- Create 301 Redirects: Check this box if using custom domain. It creates redirects from Shopware URLs to Lightspeed URLs. Without this, your SEO dies.
- Migrate Product Variants: Lightspeed limits 100 variants per product. May need to consolidate if Shopware has more.
- Migrate Images: Images are downloaded from Shopware media system and uploaded to Lightspeed CDN automatically.
- Password Migration: Depends on Lightspeed support. Customer passwords may be migrated if supported, otherwise customers must reset passwords.
Phase 4: The Full Migration
Launch the process. The migration tool handles Shopware data extraction and Lightspeed API import automatically.
Time Estimation: 5,000 products + 10,000 orders usually takes 2-4 hours. Large catalogs migrate efficiently via automated tools.
Phase 5: Post-Migration Cleanup
5.1. Customer Communication:
Notify customers about the migration. They may need to reset passwords depending on Lightspeed password migration support.
5.2. Verify Products:
Check all products migrated correctly. Verify images, prices, and product variants. Note Lightspeed's 100 variant limit.
5.3. Design & Customization:
Choose or customize Lightspeed theme. Shopware themes cannot be migrated, but Lightspeed offers extensive theme store.
Shopware to Lightspeed Migration Cost (2025)
Typical costs for ~2,000 products, 10,000 orders, 5,000 customers:
Custom Script
Developer Time
Automated
Average
Agency
Starting
Shopware to Lightspeed: SEO & Common Issues
SEO Preservation
301 redirects are critical. Shopware and Lightspeed URLs differ. Automated tools create redirects—verify in Lightspeed admin. Without redirects, you lose rankings.
Common Migration Issues
- Variant limit: Lightspeed allows 100 variants per product. Shopware has no limit—consolidate or split products.
- Images: Re-upload from Shopware media to Lightspeed CDN.
- Passwords: May require customer password reset if tool doesn't support conversion.
- Multi-store: Each Shopware sales channel can migrate to a separate Lightspeed store.
Ready to Migrate Shopware to Lightspeed?
A Shopware to Lightspeed migration gives you hosted infrastructure and ecosystem access. Use automated tools to preserve products, customers, orders, and SEO rankings.