What is Magento?
Magento has been powering online stores since 2008 and has built a strong following among larger retailers. According to The State of Magento in 2026 by Store Leads, there are just over 103,000 live stores running on the platform. MageComp’s Magento Statistics (2026) also shows that the UK has the second-highest number of Magento users, after the United States.
Since being acquired by Adobe in 2018, Magento has been available in two editions: the free, self-hosted Magento Open Source and the paid Adobe Commerce. Merchants using the platform include PrettyLittleThing, PMT Music and BrandAlley.
What are Magento’s key features?
Magento provides the core tools you need to run an online store. These include a shopping cart, checkout, customer accounts and guest checkout. For payments, PayPal and Braintree are built in, and extensions are available for providers such as Stripe, Amazon Pay and Klarna.
Compared with hosted platforms such as Shopify, Magento requires more developer resources to build and maintain. In return, you get full access to the code, the ability to run multiple stores from a single installation and detailed control over pricing and promotion rules. You can also extend the platform through Commerce Marketplace extensions, including subscription and recurring payment options.
How much does Magento cost?
Magento Open Source is free to download, with no licence or setup fees, but it must be hosted on your own infrastructure. Adobe Commerce, the paid version, is licensed annually, with pricing based on your business’s revenue. With either version, you’ll also need to budget for hosting, extensions and developer support to build, customise and maintain your store.
Is Magento open-source?
Yes. Magento is supported by an active open-source community of developers, agencies and merchants. Community projects such as the Hyvä frontend theme and Mage-OS, a community-driven distribution of Magento Open Source, continue to extend the platform. Its open codebase also means you can tailor your store closely to your business’s requirements.
Is Magento secure?
Magento can be run securely, but this depends heavily on how the platform is configured and maintained. Security matters for any eCommerce store, because you’re processing customers’ personal and payment information in every transaction. Adobe releases regular security updates for both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, and it also issues emergency patches when critical vulnerabilities are found. Applying those patches promptly is just as important as releasing them. Server hardening, monitoring and a carefully managed set of extensions all play a part in keeping your store protected.
What should I look for in Magento hosting?
Because Magento Open Source is self-hosted, your infrastructure has a direct impact on how quickly your pages load, how well your store copes with demand and how secure it is. These are the main factors to consider when you compare hosting options.
Is my hosting environment built for Magento?
A production Magento store relies on several components working together. These include a web server, a MySQL database, OpenSearch to power catalogue search, and caching layers such as Redis and Varnish. Each one needs to be configured around your store, and the environment should allow for your catalogue to grow. An environment built for a small product range can slow down noticeably as your catalogue, customer base and traffic increase.
Can Magento handle high traffic?
Yes, provided your hosting environment is sized and configured for it. Sales events and seasonal peaks put significant pressure on your store, especially at checkout, where the load on your database and payment integrations is highest. Look for hosting that is sized for your regular traffic, with the option to plan additional capacity ahead of busy periods such as Black Friday. That way your store stays responsive when demand is highest, without you paying for unused resources for the rest of the year.
Magento hosting with Hyve
We host Magento on our Red Hat OpenShift cloud platform, with each environment sized around your store’s catalogue, traffic patterns and caching requirements. If you’re expecting a surge in traffic, such as a sale or Black Friday, you can plan additional capacity with your account manager in advance. Our engineers also proactively monitor your environment, so potential performance issues can be identified before they affect your customers.
Your store is protected by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) defence and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). Our infrastructure is also supported by certifications including PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, ISO 27017 for cloud security and Cyber Essentials Plus.
Our infrastructure is backed by a 100% network and 99.999% server uptime guarantee, giving you a clear commitment on availability. Our UK-based technical engineers are available 24/7/365, with urgent requests guaranteed a response within 20 minutes, so you can speak directly to someone who understands your environment during busy trading periods.
Want to discuss Magento hosting on our cloud? Fill out our contact form and one of our experts will be in touch.
