Straight from the database
OpenCart’s admin exports are limited, so we read products, options, customers and orders from the MySQL database with a tested mapping.
Migration · OpenCart → Shopify OpenCart to Shopify,
OpenCart to Shopify,
off the self-hosted treadmill.
OpenCart stores in the region are often self-hosted, several versions behind, and held together by extensions from different developers. The migration is as much about retiring that risk as moving the catalogue.
Shopify Partner Registered · UAE
Typical duration 3–6 weeks
Source data Read directly from the database
Quick answer
How do you redirect OpenCart URLs to Shopify?
OpenCart uses either SEO keyword URLs or query strings such as index.php?route=product/product&product_id=42. We export both forms for every product and category, map each to its Shopify handle, and test how every legacy pattern resolves before launch, adding a small redirect layer where the platform cannot match a query string on its own.
- Typical duration
- 3–6 weeks
- Source data
- Read directly from the database
- URL types
- SEO keywords and query strings
- Security
- No more self-patched server
Reading OpenCart properly
Product options
Required select and radio options become variants; optional text and file options become line-item properties on the order.
Multi-language fields
Arabic and English descriptions stored per language ID are imported as Shopify translations, not merged into one field.
Retiring the old setup safely
Extension audit
Every installed extension is listed and either replaced by a Shopify feature or app, or dropped because it is no longer needed.
Payment data
Stored card data never migrates. Customers pay through Shopify’s PCI-compliant checkout from day one.
Server shutdown
After a safe period the old server is archived and switched off, closing an unpatched attack surface.
How your URLs will map
Each legacy pattern gets a 301 redirect to its Shopify equivalent, tested before the domain moves.
/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=<id> /products/<handle> /index.php?route=product/category&path=<id> /collections/<handle> /<seo-keyword> /products/ or /collections/<handle> /index.php?route=information/information&information_id=<id> /pages/<handle> Why ZaadBooks matters here
OpenCart order exports usually end up re-typed into accounting software. On Shopify with ZaadBooks, invoices and credit notes are created from the orders themselves, with VAT on each line.
Shopify × ZaadBooks Shopify connected
Shopify connected
to our accounting app.
ZaadBooks- Live
- Manual
- On the roadmap
- Order paid to Sales invoice: Every paid order becomes a VAT invoice. (Live)
- Refund to Credit note: Every refund becomes a credit note. (Live)
- Customer to Customer record: Customers are added automatically. (Live)
- Product to Inventory item: Products are added as stock items. (Live)
- Stock level to Shopify inventory: Send stock counts back to Shopify with one click. (Manual)
- Payout & fees to Bank reconciliation: Payout matching with your bank. Coming soon. (On the roadmap)
Questions OpenCart:
OpenCart:
common questions.
Can you migrate an old version of OpenCart?
Yes. Because we read the database directly, the OpenCart version matters less than the data’s condition. We clean duplicates and broken image links during the move.
What happens to my OpenCart extensions?
They are replaced by Shopify’s built-in features or apps, or rebuilt as a custom app when nothing suitable exists. The audit lists each one with its replacement before any work begins.
Will customers need new passwords after leaving OpenCart?
Yes. Password hashes cannot be imported into Shopify, so customers receive an activation email at launch. Their details and order history are already in place when they log in.
Do I need to keep my OpenCart hosting after moving to Shopify?
Only briefly. We keep it read-only for a few weeks as a reference, then archive the database and close the server.
More migrations
Registered Shopify Partner Written by the ZaadCore Commerce team
Reviewed Shopify and the bag logo are trademarks of Shopify Inc.
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