saleor-setup

Saleor Development Setup

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Fetch https://docs.saleor.io/docs/developer/getting-started/architecture for architecture overview
2. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io saleor-platform docker compose setup for Docker-based quickstart
3. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io saleor CLI installation for CLI tooling and commands
4. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io environment variables configuration for .env reference
5. Web-search site:github.com saleor/saleor-platform docker-compose for latest Compose file

Prerequisites

Required Software

Software	Minimum Version	Purpose
Python	3.12+	Saleor core runtime
PostgreSQL	14+	Primary database
Redis	6+	Celery broker, caching
Node.js	18+	Dashboard and storefront apps
Docker & Docker Compose	latest	Recommended local environment
Git	any	Version control

PostgreSQL Setup (Without Docker)

• Create a dedicated database: CREATE DATABASE saleor;
• Create a user with full privileges on that database
• Connection string format: postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/saleor

Redis Setup

• Default connection: redis://localhost:6379
• Required for Celery task queue and caching layer
• Saleor does not fall back to an in-memory broker -- Redis is mandatory

Docker Compose Quickstart (saleor-platform)

The saleor-platform repository bundles all Saleor services into a single Compose stack:

Service	Container	Port
Saleor Core (API)	saleor-api	8000
Saleor Dashboard	saleor-dashboard	9000
Saleor Storefront	saleor-storefront	3000
PostgreSQL	saleor-db	5432
Redis	saleor-redis	6379
Celery Worker	saleor-worker	--
Jaeger (tracing)	jaeger	16686
Mailpit (email)	mailpit	8025

Clone the platform repository and start all services with docker compose up.

Saleor CLI

Command	Purpose
saleor login	Authenticate with Saleor Cloud
saleor env list	List available environments
saleor env create	Create a new Cloud environment
saleor tunnel	Expose local app to Saleor for webhook delivery
saleor app create	Scaffold a new Saleor App
saleor app tunnel	Tunnel local app for development
saleor storefront create	Scaffold a storefront project

Install via npm i -g @saleor/cli -- fetch live docs for current CLI version.

Project Directory Structure (Saleor Core)

Directory	Purpose
saleor/graphql/	GraphQL schema, types, resolvers, mutations
saleor/product/	Product, category, collection models
saleor/order/	Order, fulfillment, draft order models
saleor/checkout/	Checkout models and calculations
saleor/payment/	Payment gateway interfaces
saleor/warehouse/	Stock, warehouse, allocation models
saleor/plugins/	Legacy plugin system (deprecated in favor of Apps)
saleor/webhook/	Webhook dispatch and event handling
saleor/core/	Shared utilities, permissions, base models
Root	manage.py, requirements.txt, setup.cfg, .env

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string
REDIS_URL	Redis connection for Celery and cache
SECRET_KEY	Django secret key
ALLOWED_HOSTS	Comma-separated allowed hostnames
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL	Sender email address
EMAIL_URL	SMTP connection string
DASHBOARD_URL	Dashboard URL for CORS and redirects
ALLOWED_CLIENT_HOSTS	Storefront hosts for CORS
ENABLE_DEBUG_TOOLBAR	Enable Django Debug Toolbar
JAEGER_AGENT_HOST	OpenTelemetry tracing endpoint

Never hardcode secrets -- always use .env files excluded from version control.

manage.py Commands

Command	Purpose
python manage.py migrate	Apply database migrations
python manage.py createsuperuser	Create admin staff account
python manage.py populatedb	Seed sample data
python manage.py collectstatic	Collect static files for production
python manage.py create_thumbnails	Generate product image thumbnails

Celery Worker

Saleor uses Celery for asynchronous tasks (email sending, webhook dispatch, thumbnail generation):

Mode	Command
Development	celery -A saleor worker --loglevel=info
Production	Use a process manager (systemd, supervisord)
Beat scheduler	celery -A saleor beat for periodic tasks

Common Issues

Issue	Resolution
Database connection refused	Verify PostgreSQL is running and DATABASE_URL is correct
Celery tasks not executing	Ensure Redis is running and REDIS_URL is correct
CORS errors from Dashboard	Check DASHBOARD_URL matches the actual Dashboard origin
CORS errors from Storefront	Check ALLOWED_CLIENT_HOSTS includes the storefront origin
Static files 404	Run collectstatic or check STATIC_URL config
Docker Compose port conflict	Ensure ports 8000, 9000, 5432, 6379 are free

Best Practices

• Use saleor-platform Docker Compose for local development -- avoid manual dependency setup
• Always run python manage.py migrate after pulling changes with new migrations
• Keep .env in .gitignore and provide .env.example for team members
• Use populatedb to seed sample data for development and testing
• Run Celery worker alongside the API server -- async tasks will silently fail without it
• Pin dependency versions in requirements.txt to avoid unexpected breakage
• Use saleor tunnel or saleor app tunnel when developing Apps that receive webhooks

Fetch the Saleor setup documentation for exact Docker Compose configuration, CLI flags, and latest environment variable reference before implementing.