Magento 1 & OpenMage Specialist for European Ecommerce
Senior PHP developer with 8+ years of hands-on ecommerce experience. I build, optimize, and maintain online shops and web applications that actually perform - from custom module development to server infrastructure and performance tuning.
Currently accepting new projects · Replies within one business day
What I Do
Services
Focused expertise in ecommerce development, server infrastructure, and enterprise IT - not a generalist agency, but a specialist who goes deep.
Tools & Technologies
Technology Stack
The technologies I work with daily - from ecommerce platforms to server infrastructure.
Ecommerce
Languages
Frontend
Infrastructure
DevOps
Databases
APIs
Windows
Tools
About Me
The Person Behind CoreCommerce
I'm Marco - a Magento 1 and OpenMage LTS specialist with 15+ years of IT experience. My focus is keeping DACH-region online stores running: fast checkouts, clean code, stable infrastructure, and no unnecessary rewrites.
My background is rooted in the German IT industry: a 3-year IT Specialist for System Integration (IHK) apprenticeship followed by a B.Sc. in Business Informatics (Wirtschaftsinformatik) from Bavaria. I've spent the better part of the last decade deep inside Magento 1 codebases - building custom modules, optimizing checkout flows, tuning Varnish caches, and solving the kind of problems that make other developers walk away.
I work remotely from various locations across Europe, but my clients are predominantly in the DACH region. German is my native language, I work to German quality standards, and I communicate in the timezone and business culture my clients are used to.
References available on request.
Selected Work
Case Studies
Anonymized examples from real projects - the kind of problems I solve and the results I deliver.
Image Import Performance: From 52 Minutes to 22 Seconds
Challenge
A product image import timed out after 10 minutes on every run, processing only ~100 of 580 images. The client had worked around this for months by importing 7-8 products at a time, an extremely slow and manual process.
Approach
Root cause: clearImageCache() called once per image - 580 recursive directory scans at ~8.6s each. Rebuilt as a background process decoupled from the browser timeout, with per-image cache flushes replaced by a single batch flush after all images are written.
Result
Import time: 52 minutes → 22 seconds for 580 images. Full catalog imports in a single run, no more manual batching.
Custom Category Sorting Engine with Cluster Logic
Challenge
Category pages were broken in Bestseller sort mode: spare parts and accessories appeared before flagship products. Multiple previous fix attempts had left the issue partially resolved at best, for nearly two years.
Approach
Built a dedicated indexer that places products into two clusters (main products vs accessories) before any sort key is applied. Both Bestseller and Recommendation sort modes became cluster-aware across all storeviews.
Result
Category pages now surface the right products first. The solution is index-driven and maintenance-free - no content management overhead across all storeviews.
OpenMage LTS Version Upgrade - Zero Regressions
Challenge
A multi-store production shop with Varnish and Redis was running an outdated OpenMage LTS release with known security vulnerabilities and backend bugs affecting customer account management and price rule processing.
Approach
Staged upgrade on a production clone: dependency analysis, rewriting incompatible patches, full QA across all storeviews, Varnish cache behaviour verified. Live deployment during low-traffic window with 48-hour monitoring period.
Result
Platform running current OpenMage LTS with improved security hardening and PHP 8.2 improvements. No user-facing regressions in staging or after go-live.
Got Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions I hear most often from prospective clients.
For merchants already running on Magento 1, migrating is rarely the first priority. OpenMage LTS keeps the platform secure and modern - many stores run it on PHP 8.2 with full PCI compliance and performance that rivals newer platforms. My job is to make your existing investment work harder, not to push you toward a rewrite. That said, if migration genuinely makes sense for your situation, I'll tell you.
Yes. A typical new-store setup covers server provisioning, OpenMage LTS installation and hardening, theme development or integration, payment and shipping extensions, ERP/DATEV connectivity, and go-live support. I scope each setup individually - some clients need a lean catalog with Klarna and DHL, others need multi-store, B2B pricing tiers, and SAP integration. Tell me what you sell and who you sell to, and I'll give you a realistic scope.
That's a core part of my work. Typical projects include custom admin portals for order and customer management, B2B self-service platforms, internal tools built on PHP and modern JavaScript, and API integrations between your ecommerce system and external services (ERP, CRM, logistics). I build clean, maintainable applications - not throwaway scripts. If it runs on PHP/MySQL/Linux and connects to a business process, I can build it.
Both. I configure and maintain the full stack - Linux (Debian/Ubuntu), Nginx, Varnish, PHP-FPM, MySQL, Redis, Docker. For ecommerce especially, the boundary between application bug and infrastructure issue is blurry. Having one person who understands both means faster diagnosis, fewer round-trips between vendors, and better overall reliability.
Most engagements start with a scoping call. Smaller work (bug fixes, module adjustments, server issues) starts from €1,000 as a fixed package or hourly rate - delivery is usually within days. Larger projects get a written scope with milestones and a fixed or capped-hours price. Ongoing maintenance is available as a monthly retainer. I don't pad estimates or bill for project management overhead. You get a clear number before we start.
Practically like working with someone based in Germany. I operate in Central European time, communicate exclusively in native German, understand DATEV, Handelsrecht, and the way German B2B businesses work. My company in Georgia is a fully legal EU-compatible entity - invoices, contracts, and VAT handling work exactly as you'd expect from any German freelancer or agency.
Get In Touch
Contact
Have a project in mind, or just want to explore whether we're a good fit? Send me a message and I'll get back to you within one business day. No sales pitch - just a straightforward conversation about your needs.
Company Registration
Tbilisi, Georgia
Operation
Remote & Location-Independent
Target Group
European B2B clients
Languages
German, English
Phone
+995 500 119 756