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Five Things to Look for in Good E-Commerce Hosting

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an cryptographic tool that allows you to encrypt a web connection on your server. Even if you are not familiar with the term, you have likely seen it in action if you have logged onto a website for banking or even social networking. The distinctive “HTTPS” rather than “HTTP” in the address bar is an indication that SSL is in use.

If you need SSL for an e-commerce shopping cart, you should purchase a valid SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority. If you only need it for backend pages or to secure a control panel, however, using a self-signed certificate may suffice, since only you or your IT staff will access it. Many control panels have this functionality built into them, but if you need to do it manually, this guide should help.

1. Generate a key. The first step is to generate an SSL key.

openssl genrsa -des3 -out server.key 1024

The output will look something like this:

Generating RSA private key, 1024 bit long modulus
…………………++++++
…………………………………………………………………………………….++++++
e is 65537 (0×10001)
Enter pass phrase for server.key:

2. Enter a pass phrase as instructed.

3. Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)

openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr

It will ask you to enter the same pass phrase and then prompt you to enter information about the certificate, such as country, state, organization name, and “common name” (the site’s domain name). Make sure you enter in the correct domain name so that it does not give browsers an extra error on top  of the one it will already give for having an unrecognized certificate authority (CA).

4. Remove the pass phrase. This is done to avoid having to enter it every time you restart Apache.

cp server.key server.key.org
openssl rsa -in server.key.org -out server.key

5. Generate the self-signed certificate. In this example, it will be a temporary certificate for 365 days.

openssl x509 -req -days 365 -in server.csr -signkey server.key -out server.crt

6. Install the private key and certificate. Note: the exact location will vary depending on where your operating system installs Apache.

cp server.crt /usr/local/apache/conf/ssl.crt
cp server.key /usr/local/apache/conf/ssl.key

You will need to configure your websites to use SSL, something you can most likely do in your control panel. If you not, see your web server’s documentation.

7. Restart Apache.

service httpd restart
or for some distributions:
/etc/init.d/apache2 restart

How to Create a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

In previous articles, we have highlighted some popular free and open source e-commerce solutions, and we have explained the concept of payment gateways. Today, we will look at some of the ways in which e-commerce software packages integrate with payment processors.

Most payment processors provide users with access to their APIs, which allow developers to create add-ons or plugins for their e-commerce software that pave the way for varying degrees of interoperability. Such functions may include the passing of product information, prices, customer names and shipping addresses, and even secure credit card data. Ideally, the payment processor will interpret that information as-needed, secure the payment from the customer, and then hand the customer off to the e-commerce software back on the seller’s website.

If you are developing your own e-commerce web application, you may be tasked with integrating one or even several payment processor APIs into your system. Because most of the payment processors attempt to protect their proprietary code, the APIs may not all be as flexible and forthcoming as you would like. Nevertheless, APIs are almost always freely available, since payment processors have a financial interest in making sure developers can easily integrate support for their services.

The good news is that if you are purchasing or using a free e-commerce store, shopping cart, or other app, it will usually support multiple payment processors. If you already have a payment processor, this may even become one of the deciding factors for you when choosing your e-commerce software.

Integrating E-Commerce Solutions with Payment Processors

When you start an e-commerce website, you are going to encounter a lot of new terminology, some that may even be unfamiliar to those with IT experience and those with business experience. One such term is “payment gateway”.

Simply put, a payment gateway provides a system and interface that allows you to accept credit card and possibly also electronic check payments over the web. If you have a merchant account, your bank may have provided you with a payment gateway, but even if you do not, some services provide payment gateways without merchant accounts.

Many payment gateway systems offer hosted storefronts or shopping carts on their websites, but you will probably want to integrate their system with your own site. To do this, you will need to access the gateway’s payment API. The API (application programming interface) is a portion of the source code that allows you to connect your own web applications to those of the payment gateway.

If you are using third-party e-commerce software, you will need to make sure that it supports the payment gateway that you intend to use, or that the payment gateway you choose supports your software.

Other factors to consider are the types of payment routines the gateway makes available. Some require the user to go off-site, directly to the payment gateway to make the payment, and then be redirected to your site after completion. Others provide code that allows you to seamlessly pass payments off to them without the user being aware of it.

Finally, you will also need to evaluate the financial cost of each payment gateway. Many will require a per-transaction fee as well as a percentage of the revenue. Some payment gateways also have a revenue threshold that you must meet before they will transfer the money to your bank account.

Understanding Payment Gateways

SSL (secure sockets layer) is a security feature that encrypts Internet connections preventing would-be attackers from exploiting users and intercepting information. When deployed on the web (using HTTPS), it is most often used for e-commerce, banking, and other sites that require secure transactions or the exchange of private data.

When a web browser detects the use of SSL on a website, it checks the encryption level and also checks to see if the SSL certificate is signed. When it finds the signature, it checks that against its own database of trusted certificate authorities. Whenever a browser encounters an SSL certificate that is not signed or signed by an unrecognized authority, it will display a warning to the user.

Having an SSL certificate normally requires an annual payment, almost like having a license to do e-commerce on the web. As long as you have a site that requires HTTPS, you will probably want to have a signed certificate.

Some website owners sign their own certificates. This enables them to have a secure connection even without purchasing a certificate. For e-commerce sites, I strongly recommend against doing this, since many users may avoid your site, fearing the warning message they receive. Some web browsers make the warnings look pretty alarming.

On the other hand, if you are using SSL for your own personal purposes, such as connecting your web-based control panel, using a self-signed certificate may be fine, since only you will be using it. The same may be true of a private network. If only employees from your company or organization will access the secure site, you can just instruct all of your users to tell their browsers to trust you (the signer of the certificate) for all future visits.

Using a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

When some people think of ecommerce, they tend to imagine paying a big vendor huge licensing fees to create a storefront for their business. As a result, some small businesses may even avoid ecommerce altogether or only sell through a third-party online marketplace.

Open source ecommerce applications are affordable and provide you with the freedom to modify the software to fit your business needs.

Magento

Magento is a big name in ecommerce for both its commercial and community editions. Numerous major names rely on Magento, such as Nokia, Samsung, and Fox.

OS Commerce

OS Commerce is one of the oldest and most trusted open source shopping carts. Many web hosts will install it for free, and you can have a storefront up and running pretty quickly.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop adds a lot of style and features that you may not find in some of the smaller open source shopping carts. Its website includes a marketplace for templates and add-ons.

ZeusCart

ZeusCart is strongly community-driven and focuses on providing functionality and keeping up with current web standards for quality ecommerce. Among those modern features is the ability to sell digital product downloads.

Ubercart

Ubercart is designed with the high-tech business in mind. While you can use it to sell physical products, it also includes support for file downloads, event registrations, premium site access, and virtual economies.

All of these open source ecommerce solutions support a wide variety of payment gateways and software add-ons. Each has unique features that may make it more appealing for your specific business. You may also want to choose one based on the ease of its installation or one that your web host will install for you. Some of them also offer commercial services for those who need professional installation and/or support.

5 Open Source Ecommerce Apps

Many people new to web hosting may have the perception that having a website for their business necessarily indicates that they need business hosting or ecommerce hosting. As a result, they often pay more for hosting even when they may not need it. There are plenty of situations where ecommerce hosting is absolutely necessary, but you should first understand what it is and be able to determine if your website needs it.

Ecommerce hosting is no different from regular hosting on the surface. What it provides are added services that are designed to make hosting easier for conducting ecommerce. In other words, it aids in the buying and selling products on the Internet. Therefore, ecommerce hosting is great if you are creating an online store and/or plan to store customer data on your server (requiring encryption).

If you do not have an online storefront and simply want to display your business’ information on the web, ecommerce hosting may be superfluous. Furthermore, even if you are selling something, such as subscriptions to your site or advertisements for your content, ecommerce hosting may not add anything you need to your hosting experience.

There are, however, instances when you might want to get ecommerce hosting even if you do not have an online store. Some web hosts may add useful SEO or business optimization tools to their ecommerce hosting packages, which adds value for people who may just want to monetize content-based websites. Moreover, your business may not have an online store now but may get one in the near future. If the cost of ecommerce hosting is not much greater than regular hosting, it may be worth it to go ahead and get it or make sure your host offers an upgrade path.

Does Your Website Need Ecommerce Hosting?

Deciding to invest in ecommerce software for your online business is only the first step in the process.  Next, you must choose the type of ecommerce software that will best suit the needs of your business.

Many cloud service providers offer ecommerce software as a service (SaaS), which you pay for through a subscription.  Alternatively, you can purchase an ecommerce solution for your server or find a free and open source solution.  There are benefits and disadvantages of each that you should consider before making a final decision.

Your Server, Your Rules

When you host your ecommerce software on your own dedicated server, you decide how you use it, when you upgrade, and if you can make modifications when necessary (especially with open source software).  The main disadvantage is that you are responsible for installing and maintaining it, and when it comes time for upgrades, you will have to handle that as well, or pay someone to do it.  Moreover, you must manage the server itself, and a business with a minimal amount of IT resources may find this overwhelming.

Their Server, Their Rules

By running your ecommerce site in the cloud, you reduce the amount of time and money you have to spend on local IT resources.  Your service provider manages the server, handles any maintenance, and preforms upgrades for you.  Among the disadvantages are that you are totally reliant on the provider’s software, which they may change or even discontinue at any time.  You will also be limited by the amount of customization your provider is willing to permit.

There are ways around some of the disadvantages in either scenario.  Your vendor may help you setup a “private cloud” on your own server, providing you with a subscription and maintenance model similar to the standard cloud.  On the other hand, a cloud provider may give you an open cloud platform that you can use to develop your own ecommerce solution on your own terms.  As you can see, there are many factors to consider and many options from which to choose.

Cloud vs Local Ecommerce Solutions

Your business is your livelihood, and if that business is online, your web presence must be strong and reflect the image you want for it.  Therefore, it is always bad news when an ecommerce website suffers from technical glitches or even outright negligence on the part of its creators.  The following are a few blunders you should avoid.

1. Technical exclusion – These are the websites that require users to have certain technical credentials.  Insisting that your site’s visitors have a certain browser, a proprietary plugin, a particular operating system, or any other inconvenient technology is a good way to make sure they do not revisit.
2. Untrusted certificate – Having no SSL certificate may be bad enough, but it will really hurt your business to have an expired or otherwise invalid certificate.  Some browsers, such as Google Chrome, really freak out and display a nice scary red page before users can even access your site.  Many customers will simply move on to your competitors.
3. Complexity – This can take many forms, such as a complex menu navigation system that requires several steps to reach a desired page, popups that interfere with user tasks, and large images or other media that slow the website’s load time.
4. Forced social media integration – While it is cute and sometimes even useful to have social media integration, requiring a user to have Facebook or Twitter accounts to buy your products is simply absurd.

If you can manage to avoid these huge mistakes and a few others, you will already have a leg up on the competition.  Treat your Ecommerce website just like a physical store front.  Sticking a picture of something offensive in the window will scare customers away, and the same is true for your website, even if it is only a technical mistake.

Technical Blunders in Ecommerce Hosting

When you start an ecommerce site, one of the first features you will want to consider is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security).  For a website, SSL allows the site administrator to serve pages over a secure protocol (HTTPS rather than HTTP).  It is likely you already use websites that run exclusively with HTTPS, such as your bank’s website.

For your ecommerce hosting, the use of SSL largely depends on the type of business you have and the functions your website will serve.  For example, if you intend to have an online store that collects information about your customers, such as their names, addresses, credit card numbers, and more, SSL is a must.  Many users will not trust your site if they do not see the HTTPS in the address bar and a valid SSL certificate associated with it.

Some companies use their website only as the frontend of the store, while all transactions are actually handled by a third-party payment processor, which uses SSL encryption on its own site.  In this scenario, you may be able to get away without having SSL, but you may still want it if you collect other user data, such as names and email addresses, even if no financial information is given.  For sites that only provide contact information for your business, SSL is likely unnecessary.

If you do decide to go with SSL, you will need to make sure your web hosting company offers an ecommerce package or a package that gives you an IP address for SSL.  You will also need to purchase an SSL certificate, something your host may also provide as part of an ecommerce hosting package.

Is SSL Necessary for Ecommerce Hosting?