OpenCart is a commerce content management system or commerce management system (CMS), you might be wondering about the difference between OpenCart and WordPress/Joomla/Drupal; the difference is that OpenCart is built from the ground up to do one thing which is build an online store, so its management system is optimized to do so and its themes are designed to serve that purpose.

Now, to the important question, why would you learn OpenCart? The answer is simple, OpenCart as a tool can empower you in many ways; if you’re a web developer and you’re relying on WordPress/Drupal/Joomla as a CMS for your websites and one of your clients wants you to build them an online shopping website then learning OpenCart would be a savior for you as it has everything you need just out of the box (no need to install special plugins and themes that would affect the performance of the website). If you’re a small business owner and you want to boost your business by creating an online presence then learning OpenCart would help you accomplish so without paying for a web developer. Finally learning OpenCart would help you find a part/full time well paid job as there are few OpenCart developers right now but the online shopping industry is booming worldwide.

There are many topics to cover in OpenCart (e.g. designing themes for OpenCart, administering OpenCart, building an online store using OpenCart etc.). This post will concentrate on building an online store using OpenCart and administering it.

Hint: You can install OpenCart on your local computer using WampServer, which can help you as a beginner to play around and discover the power of OpenCart without the need to pay for hosting.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn OpenCart) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with OpenCart online for Free

OpenCart Training

OpenCart Training is the first free online outlet where beginner can start learning OpenCart for free, you’ve to register to have access to the beginners’ training. It’s worth noting that the advanced training isn’t free.

Structure: The training is divided into 11 video lessons, each video lesson covers a certain topic about administering OpenCart.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the  page where the video resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The advanced training is paid, of course that’s not a problem for complete beginners as the beginners’ training is free.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning OpenCart online through video tutorials.

Template Monster

Template Monster is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning OpenCart through a text as well as video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training 17 sections, each section is divided into lesson/lessons that covers the various topics about that section.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the video and text lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. The training is available as text as well as video.

Cons

1. There is no audio is the video lessons.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning OpenCart online for free through text as well as video tutorials.

ARYACO

ARYACO is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning OpenCart through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 13 video lessons and each of the video lessons covers a certain topic in OpenCart.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and a window will pop-up with the lesson’s video.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. There is no audio is the video lessons.

Verdict: This is a good outlet for beginners to start learning OpenCart online through video tutorials.

TMD Hosting

TMD Hosting are actually a web hosting company, but they’ve a great tutorial for OpenCart. To have access to the tutorials you don’t have to register just go to the website click on the tutorial and you’re ready to go.

Structure: The tutorial is divided into 11 sections; each section covers certain topics in OpenCart

Interface: The interface is very simple, the list of available lessons is at the center of the page, you click on the course and you’re ready to go.

Now, to the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The tutorial is well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is available as text only.
2. The training only covers the very basics of OpenCart

Verdict: This is an excellent source for beginners to start learning OpenCart through a text based tutorial.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning OpenCart

1. Template Monster is the best outlet for beginners to start learning OpenCart online through video as well as text tutorials.
2. OpenCart Training is the best outlet for beginners to start learning OpenCart through video tutorials.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in OpenCart.