Architecture - Magento

Store Hierarchy

Magento implements a three-tier hierarchy that enables complex multi-store architectures. Understanding this hierarchy is critical because configuration scope, catalog assignment, and URL routing all depend on it.

WEBSITE (Top Level)

├── Owns payment methods, shipping methods, customer sharing

├── Base currency is set at website level

└── Multiple websites share the same Magento installation

STORE GROUP (Middle Level - also called "Store")

├── Owns the root category (catalog structure)

├── Groups store views for a single catalog

└── Multiple groups can exist under one website

STORE VIEW (Bottom Level)

├── Owns language/locale settings

├── Display currency configuration

├── Theme assignment

└── URL configuration and redirects

Terminology Confusion

The term "Store" is used inconsistently in Magento. In the admin UI, "Store" refers to a Store Group (middle tier), while "Store View" is the bottom tier. In code, StoreInterface represents a Store View. The database table store also represents Store Views, not Store Groups.

Scope Configuration System

Configuration values can be set at three scopes, with more specific scopes overriding less specific ones. The ScopeInterface defines the constants used throughout Magento for scope resolution.

Default

SCOPE_DEFAULT

Website

SCOPE_WEBSITE

Store View

SCOPE_STORE

// ScopeInterface constants
interface ScopeInterface
{
    const SCOPE_STORES   = 'stores';    // Plural form
    const SCOPE_WEBSITES = 'websites';  // Plural form
    const SCOPE_GROUPS   = 'groups';    // Plural form

    const SCOPE_STORE   = 'store';     // Singular form
    const SCOPE_WEBSITE = 'website';   // Singular form
    const SCOPE_GROUP   = 'group';     // Singular form
}
            

Configuration Retrieval Pattern

// Getting scoped configuration
$scopeConfig->getValue(
    'general/locale/code',
    ScopeInterface::SCOPE_STORE,
    $storeCode  // null = current store
);

// isSetFlag for boolean configs
$scopeConfig->isSetFlag(
    'general/single_store_mode/enabled',
    ScopeInterface::SCOPE_STORE
);
            

Core Service Interfaces

StoreManagerInterface

The most injected interface in Magento. Provides access to all store entities and manages current store context.

getStore($storeId = null)
getStores($withDefault, $codeKey)
getWebsite($websiteId = null)
getWebsites($withDefault, $codeKey)
getGroup($groupId = null)
getGroups($withDefault)
getDefaultStoreView()
setCurrentStore($store)
hasSingleStore()
isSingleStoreMode()
reinitStores()

StoreResolverInterface

Resolves the current store ID from URL path, GET parameters, or cookies. Called during application bootstrap.

getCurrentStoreId()

StoreRepositoryInterface

Repository for Store View entities. Provides CRUD operations with caching.

get($code)
getById($id)
getList()
getActiveStoreByCode($code)
getActiveStoreById($id)
clean()

WebsiteRepositoryInterface

Repository for Website entities. Includes default website resolution.

get($code)
getById($id)
getList()
getDefault()
clean()

GroupRepositoryInterface

Repository for Store Group entities. Links websites to their store groups.

get($id)
getList()
clean()

StoreCookieManagerInterface

Manages store code persistence in cookies for store switching functionality.

getStoreCodeFromCookie()
setStoreCookie($store)
deleteStoreCookie($store)

Database Schema

store_website

Column	Type	Description
website_id	PK smallint	Primary key, auto-increment
code	varchar(32)	Unique website code (e.g., "base", "b2b")
name	varchar(64)	Website display name
sort_order	smallint	Display sort order
default_group_id	smallint	Default store group ID
is_default	smallint	Whether this is the default website

store_group

Column	Type	Description
group_id	PK smallint	Primary key, auto-increment
website_id	FK smallint	References store_website.website_id
name	varchar(255)	Store group display name
root_category_id	int	Root category for this store's catalog
default_store_id	smallint	Default store view ID
code	varchar(32)	Unique store group code

store

Column	Type	Description
store_id	PK smallint	Primary key, auto-increment
code	varchar(32)	Unique store view code (e.g., "default", "french")
website_id	FK smallint	References store_website.website_id
group_id	FK smallint	References store_group.group_id
name	varchar(255)	Store view display name
sort_order	smallint	Display sort order
is_active	smallint	Whether store view is active

StoreManager Initialization

The StoreManager is the concrete implementation of StoreManagerInterface. It relies on several repositories and the StoreResolver to determine the current store context.

class StoreManager implements StoreManagerInterface
{
    // Environment variable for run code (store/website code)
    const PARAM_RUN_CODE = 'MAGE_RUN_CODE';

    // Environment variable for run type (store|website)
    const PARAM_RUN_TYPE = 'MAGE_RUN_TYPE';

    // Config path for single store mode
    const XML_PATH_SINGLE_STORE_MODE_ENABLED = 'general/single_store_mode/enabled';

    public function getStore($storeId = null)
    {
        // If no store ID, resolve from StoreResolver
        if (!isset($storeId)) {
            if (null === $this->currentStoreId) {
                Profiler::start('store.resolve');
                $this->currentStoreId = $this->storeResolver->getCurrentStoreId();
                Profiler::stop('store.resolve');
            }
            $storeId = $this->currentStoreId;
        }

        // Return StoreInterface instance
        return is_numeric($storeId)
            ? $this->storeRepository->getById($storeId)
            : $this->storeRepository->get($storeId);
    }
}
            

Performance Note

The getStore() method is called thousands of times per request. The result is cached in $currentStoreId after first resolution. Repository methods also cache their results to avoid repeated database queries.