Way back in 2001 a small group of tech heads in Los Angeles began developing a rudimentary ecommerce system under the name of osCommerce. 12 years later that system has been wholly transformed into one of the most successful and prolific online retail CMSs in the world and one that currently enjoys a startling 26% of the market share. 

After several years of tinkering and tweaking, the owners of Varien – the company that founded both Magento and its early prototype osCommerce – decided to entirely rewrite the architecture of their ecommerce system. Under the open source banner, the industry sub-sector of Magento web development was born, and in 2007 the first beta release of Magento was followed closely by the first official stable release of the Magento system in March of 2008.

Operating under the open software license (OSL) the subsequent development of Magento was relatively fast, as users themselves were able to manipulate the backend code and add much-needed features that would quickly be adopted as permanent aspects of the system’s overall architecture.

In 2011, eBay, who had kept an open eye on the unfolding story of Magento web development since 2007, made a substantial investment in the company, and finally bought up 100% in June later that year. With the support of such major players in the internet sector, it quickly became clear that Magento was here to stay.

In 2011 the company launched its annual conference, inviting all users of the CMS to attend forums on the development and future changes. Here it was estimated that as many as 20% of the top internet retail outlets use Magento to operate. 

Today, Magento web development is a booming sector and there are hundreds of thousands of businesses across the globe that rely on the expertise of people who are able to create bespoke websites and ecommerce systems using the open source platform.

There are also a number of training and support services available from the Magento community itself, and there are now official certifications on offer for Magento developers looking to hone their skills and gain industry recognition for their abilities.

For theme developers and designers, a community of like-minded people has also begun to thrive online, offering tutorials related to the front end design sector and other aspects of branding or aesthetic control over Magento’s appearance and layout.