With Sharetribe, you can build, launch, and run a fully functional marketplace website without coding. However, you may discover features you'd like to add to your marketplace that are not available in Sharetribe's no-code builder.
Custom code can be used to build any such unique feature your marketplace may need. For example, you can use custom code to change the visual design, integrate third-party software, or extend the current functionality to better match your needs.
Custom coding means writing software code, whether the one writing it is you, a developer you hire, or an AI coding tool working under your guidance. The process is technical by nature, but with AI assistance, non-developers can also customize some parts of the marketplace with code. This article and video will give you an introduction to custom coding with Sharetribe.
This article and video will give you an introduction to custom coding with Sharetribe.
When to customize your marketplace with code
Code is a powerful tool that can be used to unlock new possibilities for your marketplace business. The best time to use code to customize your marketplace is when your progress is limited by Sharetribe’s no-code functionality.
Use the Test environment to learn what’s available without coding and assess if it meets your requirements.
Create some users, post a listing, and start a transaction. Our easy testing tutorial walks you through the steps.
Make the marketplace yours: add your own content, configure listings, and implement your monetization strategy. Our setup tutorial details the steps.
Don’t hesitate to search this Help Center or reach out to our team through the chat widget in the corner if you’re not sure how to build what you need. ↘️
Through testing and setup, you may find that you can launch a marketplace without coding, and even grow and scale it without any custom coding. Or you may find that you need custom code to build a crucial feature already before you can launch. The decision ultimately depends on how your requirements and Sharetribe’s out-of-the-box functionality match and when in your marketplace business is the best time to build custom features.
When you’re ready to customize your Sharetribe marketplace with code, the fastest and easiest way to add new features or modify existing functionality is to extend the no-code marketplace you configured in Console.
How customizing with code works
Custom coding your marketplace is possible thanks to Sharetribe’s unique technical infrastructure that combines no-code marketplace features with a powerful developer platform.
Before you start customizing with code, your entire marketplace (website code, Console, and Sharetribe Core) is hosted by Sharetribe.
To customize with code, you self-host the marketplace website code, which connects to Sharetribe Core and Console via APIs. Even if you choose to customize one part of your marketplace with code, you can still continue operating and modifying other parts the way you did before, without coding.
How to start customizing with code
There are three ways to get started: code it yourself, build with AI-assisted coding, or hire a developer to build for you.
If you are a developer or have one in your team, you can start customizing Sharetribe right away. When writing code, basic technical knowledge with HTML, CSS, and Javascript code is all you need for simple changes, while more complex changes will likely require a full stack developer skillset.
Get started with the low-code tutorial to get coding right away.
If you’re not a developer, you can use AI-assisted coding (also known as vibecoding), or hire a developer to build custom features.
AI-assisted coding involves describing what you want to build in plain language and having the AI coding tool modify your Sharetribe marketplace. Non-developers can use this approach to build custom features, particularly smaller, more visual changes.
We offer step-by-step guidance for building with the Claude desktop app, but you can use any AI tool to modify your marketplace code.
Get started with the AI-assisted coding tutorial.
For more complex features or if you simply want help building features, hiring a developer is the way forward. Any developer with the appropriate technical skillset can build custom code with Sharetribe, but we recommend hiring a Sharetribe Expert. Sharetribe Experts are developers and designers who have been vetted by Sharetribe for their technical expertise and professionalism. Experts have helped hundreds of marketplaces build, launch, and scale on Sharetribe.
Connect with Sharetribe Experts via the Expert marketplace. You can contact an Expert directly through their profile or post your request to receive proposals. You can also book a call with the Sharetribe team from Console if you would like help connecting with the right Expert.
Operating a custom coded Sharetribe marketplace
Operating a custom-coded Sharetribe marketplace is different from operating a no-code Sharetribe marketplace.
Custom-coded marketplaces self-host their frontend code and have to maintain their customized codebase. As a founder, you can choose which new Sharetribe releases to take into use, as new features from Sharetribe are not automatically added.
Custom-coded marketplaces take into use the Dev environment alongside the Test environment to build and test code features alongside no-code functionality.
To deploy customizations to the Live environment, custom-coded marketplaces must subscribe to the Extend subscription. Before taking your first customization live, you can keep your original subscription (Build, Lite, Pro).
Next steps
Are you ready to start customizing with code? Connect with a Sharetribe Expert or start developing yourself.
Here you can learn what types of features can be built with custom coding.
Want to learn more about how customizing code works? Learn what you should know about custom coding when you are not a developer.
Unsure if you should start customizing with code? Test and build your marketplace without coding.