CS-Cart 4.19.1 Release: Nova Theme, Product Videos, and Performance Booster

CS-Cart 4.19.1 brings a fresh storefront design, product video support, faster page loading under heavy workload, and more flexible payment methods that can now be set per country. We’ve also prepared the platform for PHP 8.3.

Here’s what’s new CS-Cart 4.19.1:

1. Nova Theme

For a long time, our community has requested a modern and visually appealing theme that is integrated with the platform. Nova is the result of that feedback. Over the years, design practices and user expectations have changed, and we’ve also gained valuable experience. Nova reflects these shifts and will gradually replace Responsive and Bright as the default theme in future releases.

What’s new:

• Clean, lightweight design with improved mobile performance.
• On mobile, Nova resembles an app, with extra elements hidden, and the main menu positioned at the bottom.

• Handy mobile filters that open with a tap and can be reset easily.
• On desktop, customers can add products to the cart or wishlist directly from the homepage or product list.

• Nova Theme leverages CS-Cart’s built-in compatibility mechanisms to support third-party add-ons out of the box, with minimal to no adjustments required.
  

How to enable:

• New CS-Cart customers get Nova by default.
• Existing stores can switch to Nova after upgrading to 4.19.1 in Website → Themes.
• Several ready-made color schemes (“Styles”) are available.

2. Product Videos

An increasing number of stores are integrating videos alongside product images, and CS-Cart now fully supports this functionality.

How it works:

• Add one or more videos to any product.
• Supported services: link videos from YouTube and Vimeo (saves server space).
• Videos appear directly in the product gallery, next to images.
• Choose if customers see product photos or videos first (and whether or not videos play automatically). Set it globally In Settings → General → Appearance, or enable these settings for individual products. you can choose whether photos or videos show first, and whether to autoplay. Defaults apply globally but can be overridden for individual products.

• Videos are included in product export/import and available via the REST API—so you can upload, export, and integrate them just like other product data.
  

Availability:

• CS-Cart Multi-Vendor — starting from the Plus plan.
• CS-Cart Store Builder — starting from the Ultimate plan.
  

3. Performance Booster with Varnish Full-Page Cache

The new Performance Booster add-on reduces server load and keeps your store fast.

How it works:

• Uses Varnish Full-Page Cache technology.
• Once a page is opened, a copy is stored in server memory.
• If nothing has changed, CS-Cart displays the cached webpage version immediately—without extra database queries.
• Results in much faster load times, especially for large catalogs and high-load websites.

Note: setup may be complex, not all hosts support Varnish, and you’ll likely need technical assistance.

Availability:

• CS-Cart Multi-Vendor — starting from the Ultimate plan.
• CS-Cart Store Builder — starting from the Unlim plan.

4. Payments by Country

By default, CS-Cart indicates all available payment methods. When selling across multiple countries, this can present challenges, as certain payment methods are only available or supported in specific regions.

Until now, the only available solution was to create separate storefronts. The new Payments by Country add-on streamlines this process by allowing you to specify which payment methods are displayed for each country. During checkout, the system automatically shows only the payment options available for the customer’s country, based on their profile information or checkout selection.

Ideal when:

• You sell globally
• You want precise control over payment visibility without creating extra storefronts.
  

Availability:

• in CS-Cart Multi-Vendor from the Ultimate plan.
• in CS-Cart Store Builder Ultimate (starting with 4.19.1).
  

5. PHP 8.3 Support (Test Mode)

We continue keeping CS-Cart up to date:.

• Minimum PHP version is now 7.4. It reached end of life in 2023, but some users still run it. Before upgrading CS-Cart, you’ll see a warning if your PHP version is older. In that case, you’ll first need to update PHP on your server to at least version 7.4.
• CS-Cart 4.19.1 includes preliminary support for PHP 8.3. We have fixed known issues, but full official support will be provided after further testing.
  

6. USPS API Update

USPS (United States Postal Service) is one of the standard shipping methods in CS-Cart.

Previously, USPS was integrated via Web Tools APIs, but these will be discontinued on January 25, 2026. USPS now recommends switching to the new USPS APIs, and support for them has been added in CS-Cart 4.19.1.

What’s new:

1. You’ll now see two USPS options in the shipping method settings:
   USPS [Deprecated] — the old integration via Web Tools APIs (works only until January 25, 2026).
2. USPS — the new integration via the updated APIs.

How to switch:

• Create a new shipping method in CS-Cart and select USPS (without [Deprecated]) in the Rate calculation field.
• Register or log in at the USPS Developer Portal.
• Enter your new API credentials in the settings of the newly created USPS method in CS-Cart.
• Once you verify that the new USPS method works and displays correctly at checkout, disable the old USPS [Deprecated] method.

This ensures your store will continue to calculate USPS shipping rates correctly after January 2026.

CS-Cart 4.19.1 — Faster, Smarter, More Efficient for Your Online Store

In 4.19.1, we focused on what matters most for eCommerce: a modern interface, faster performance, and flexible management.

The platform helps you:

• Launch faster with an elegant theme ready out of the box.
• Boost mobile conversions with convenient filters and quick actions.
• Handle high-load traffic without expanding infrastructure.
• Adapt payment methods to each country you sell in.
  

All updates are available now in version 4.19.1.
Switch to Nova in theme settings, enable the new add-ons—and they’ll start working right after the upgrade.