Connecting JTL-Wawi to Shopware 6: connector, sync and pitfalls

How the Connector Works

• No plugin in the shop: JTL hosts the Shopware 6 connector. It talks to your shop's API through an integration, and JTL picks the PHP version itself.
• JTL-Worker does the syncing: the worker runs in the background on the Wawi side, fetches new orders and reports stock changes back. JTL recommends running it as a Windows service under its own user.
• Billed per transaction: every order the connector sends to JTL-Wawi counts as one transaction. There is no trial, and orders from the 7 days before licence activation are billed too.

Setup in Three Steps

1. Create an integration in Shopware

Under Settings > System > Integrations, create an integration, choose a role or Administrator, note the access key ID and secret access key, and save.

2. Create the connector in your JTL customer account

Under Bestellungen & Lizenzen > Shop-Connectoren > Connector-Verwaltung, click Jetzt erstellen, enter the Onlineshop URL and save. Note the Connector-URL and Connector-Token.

3. Add a sales channel in JTL-Wawi

Under Plattformen > Verkaufskanäle > Hinzufügen, choose JTL-Connector as the Verkaufsweg. On the Verbindung tab, enter URL and token and click Verbindung testen. On the Zuordnungen tab, set the Kundengruppe and save.

With JTL-Worker 2.0, restart the worker service afterwards and set the interval per data type under Admin > JTL-Worker-Status. Start a manual sync with Plattformen > Abgleich starten > JTL-Connector. Which products go to the shop is set per category: tick Shopware 6 under Onlineshops/JTL-POS in the category master data.

What Syncs, and What Does Not

According to JTL's feature matrix (02.2025), the Shopware 6 connector syncs among other things: categories with images and sort order, SKU, manufacturer number and EAN, multilingual texts, SEO data, dimensions and weight, minimum order quantity, units and base prices, gross and net prices, customer group and tiered prices, special prices, RRP, variations and variation combinations, characteristics, stock and overselling, manufacturers, customers and customer groups, and orders with payment and shipping method, delivery notes and tracking codes.

For B2B stores, the first item weighs most. Negotiated prices per customer maintained in the Wawi do not reach Shopware through the connector. The B2B guide covers the ways Shopware can take them.

Function Attributes: Steering Shopware Fields from the Wawi

For Shopware fields with no counterpart in the Wawi, JTL uses function attributes on the product. The ones that matter most:

• sales_channels sets which sales channels sell the product, and main_category_id sets the main category.
• canonical_product_sku decides which variant provides the product's general URL.
• cms_page_name, hide_in_listings_and_search, custom_search_keywords and max_order_quantity control layout, visibility, search and maximum quantity.
• The three storefront_presentation_* attributes control how variants are shown, and cannot be combined.

Where the First Sync Goes Wrong

• The Wawi leads: after the first sync, stop editing products, categories and customer data in the Shopware Administration. JTL says so explicitly, even though it does not document exactly when the shop gets overwritten.
• SKUs must match exactly: existing products are merged on the SKU. A different SKU means a duplicate product.
• Long meta descriptions block: meta descriptions over 255 characters stop the sync. The option "Meta Description von Artikeln für den Onlineshop kürzen" prevents it.
• Number ranges: with "Auftragsnummer aus dem Shop verwenden" on, the Wawi's and the shop's order number ranges must not overlap.
• Plugin data goes missing quietly: when the shop sends data to the Wawi, data from Shopware extensions does not come along, and there is no error. From connector 2.1.8, "Eigene Felder zum Onlineshop senden" sends custom fields the other way, including plugin field sets.
• Back up first: back up the Wawi database before the first sync. With many images it takes a long time.

Test Shopware updates against the connector on staging before they go live. JTL's release list trails the Shopware versions, and a third-party open-source plugin already exists that patches missing connector data on recent 6.7 versions. Both point the same way: check every new version with a real sync first.