No iframe in the source
The replacement happens on the server on the finished HTML. The visitor never receives a YouTube iframe in the first place - none can be found in the page source.
YouTube videos, without the load time.
Instead of the full player, a preview image with a play button appears. YouTube is only loaded on click - that saves up to a megabyte per video and sets no cookies until then.
What the plugin does
The player arrives when someone clicks.
The plugin replaces every YouTube iframe in the fully rendered storefront HTML with a lightweight preview element: an image with a play button. Only on click is the real player loaded - and it starts right away.
One click is enough
After the click the video plays straight away, without a second click on a YouTube play button. On iOS and Android too.
Template, editor, experience
Every iframe from youtube.com and youtube-nocookie.com is caught, whether it comes from the template, from a product description in the editor or from a shopping experience element.
Hidden videos too
Videos inside closed modals are converted as well. The preview image can additionally be loaded lazily so it is not fetched on page view already.
No playing on in the background
Closing a modal with a running video stops the sound. And when switching between the tabs of a product page, the video stays operable.
Not two implementations
If a theme already ships its own element named lite-youtube, the plugin stays out of the way and leaves it to that one - otherwise two implementations would interfere.
What it is for
Videos cost load time - even unwatched.
An embedded YouTube video loads the complete player on page view, whether anyone presses play or not. With four videos on a product page that adds up to several megabytes.
The player comes later
Instead of the player, only a preview image with a play button appears. YouTube is loaded when someone presses it - and the video starts straight away, without a second click.
Less transfer
That shows directly in the PageSpeed score, particularly on mobile devices and on pages with several videos.
Clean until consent
Without a click there is no connection to YouTube and no cookies are set. With locally stored preview images, no IP address reaches Google either.
On the finished HTML
The plugin works on the fully rendered page and replaces the iframes there. No template change, no child theme - a theme update cannot disable it.
Wherever the video comes from
From the template, from a product description in the editor or from a shopping experience element - every YouTube iframe is caught, from youtube.com as well as youtube-nocookie.com.
Deliberately restrained
Vimeo, Google Maps and other providers stay untouched. So do iframes inside scripts, templates, text areas and comments, and videos a lazy loader fetches anyway.
Settings
Preview images from your own shop.
How the preview image arrives decides how much privacy is actually gained. Three routes are available, plus control per path and sales channel.
The recommended route
The server fetches each preview image once and stores it in the shop. Visitors receive it from there - best appearance with full cookie and IP freedom. Works with S3 or other remote storage too.
For the strictest reading
If you want no outbound connection whatsoever, a dark background with a play button is shown. Until the click, nothing happens at all.
Deviations visible
Settings apply globally or per channel. If a channel deviates, a note lists the affected fields - and a button resets it to the default.
Good for a test
An include list restricts the conversion to individual pages; a star at the end acts as a wildcard. That allows measuring one page before switching the whole shop.
The exception wins
A second list excludes individual paths. It is checked first - useful for landing pages where a video should play immediately.
Smaller at the same sharpness
Preview images are fetched as WebP by preference and fall back to JPEG where only that exists. The chosen size is an upper limit; if it is missing for a video, the next smaller one is used.
Technical details
Server side, not in the browser.
The replacement happens on the server on the finished HTML. The visitor never receives an iframe in the first place.
Compatibility
Preview images in the background
Fetching starts only after the page has reached the visitor, so it costs no waiting time. At most four images are fetched per page view, and an hourly task works through the queue.
No premature caching
While a preview image is missing on a page, that page is deliberately kept out of the page cache - otherwise the placeholder would freeze there. Videos that gave up after three attempts do not count, so a single broken video cannot exclude a page permanently.
Yields to the theme
If a theme already registers its own element named lite-youtube, the plugin stays out of the way and leaves it to that implementation. Two implementations would interfere with each other.
Own delivery as fallback
If the file system cannot provide a public address, the plugin serves the images through a route of its own, with a cache header of one year.
Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions about Lite YouTube
Videos, load time and privacy in a Shopware shop.
How do I make YouTube videos faster in Shopware?
By not loading the player on page view any more. The plugin replaces every YouTube iframe with a preview image and a play button; the actual player only arrives on click. That saves around 0.5 to 1 MB of transfer per video.
Do I have to modify my theme?
No. The plugin works on the fully rendered HTML and replaces the iframes there. It changes no template files, so a theme update cannot disable it. Only a theme:compile is needed after installation and updates.
Are really no cookies set without a click?
Without a click there is no connection to YouTube. Whether an IP address reaches Google depends on the preview image: with "store in the shop" it comes from your shop, with "load directly from YouTube" from Google. For complete freedom, choose local storage or no preview image at all.
Where do the preview images come from?
The server fetches them once per video and stores them in the shop - in the background, after the page has reached the visitor, so it costs no waiting time. The images live in the public file system, which works with S3 too.
Can I test it on one page first?
Yes. Under "only these paths" you enter a single page, measure with PageSpeed Insights before and after, then empty the field again. Conversely, individual pages can be excluded permanently.
Does it apply to every video in the shop?
To every YouTube video, whether it comes from the template, from a product description or from a shopping experience. Vimeo, Google Maps and other providers stay untouched, as do videos inside scripts, templates and comments.
What does Lite YouTube cost?
Buying directly costs 7.99 euros net per month, 39.99 euros net per half year or 74.99 euros net per year. Paying annually saves around 22 percent. All prices are exclusive of VAT.
What happens when the licence expires?
The storefront keeps running and already converted videos stay converted - visitors notice nothing. Only administration and the fetching of new preview images are locked.
Availability
Through the store or directly from us.
Two routes, the same feature set - pick whichever suits your setup.
Available now
Monthly7,99 €
Half-yearly39,99 €16 % cheaper
Best valueYearly74,99 €25 % cheaper
All prices net, plus VAT.
You buy the licence directly from us and receive an invoice from us. Installation by upload in the admin without SSH, updates through our licence platform, support straight from the developer.
In preparation
The plugin will be listed in the official Shopware Community Store. Installation and automatic updates then run through the plugin manager in the backend, billing through your Shopware account. We will link it here as soon as it is available.