Developing on Shopify
More than 1,000,000 merchants use Shopify to run their businesses. They come in all sizes, from all around the world, and each one is different. Shopify solves many of their hardest commerce problems out of the box—but every business has unique needs.
That’s where you come in.
Make Shopify better for everyone
Shopify’s mission is to make commerce better for everyone. But Shopify can’t be all things to all people. Instead, we empower third-party developers, known as Shopify Partners, to create apps, themes, and other integrations that build on Shopify’s platform. That way, merchants can tailor their experience however they need, and developers can build their own businesses supporting those entrepreneurs. This virtuous circle creates new business opportunities and benefits merchants, partners, and Shopify.
Shopify’s suite of APIs and our open-source templating language, Liquid, enable you to make Shopify work the way your clients demand. And our robust developer platform lets you use the business model that works for you.
Ways to build
These are some of the ways that developers build businesses on the platform:
- Building apps to sell in the Shopify App Store
- Building themes to sell in the Shopify Theme Store
- Building channels that allow Shopify merchants to sell through other platforms
- Providing custom development work for clients who run Shopify stores, such as private app integrations, theme customization, and store setup
- Offering design, development, and support services in the Shopify Experts Marketplace
Our platform is open to developers of all sizes, from solo freelancers to boutique design shops to global-scale agencies. Make money by selling your services on a one-to-many basis, or with high-touch client engagements.
Learn more about ways to build
What you can access
Developers have extensive access to Shopify’s core features. Here are some of the resources you can work with:
- Use the Admin API to embed new features in the Shopify admin or POS, and access data on inventory, orders, products, billing and more
- Use the Storefront API, our headless commerce solution, to add Shopify buying experiences to any website, app, or video game
- Use the Liquid markup language to customize the look and feel of merchants’ online stores
- Use Shopify’s suite of development tools to accelerate your productivity
- Use our open-source design system, Polaris, to create seamless integrations with Shopify admin
Learn more about our APIs and tools
Where to start
Before you start coding, be sure to learn more about the Shopify Partner program:
- Learn the various ways to build on our platform
- Check the rules governing trust and security
- Read the requirements for selling through the Shopify App Store
Once you’re ready to start, browse our tutorials to get up and running fast: