Shopify Storefront API

Overview

The Shopify Storefront API is a public-facing GraphQL API that provides read and write access to a store's products, collections, cart, and checkout from any frontend. It uses a Storefront Access Token (distinct from Admin API tokens) and is safe to expose in client-side JavaScript. Use it to build headless storefronts with Next.js, Remix/Hydrogen, or any JS framework.

When to Use This Skill

• When building a headless Shopify storefront with a custom frontend framework
• When creating a React Native or Flutter mobile app that needs product and cart data
• When embedding a Shopify buy button or product widget in a non-Shopify site
• When using Shopify Hydrogen (Remix-based) for a fully custom storefront experience
• When needing real-time product availability or pricing without the Admin API overhead
• When implementing cart persistence across sessions with Shopify's hosted cart

Core Instructions

1. Create a Storefront Access Token

   In Shopify Admin → Apps → Develop apps → Your App → API credentials → Storefront API access token. Or via the Admin API:

   // Via Admin API (one-time setup)
   const token = await admin.graphql(`
     mutation {
       storefrontAccessTokenCreate(input: { title: "Headless Frontend" }) {
         storefrontAccessToken {
           accessToken
           title
         }
         userErrors { field message }
       }
     }
   `);
   

   Storefront Access Tokens do not use the shpat_ prefix (that prefix is for Admin API tokens). Storefront tokens are opaque strings safe to use in browser code — they only allow storefront-scoped operations.

2. Set up the Storefront API client

   Using the official @shopify/storefront-api-client:

   npm install @shopify/storefront-api-client
   

   // lib/shopify.ts
   import { createStorefrontApiClient } from "@shopify/storefront-api-client";
   
   export const storefront = createStorefrontApiClient({
     storeDomain: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOPIFY_STORE_DOMAIN!, // e.g. "mystore.myshopify.com"
     apiVersion: "2025-01",
     publicAccessToken: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOPIFY_STOREFRONT_TOKEN!,
   });
   

   For server-side calls with a private access token (higher rate limits):

   export const storefrontServer = createStorefrontApiClient({
     storeDomain: process.env.SHOPIFY_STORE_DOMAIN!,
     apiVersion: "2025-01",
     privateAccessToken: process.env.SHOPIFY_STOREFRONT_PRIVATE_TOKEN!,
   });
   

3. Query products and collections

   // lib/products.ts
   export async function getProducts(first = 20, after?: string) {
     const { data, errors } = await storefront.request(`
       query GetProducts($first: Int!, $after: String) {
         products(first: $first, after: $after, sortKey: BEST_SELLING) {
           pageInfo {
             hasNextPage
             endCursor
           }
           edges {
             node {
               id
               title
               handle
               availableForSale
               priceRange {
                 minVariantPrice { amount currencyCode }
                 maxVariantPrice { amount currencyCode }
               }
               images(first: 1) {
                 edges {
                   node { url altText width height }
                 }
               }
               variants(first: 10) {
                 edges {
                   node {
                     id
                     title
                     availableForSale
                     selectedOptions { name value }
                     price { amount currencyCode }
                   }
                 }
               }
             }
           }
         }
       }
     `, { variables: { first, after } });
   
     if (errors) throw new Error(errors.message);
     return data.products;
   }
   

4. Create and manage a cart

   // lib/cart.ts
   
   // Create a new cart
   export async function cartCreate(lines: { merchandiseId: string; quantity: number }[]) {
     const { data } = await storefront.request(`
       mutation CartCreate($lines: [CartLineInput!]) {
         cartCreate(input: { lines: $lines }) {
           cart {
             id
             checkoutUrl
             lines(first: 50) {
               edges {
                 node {
                   id
                   quantity
                   merchandise {
                     ... on ProductVariant {
                       id
                       title
                       price { amount currencyCode }
                       product { title handle }
                     }
                   }
                 }
               }
             }
             cost {
               subtotalAmount { amount currencyCode }
               totalAmount { amount currencyCode }
             }
           }
           userErrors { field message }
         }
       }
     `, { variables: { lines } });
     return data.cartCreate;
   }
   
   // Add lines to existing cart
   export async function cartLinesAdd(cartId: string, lines: { merchandiseId: string; quantity: number }[]) {
     const { data } = await storefront.request(`
       mutation CartLinesAdd($cartId: ID!, $lines: [CartLineInput!]!) {
         cartLinesAdd(cartId: $cartId, lines: $lines) {
           cart { id checkoutUrl }
           userErrors { field message }
         }
       }
     `, { variables: { cartId, lines } });
     return data.cartLinesAdd;
   }
   

5. Persist cart ID and redirect to checkout

   // hooks/useCart.ts
   import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
   import { cartCreate, cartLinesAdd } from "../lib/cart";
   
   const CART_ID_KEY = "shopify_cart_id";
   
   export function useCart() {
     const [cartId, setCartId] = useState<string | null>(null);
     const [checkoutUrl, setCheckoutUrl] = useState<string | null>(null);
   
     useEffect(() => {
       setCartId(localStorage.getItem(CART_ID_KEY));
     }, []);
   
     const addToCart = async (variantId: string, quantity = 1) => {
       const lines = [{ merchandiseId: variantId, quantity }];
       if (cartId) {
         const result = await cartLinesAdd(cartId, lines);
         setCheckoutUrl(result.cart.checkoutUrl);
       } else {
         const result = await cartCreate(lines);
         const newCartId = result.cart.id;
         localStorage.setItem(CART_ID_KEY, newCartId);
         setCartId(newCartId);
         setCheckoutUrl(result.cart.checkoutUrl);
       }
     };
   
     const goToCheckout = () => {
       if (checkoutUrl) window.location.href = checkoutUrl;
     };
   
     return { addToCart, goToCheckout, cartId };
   }
   

Examples

Product Detail Page with variant selection (Next.js)

// app/products/[handle]/page.tsx
import { storefront } from "@/lib/shopify";

async function getProduct(handle: string) {
  const { data } = await storefront.request(`
    query GetProduct($handle: String!) {
      product(handle: $handle) {
        id
        title
        descriptionHtml
        seo { title description }
        images(first: 10) {
          edges { node { url altText } }
        }
        options {
          id name values
        }
        variants(first: 100) {
          edges {
            node {
              id
              availableForSale
              selectedOptions { name value }
              price { amount currencyCode }
              compareAtPrice { amount currencyCode }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  `, { variables: { handle } });
  return data.product;
}

export default async function ProductPage({ params }: { params: { handle: string } }) {
  const product = await getProduct(params.handle);
  // Render product with client-side variant picker
  return <ProductDetail product={product} />;
}

// Generate static params for all products
export async function generateStaticParams() {
  const { data } = await storefront.request(`
    query { products(first: 200) { edges { node { handle } } } }
  `);
  return data.products.edges.map(({ node }: { node: { handle: string } }) => ({
    handle: node.handle,
  }));
}

Predictive search

export async function predictiveSearch(query: string) {
  const { data } = await storefront.request(`
    query PredictiveSearch($query: String!) {
      predictiveSearch(query: $query, limit: 5, types: [PRODUCT, COLLECTION, ARTICLE]) {
        products {
          id title handle
          featuredImage { url altText }
          priceRange { minVariantPrice { amount currencyCode } }
        }
        collections {
          id title handle
          image { url altText }
        }
      }
    }
  `, { variables: { query } });
  return data.predictiveSearch;
}

Best Practices

• Use private tokens server-side — private Storefront Access Tokens have higher rate limits (1000 req/s vs 100 req/s) and should never be exposed to browsers
• Fetch product data at build time when possible (ISR or SSG) — the Storefront API rate limits apply per store, not per customer
• Always check availableForSale on both product and variant before showing Add-to-Cart — a product can be available while individual variants are sold out
• Paginate with after cursors, not offsets — the Storefront API uses cursor-based pagination; store endCursor for next-page queries
• Cache collection and product queries with Next.js fetch cache tags or React cache — product data rarely changes in real time
• Use @inContext directive for international pricing — @inContext(country: CA, language: EN) returns prices in the buyer's currency
• Fragment reuse — define GraphQL fragments (e.g., ProductFragment) to avoid duplicating field selections across queries
• Handle userErrors on all mutations — cart mutations return userErrors array; check it before updating local state

Common Pitfalls

Problem	Solution
Rate limit errors (429)	Use private access token server-side and implement request batching; avoid N+1 product queries
Cart ID lost after page reload	Persist cartId in localStorage or a cookie; create a new cart only if none exists
Product prices show in wrong currency	Add @inContext(country: $country) directive and pass buyer's country via geolocation
product(handle:) returns null	Handle slugified handles correctly — Shopify handles are lowercase with hyphens; check exact slug
Checkout redirect fails on mobile Safari	Use window.location.href = checkoutUrl inside a user gesture handler, not async callback
Variant not found when selecting options	Use client-side filtering of variants.edges by matching all selectedOptions, not just one

Related Skills

• @shopify-admin-api
• @shopify-app-development
• @shopify-checkout-extensions
• @headless-commerce-architecture
• @graphql-api-design