Storefront API
The Storefront API gives you full creative control to build customized purchasing experiences for your customers.
In contrast with the Admin API, which enables developers to build apps around merchant-facing actions (such as shipping and fulfillment), the Storefront API focuses on shopping experiences seen from the customer perspective.
Using the Storefront API, you can:
- Fetch data about a single product or a collection of products to display on any website or device.
- Create unique checkout experiences with full control over the shopping cart.
- Create new customers or modify existing ones, including address information.
Ways to build with the Storefront API
Shopify provides the flexibility to build with the Storefront API using both private or public apps:
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Using a private app
Build a custom app for one merchant. For example, build a custom app to add e-commerce functionality to a merchant's existing website.
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Using a public app
Build an app that's available from the Shopify App Store that meets the needs of many merchants. For example, you could combine Storefront and Admin API functionality to build apps that work in the Shopify admin and also deliver customized purchasing experiences.
Using an unauthenticated public API
The Storefront API is an unauthenticated public API, which means that the data it publishes can be accessed by users without them having to provide a username or password. All someone needs to access the data is the storefront access token, which any customers or visitors to the storefront could potentially get. You should only use the Storefront API if you are comfortable with this risk, and you should limit which store data can be accessed through the API.
You can limit which store data is exposed to the Storefront API when you create a storefront access token. If you've already created a storefront access token, then you can change the Storefront API permissions to limit what types of store data can be accessed using the storefront access token.
Next steps
Follow the getting started guide to quickly get up-and-running with the Storefront API and begin building your own custom purchasing experience:
Where to get help
Storefront API Reference
Use Shopify's Storefront API to create custom storefronts for practically any interface.
Guides
Learn how to query the API using GraphQL, and how to build customized purchasing experiences.
Shopify Community forums
Visit our forums to connect with the community and find out more about the Shopify API and App development.