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Product engineering

Custom Shopify apps

Custom Shopify Apps

We build custom Shopify apps for the workflows your store already runs on — embedded in the admin, backed by the GraphQL Admin API, and secured properly from day one.

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An app embedded in the admin, and the webhook topics it reacts toPRD · 01
Overview

Apps built for your operation

When a workflow lives in spreadsheets, manual steps or an app that almost fits, a custom app closes the gap. We build custom apps that extend the Shopify admin and connect to the systems your team already uses.

We're engineers first. That means session-token auth, verified HMAC webhooks, sensible rate-limit handling and code your team can read — not a fragile script that breaks the next time Shopify ships an update.

Fits your workflow
The app is shaped around how your team actually works, so it removes manual steps instead of adding new ones.
Secure by design
Session-token auth, HMAC-verified webhooks and least-privilege scopes are built in, not bolted on later.
Maintainable
Clean, documented code against the GraphQL Admin API so the app survives Shopify's API version cycle.
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App topology

An embedded app sits between the merchant's admin and their data — and has to behave in both directions.

Choose a path

Shopify Admin

  • App Bridge
  • Polaris
  • session token

Your app

  • OAuth
  • webhooks
  • billing API
  • background jobs

GraphQL Admin API

  • products
  • orders
  • metafields
  • bulk operations

The merchant installs from the admin. OAuth grants the scopes the app asked for, and nothing outside them is reachable afterwards.

The embedded app authenticates each request with a session token and reads through the GraphQL Admin API — never a stored password, never a scraped page.

Webhooks push changes back the other way, so the app reacts to what happens in the store instead of polling it.

Charges go through Shopify's billing API, so the merchant pays on their existing Shopify invoice and the app never handles a card.

What's included

What the engagement covers

  1. Private & custom app development
  2. Admin extensions with App Bridge & Polaris
  3. GraphQL Admin API integration
  4. App proxies for storefront-facing endpoints
  5. Session-token auth & HMAC webhook verification
  6. Remix or React where it fits the app

Technologies

  • Shopify
  • GraphQL Admin API
  • App Bridge
  • Polaris
  • Remix
  • TypeScript
Use cases

Where this helps most

  • Internal operations tool

    An embedded admin app that automates a manual back-office process your team runs every day.

  • System integration

    A custom app that syncs orders, inventory or customers between Shopify and an ERP, PIM or internal service.

  • Storefront logic via app proxy

    A secure app-proxy endpoint that serves custom logic or data to the storefront without exposing credentials.

Process

How we deliver

  1. Discover & scope

    We map the workflow, the data and the Shopify scopes involved, then agree a scope with clear milestones.

  2. Build & integrate

    We build the app against the GraphQL Admin API, wire up webhooks and integrate the systems it needs to talk to.

  3. Test & harden

    We test edge cases, verify webhook signatures, handle rate limits and confirm auth holds up under real use.

  4. Ship & support

    We deploy, monitor and support the app, and keep it current as Shopify's API versions move forward.

FAQ

Custom Shopify Apps

What's the difference between a custom and a public app?
A custom app is built for a single store and installed directly, without App Store review. “Private app” was Shopify's earlier name for the same idea; it was retired in January 2022 and every private app became a custom app in January 2023. Either way, it is the right fit when the app only needs to serve your own business.
How do you keep the app secure?
We use Shopify's session-token auth for embedded apps, verify every webhook with its HMAC signature, and request only the API scopes the app actually needs.
Will the app break when Shopify updates its API?
We build against a pinned GraphQL Admin API version and track Shopify's release notes, so we can migrate deliberately before a version is deprecated rather than reacting to a broken app.
Proof

Where we have done this

Real projects that used this capability. Every one shipped.

See the whole archive
Go deeper

Written from the work

Explore more

Public Shopify AppsProduct engineeringPrivate Shopify AppsProduct engineeringShopify Functions DevelopmentEcommerce engineering
Let's build

Ready to start with custom Shopify apps?

Tell us about your store and your goals. We'll come back with a clear, honest plan and a transparent quote.

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