If you didn't know yet, Shopify has recently decided to gradually stop supporting the REST API for Shopify and focus solely on the graphQL API and this is likely to impact your Shopify site.
So even if you are not a developer or a fan of technical explanations, and APIs, REST and graphQL are all Chinese to you, don't worry, we will simply explain the impacts for your store in this article.
For those who are curious, you can read the first paragraph which briefly explains what the REST and GraphQL APIs are, otherwise, you can skip directly to the next paragraph
TLDR
Shopify will prioritize the use of GraphQL, and many applications will therefore need to be modified by their developers. Your store, however, will continue to function as long as necessary and will not require modifications.
This will cause a lot of movement in the applications and risks making some of them much less interesting and on the contrary making new ones appear essential. In short, remember to review your application stack regularly over the next few months to take advantage of all the new Shopify features. Note that this will impact all Shopify stores regardless of their plan, including Shopify Plus stores which are generally ultra-connected to the company's information systems.
What are API, GRAPHQL and REST?
To put it very simply, in Shopify there are 3 “sub-sections” for creating your store:
The “Shopify core”, the “basic” functions of Shopify
Liquid , which is Shopify's templating language (for creating custom themes and designs)
GraphQL and REST APIs that allow you to create applications for your store.
APIs are a kind of "grammar" that explains and details how computer systems communicate with each other. For example, the API will define that to get the name of a product you must request product.name.title (fictitious example). In the API documentation, Shopify indicates all the possibilities and Shopify developers use the elements they need to communicate with the Shopify store.
All Shopify apps use either REST or GraphQL APIs
I will simplify to make things understandable but do not hesitate to use the comments of the article to supplement my point.
REST is the “simple” version of API discussions. We request the product and receive the entire “payload” (all the information) of the product. Let’s say that in Shopify we can receive several dozen pieces of information in return for a product.
With graphQL we will “steer” the request much more precisely. We will explicitly request the name of the product, its price and its stock for example. And in response from the server, we will ONLY obtain these 3 pieces of information.
You understand that when we are talking about tens of billions of requests per day on Shopify servers (I would be really curious to know the actual load) every optimization counts.
By switching completely to GraphQL, Shopify will save a lot of bandwidth and simplify its information system, making it more robust.
The choice is logical, predictable, and even anticipated by many in the tech world for some time. But how will this impact Shopify stores?
Does the end of REST on Shopify have an impact on stores?
First, the most obvious impact that one thinks of could be having errors, bugs or even service interruptions on certain applications if the REST API no longer works.
Rest assured, Shopify will continue to “execute” REST requests for as long as necessary. There's no risk there. If your store works today, it will work tomorrow without any interruption.
The real problem is the “upgrades” side. Shopify releases between 200 and 400 new features per year. In most cases, it is possible to modify the upgrades or use them via the API.
From now on, you will have to use GraphQL because the new features will not be available on the REST API.
Shopify apps will therefore need to move to GraphQL if they want to continue to evolve. REST is a much more widespread and easier-to-use API for many developers.
Migrating to GraphQL: a must for applications
Once again, let's be clear, on the merchant side, this news has little immediate impact. But on the application side, some will have to rewrite ALL or almost all of their code to move to GraphQL.
The latest example with variant limits beyond 100 variants is only available in GraphQL. This means that if an application interacts with products, and there are many of them, the entire application will have to be rewritten.
That's a lot of work ahead, and some developers may not have the time, energy, or inclination to make these changes. Others will take the opportunity to switch to GraphQL and completely overhaul their application.
Note that the move to GraphQL is generally a good thing, even for developers. GraphQL has become a standard for many platforms, not just Shopify. It's beneficial for agencies and developers because it will also reduce server load on their side, allow them to optimize queries, improve security, less useless information, it's less risk for everyone.
Shopify API Change: What Impacts for Merchants?
Theoretically: None. In practice, you'll need to check whether the applications you use today will reinvent themselves and move to GraphQL.
I think it's essential to be proactive, for example by reaching out to app developers to make sure they're planning to move to GraphQL. If they're not, you risk seeing Shopify's new features slip past you.
Of course, your favorite e-commerce consultant, your Shopify agency or a certified expert can help you perform an e-commerce audit and find alternatives to these applications so you can continue to benefit from all Shopify services.
