generated: '2026-08-27'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://shopify.dev/docs/api/polaris.md, https://shopify.dev/docs/api/storefront-web-components.md,
  https://shopify.dev/docs/api/app-bridge — fetched 2026-08-27
provider: Shopify
providerId: shopify
note: >-
  Shopify's client-side component story is deliberately split in two. Polaris covers the MERCHANT
  side — everything rendered inside the Shopify admin, checkout, customer accounts and POS — and has
  converged on web components as the single framework across all six surfaces. Storefront Web
  Components cover the BUYER side and are aimed at sites that are not Shopify storefronts at all.
  These are distinct from the SDKs in packages/.
families:
- family: Polaris
  audience: merchant-facing (inside Shopify surfaces)
  framework: web components
  docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/polaris
  loader: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/polaris/using-polaris-web-components
  note: >-
    Unified UI framework across every app surface. The legacy React package (@shopify/polaris,
    13.9.5, last published 2025-03-26) is the older delivery of the same design system.
  surfaces:
  - name: App Home (iframe)
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/app-home
    detail: App's main page as an iframe in the admin, using App Bridge and Polaris.
  - name: App Home (UI extension)
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/app-home-ui-extension
    detail: Preact-based UI extension alternative to the iframe.
  - name: Admin UI extensions
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/admin-extensions
    detail: Custom actions and blocks on product, order and customer pages.
  - name: Checkout UI extensions
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/checkout-ui-extensions
    detail: Defined extension points in the checkout flow, including Shop Pay.
  - name: Customer account UI extensions
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/customer-account-ui-extensions
    detail: Order index, order status and profile pages.
  - name: POS UI extensions
    docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/pos-ui-extensions
    detail: Smart grid, cart and post-purchase screens in Shopify POS.
  versioning: >-
    Versioned by extension API version. Only the last four stable versions have published reference
    docs, and Shopify CLI refuses to deploy extensions targeting a version older than 12 months.
- family: Storefront Web Components
  audience: buyer-facing (on any website)
  framework: native HTML custom elements
  docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/storefront-web-components
  getting_started: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/storefront-web-components/getting-started/
  playground: https://webcomponents.shopify.dev/playground
  versioned: false
  note: >-
    UNVERSIONED per the versioning reference — these may change at any time with no deprecation
    window, which is a real risk for anyone embedding them in a third-party site.
  components:
  - element: shopify-store
    role: root — binds the page to a store and its Storefront API credentials
  - element: shopify-context
    role: scopes a subtree to a product, collection or cart
  - element: shopify-cart
    role: cart display and checkout handoff
  detail: >-
    Products, collections and a working checkout embedded in any site with a few lines of HTML, with
    the Storefront API querying handled for you.
- family: App Bridge
  audience: merchant-facing
  docs: https://shopify.dev/docs/api/app-bridge
  package: '@shopify/app-bridge-react'
  version: 4.2.13
  published: '2026-08-24'
  detail: Bridges an embedded app iframe to the admin shell — navigation, modals, toasts, resource pickers.
- family: Checkout Kit
  audience: buyer-facing (mobile)
  docs: https://www.shopify.com/checkout-kit
  package: '@shopify/checkout-sheet-kit'
  version: 3.9.0
  published: '2026-08-26'
  detail: >-
    Embeds Shopify Checkout into a native mobile app or platform, carrying over Shop Pay and the
    merchant's checkout customizations. Ships for iOS, Android and React Native.