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Shopify Hydrogen
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Headless Commerce
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Shopify Hydrogen
Hydrogen Framework
ARTICLE #33
Table of contents
Shopify Hydrogen: Is it the future of headless commerce?
Headless Commerce
Shopify Development
Headless CMS
Shopify Hydrogen
Hydrogen Framework
Headless Commerce
Shopify Development
Headless CMS
Shopify Hydrogen
Hydrogen Framework
Written by:
14 min read
Updated on: May 27, 2024
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
Shopify Hydrogen has quickly become a buzzword among online retailers and developers, thanks to its promise of a more flexible, customisable store experience. Introduced at Shopify Unite in direct response to the rising demand for headless commerce solutions, Hydrogen gives merchants the freedom to build unique storefronts that stand out in a sea of lookalike templates. But is it really the future of headless commerce, or just another hype train?
In the following sections, we’ll break down what Shopify Hydrogen actually is, how it fits into the broader headless commerce scene, and the practical ways in which merchants can harness this new technology for bigger and better sales results. If your store is already feeling hampered by the same old templates, or if you’re just looking for the next big shift in eCommerce, consider this your roadmap to understanding—and potentially adopting—Hydrogen. Let’s dig in and see whether this approach can truly bring your online business to the next level.
Shopify Hydrogen has quickly become a buzzword among online retailers and developers, thanks to its promise of a more flexible, customisable store experience. Introduced at Shopify Unite in direct response to the rising demand for headless commerce solutions, Hydrogen gives merchants the freedom to build unique storefronts that stand out in a sea of lookalike templates. But is it really the future of headless commerce, or just another hype train?
In the following sections, we’ll break down what Shopify Hydrogen actually is, how it fits into the broader headless commerce scene, and the practical ways in which merchants can harness this new technology for bigger and better sales results. If your store is already feeling hampered by the same old templates, or if you’re just looking for the next big shift in eCommerce, consider this your roadmap to understanding—and potentially adopting—Hydrogen. Let’s dig in and see whether this approach can truly bring your online business to the next level.
What is Shopify Hydrogen?
What is Shopify Hydrogen?
Shopify Hydrogen is a React-based framework created especially for building custom storefronts on the Shopify platform. While Next.js, Gatsby, or Nuxt might sound more familiar in the headless commerce universe, Hydrogen is Shopify’s own creation, meaning it taps directly into the Shopify backend without the typical juggling act you’d face if you tried integrating third-party tools. The result? A smoother, more seamless workflow for developers, plus endless design freedom for store owners.
Hydrogen comes loaded with the essential scaffolding, think ready-made components, preconfigured tooling, and performance-focused architecture, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you build a custom storefront. Less boilerplate means more time spent creating unique features that actually impress your clients (or your boss).
Hydrogen’s main draw is headless commerce—untying your front-end experience from the standard Shopify theme approach. Maybe you are tired of the constraints of Liquid templates or you’ve outgrown the typical “theme customisation” route. Hydrogen frees you to create user experiences that go beyond what’s typically possible with off-the-shelf themes, without forcing you to wrestle with third-party integration code.
Shopify Hydrogen is a React-based framework created especially for building custom storefronts on the Shopify platform. While Next.js, Gatsby, or Nuxt might sound more familiar in the headless commerce universe, Hydrogen is Shopify’s own creation, meaning it taps directly into the Shopify backend without the typical juggling act you’d face if you tried integrating third-party tools. The result? A smoother, more seamless workflow for developers, plus endless design freedom for store owners.
Hydrogen comes loaded with the essential scaffolding, think ready-made components, preconfigured tooling, and performance-focused architecture, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you build a custom storefront. Less boilerplate means more time spent creating unique features that actually impress your clients (or your boss).
Hydrogen’s main draw is headless commerce—untying your front-end experience from the standard Shopify theme approach. Maybe you are tired of the constraints of Liquid templates or you’ve outgrown the typical “theme customisation” route. Hydrogen frees you to create user experiences that go beyond what’s typically possible with off-the-shelf themes, without forcing you to wrestle with third-party integration code.
Why is Shopify Hydrogen a game-changer for retailers?
For a while, headless commerce has been the “cool kid” in eCommerce circles—brands love the agility and creative control it offers, but implementing it often means juggling multiple platforms. Shopify Hydrogen, however, rolls out a more streamlined path to headless within the Shopify ecosystem. Let’s explore how Hydrogen meets retailers’ demand for increased flexibility, what it replaces in the traditional stack, and whether it can truly stand up to the established headless heavyweights.
A response to brands seeking alternatives
Before Hydrogen, some major brands used Shopify only for checkout while experimenting with other headless frameworks—like React plus a separate CMS—to handle the rest of the storefront. In doing so, they were flirting with other eCommerce platforms (BigCommerce, Commerce Tools, etc.) for a more “plug-and-play” headless setup. Hydrogen arrives as Shopify’s direct answer to that trend. Instead of letting brands piece together multiple tools, Shopify now delivers a homegrown headless solution that keeps them planted firmly within Shopify’s ecosystem. If you’ve already invested heavily in Shopify, but your developers grumble about Liquid’s limitations, Hydrogen provides a middle path. You get the freedom of a React-based front end without ripping out your entire eCommerce engine.
A more unified headless commerce approach
Headless commerce used to require a jigsaw of components: a JavaScript framework (Vue, React, or Angular), a CMS (Sanity.io, Contentful, or Prismic), and a hosting platform (Netlify or Vercel). That meant plenty of overhead, from integration headaches to scoping each piece’s reliability. Hydrogen flips the script by bundling most of that technology under one roof, particularly when paired with Shopify’s Oxygen hosting. No more negotiating with separate vendors or waiting on updates from half a dozen different codebases. You rely on Shopify for dev tooling, commerce APIs, hosting, and more. This consolidation should, in theory, reduce friction so your devs can focus on building a killer storefront rather than playing integrator.
The Hydrogen + Oxygen combo
While Hydrogen is your “React-based storefront solution,” Oxygen is Shopify’s hosting environment designed to deploy those custom front ends. Think of it as a one-two punch: Hydrogen for building the site, Oxygen for pushing it live. If you’ve wrangled with setting up CI/CD pipelines on other platforms, you might find Shopify’s approach refreshingly straightforward—especially if you are already sold on Shopify’s back end. This pairing isn’t just about convenience. By managing the whole pipeline, Shopify can better guarantee performance and compatibility, saving teams from potential hosting nightmares. Plus, it eliminates the guesswork of fitting a third-party hosting service into an existing eCommerce architecture.
Balancing ambition with realities of the ecosystem
Hydrogen is clearly Shopify’s bid to keep big-spending brands from drifting to alternative solutions. It’s a bold, all-in-one approach that aims to combine design freedom with Shopify’s well-known reliability. Still, some skeptics wonder if it can truly rival industry veterans that have spent years refining their headless offerings. Hydrogen is relatively new and evolving, which means best practices and community support are still maturing. If you’re a brand that craves battle-tested frameworks or has extremely niche requirements, you might find limitations. But if you are open to something that feels more “Shopify native,” Hydrogen might fit perfectly.
For businesses thinking about switching to headless commerce, Shopify Hydrogen might appear to be Shopify’s tactical move—an answer to brands that once looked beyond the Liquid theme, integrating other headless systems while keeping Shopify purely for checkout. Many of these brands flirted with alternative e-commerce platforms like Commerce Tools or BigCommerce.
For a while, headless commerce has been the “cool kid” in eCommerce circles—brands love the agility and creative control it offers, but implementing it often means juggling multiple platforms. Shopify Hydrogen, however, rolls out a more streamlined path to headless within the Shopify ecosystem. Let’s explore how Hydrogen meets retailers’ demand for increased flexibility, what it replaces in the traditional stack, and whether it can truly stand up to the established headless heavyweights.
A response to brands seeking alternatives
Before Hydrogen, some major brands used Shopify only for checkout while experimenting with other headless frameworks—like React plus a separate CMS—to handle the rest of the storefront. In doing so, they were flirting with other eCommerce platforms (BigCommerce, Commerce Tools, etc.) for a more “plug-and-play” headless setup. Hydrogen arrives as Shopify’s direct answer to that trend. Instead of letting brands piece together multiple tools, Shopify now delivers a homegrown headless solution that keeps them planted firmly within Shopify’s ecosystem. If you’ve already invested heavily in Shopify, but your developers grumble about Liquid’s limitations, Hydrogen provides a middle path. You get the freedom of a React-based front end without ripping out your entire eCommerce engine.
A more unified headless commerce approach
Headless commerce used to require a jigsaw of components: a JavaScript framework (Vue, React, or Angular), a CMS (Sanity.io, Contentful, or Prismic), and a hosting platform (Netlify or Vercel). That meant plenty of overhead, from integration headaches to scoping each piece’s reliability. Hydrogen flips the script by bundling most of that technology under one roof, particularly when paired with Shopify’s Oxygen hosting. No more negotiating with separate vendors or waiting on updates from half a dozen different codebases. You rely on Shopify for dev tooling, commerce APIs, hosting, and more. This consolidation should, in theory, reduce friction so your devs can focus on building a killer storefront rather than playing integrator.
The Hydrogen + Oxygen combo
While Hydrogen is your “React-based storefront solution,” Oxygen is Shopify’s hosting environment designed to deploy those custom front ends. Think of it as a one-two punch: Hydrogen for building the site, Oxygen for pushing it live. If you’ve wrangled with setting up CI/CD pipelines on other platforms, you might find Shopify’s approach refreshingly straightforward—especially if you are already sold on Shopify’s back end. This pairing isn’t just about convenience. By managing the whole pipeline, Shopify can better guarantee performance and compatibility, saving teams from potential hosting nightmares. Plus, it eliminates the guesswork of fitting a third-party hosting service into an existing eCommerce architecture.
Balancing ambition with realities of the ecosystem
Hydrogen is clearly Shopify’s bid to keep big-spending brands from drifting to alternative solutions. It’s a bold, all-in-one approach that aims to combine design freedom with Shopify’s well-known reliability. Still, some skeptics wonder if it can truly rival industry veterans that have spent years refining their headless offerings. Hydrogen is relatively new and evolving, which means best practices and community support are still maturing. If you’re a brand that craves battle-tested frameworks or has extremely niche requirements, you might find limitations. But if you are open to something that feels more “Shopify native,” Hydrogen might fit perfectly.
For businesses thinking about switching to headless commerce, Shopify Hydrogen might appear to be Shopify’s tactical move—an answer to brands that once looked beyond the Liquid theme, integrating other headless systems while keeping Shopify purely for checkout. Many of these brands flirted with alternative e-commerce platforms like Commerce Tools or BigCommerce.
How does Shopify Hydrogen work?
Shopify Hydrogen is all about giving shoppers a fast and personalised experience online, without forcing developers to stitch together a bunch of different tools that can slow a site down. In essence, Hydrogen blends the best of React and Vite—plus some handy Shopify-native features—to create dynamic storefronts that don’t keep your customers waiting for pages to load. Below, we’ll break down each component, so you can see why Hydrogen is making waves in the headless commerce world.
1. The Framework
Hydrogen’s framework hinges on a plugin called Vite, which tackles everything from Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to transforming client-side component code and handling hydration. This might sound like developer jargon, but what it really means is that your store can render pages quickly on the server, then hand over control to the browser for a snappy, app-like feel.
Meanwhile, React handles the interactive UI elements, so visitors can browse and click around without your site feeling clunky. Shopify’s dev team worked to ensure your store won’t be bogged down by overhead. By drawing on the power of Vite and React, Hydrogen helps you strike the right balance between top performance and rich user experiences. In other words, you can still go wild with animations, personalization, or recommended products—just without turning your site into a slow-motion train wreck.
2. UI Components
Another ace up Hydrogen’s sleeve is its UI components, utilities, and hooks. These are already synced up with Shopify’s data models, so you don’t have to build integrations from scratch. For instance, if you need a product card, there’s likely a pre-built component that hooks right into your Shopify inventory. No rummaging around for third-party libraries or hacking together your own solution.
This direct tie-in with Shopify’s APIs or third-party data sources means your developers can whip up essential storefront elements quickly. Need a quick “Add to Cart” button or a featured product carousel? It’s mostly plug-and-play. Hydrogen’s UI library is also open to customization, so you don’t have to endure cookie-cutter designs if your brand calls for something unique.
3. Starter Template
If spinning up a fresh e-commerce site from scratch sounds daunting, the Starter Template might be your new best friend. This boilerplate has the essential scaffolding already baked in—so you don’t spend hours messing around with initial setups or tricky config files. It’s integrated with Shopify, so once you fire it up, you can start customizing your storefront right away rather than fussing with environment variables or third-party deployments.
The real bonus is how quickly you can get something to show your boss or stakeholders. Instead of sinking time into a lengthy setup phase, you can push a working prototype and gather feedback on the core layout, features, and branding. If something doesn’t land, you know early, without having wasted days or weeks on it.
Shopify Hydrogen is all about giving shoppers a fast and personalised experience online, without forcing developers to stitch together a bunch of different tools that can slow a site down. In essence, Hydrogen blends the best of React and Vite—plus some handy Shopify-native features—to create dynamic storefronts that don’t keep your customers waiting for pages to load. Below, we’ll break down each component, so you can see why Hydrogen is making waves in the headless commerce world.
1. The Framework
Hydrogen’s framework hinges on a plugin called Vite, which tackles everything from Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to transforming client-side component code and handling hydration. This might sound like developer jargon, but what it really means is that your store can render pages quickly on the server, then hand over control to the browser for a snappy, app-like feel.
Meanwhile, React handles the interactive UI elements, so visitors can browse and click around without your site feeling clunky. Shopify’s dev team worked to ensure your store won’t be bogged down by overhead. By drawing on the power of Vite and React, Hydrogen helps you strike the right balance between top performance and rich user experiences. In other words, you can still go wild with animations, personalization, or recommended products—just without turning your site into a slow-motion train wreck.
2. UI Components
Another ace up Hydrogen’s sleeve is its UI components, utilities, and hooks. These are already synced up with Shopify’s data models, so you don’t have to build integrations from scratch. For instance, if you need a product card, there’s likely a pre-built component that hooks right into your Shopify inventory. No rummaging around for third-party libraries or hacking together your own solution.
This direct tie-in with Shopify’s APIs or third-party data sources means your developers can whip up essential storefront elements quickly. Need a quick “Add to Cart” button or a featured product carousel? It’s mostly plug-and-play. Hydrogen’s UI library is also open to customization, so you don’t have to endure cookie-cutter designs if your brand calls for something unique.
3. Starter Template
If spinning up a fresh e-commerce site from scratch sounds daunting, the Starter Template might be your new best friend. This boilerplate has the essential scaffolding already baked in—so you don’t spend hours messing around with initial setups or tricky config files. It’s integrated with Shopify, so once you fire it up, you can start customizing your storefront right away rather than fussing with environment variables or third-party deployments.
The real bonus is how quickly you can get something to show your boss or stakeholders. Instead of sinking time into a lengthy setup phase, you can push a working prototype and gather feedback on the core layout, features, and branding. If something doesn’t land, you know early, without having wasted days or weeks on it.
Why is Shopify Hydrogen the future of headless commerce?
Shopify Hydrogen has upped the game for online retailers craving lightning-fast speeds and limitless customisation. By splitting your Shopify store’s front end from the back end, Hydrogen morphs plain old storefronts into modern, fully tailored shopping experiences. Below, we’ll dive into why Hydrogen is shaping the future of headless commerce—from site performance perks to unrivalled design flexibility.
1. Site performance optimisation
If your site loads at a snail’s pace, you are waving goodbye to potential customers before they even see your products. The headless approach with Hydrogen separates the front end from the Shopify back end, which means less bloat and more speed. The result? Your page load times can shrink from seconds to milliseconds, upping your store’s Core Web Vitals and delivering that “blink-and-it’s-there” experience customers now expect.
2. SEO advantages
Most default Shopify URLs aren’t exactly SEO-friendly—lines like “/collections” or “/products” can feel generic. But with Hydrogen’s headless setup, you gain full control of your URL structures. You can craft more descriptive and keyword-rich URLs, which search engines love. Also, everything from meta descriptions to Open Graph images can be dynamically generated, so you can adjust on the fly for seasonal pushes or new product launches.
3. Freedom and flexibility
Traditional Shopify themes can feel like a pair of off-the-shelf jeans—okay fit for most people, but not a perfect match for everyone. With Hydrogen, you’re free to create the exact UX/UI you envision. Whether you’re just pulling in data from Shopify or hooking up to a third-party CMS, the design possibilities are endless. A unique store experience sets you apart in a crowded market. And Hydrogen’s drag-and-drop tools, starter templates, and user-friendly blocks ensure that you don’t need a PhD in code to start experimenting. When you want to revamp your site’s look, you can do so without messing with the back-end logic, because the front end is truly independent.
4. Personalised commerce experience
One-size-fits-all marketing is old news, especially when data reveals different segments of your audience wanting completely distinct things. Hydrogen’s headless approach, combined with a dedicated content management setup, lets you curate experiences for each shopper. Show different banners, highlight custom product selections, and swap out content based on browsing history, all while maintaining a zippy load time. Customers respond to relevance. If your store can suggest the right product at the right moment—without feeling creepy or taking forever to load—you are not just increasing average order value, you are building brand loyalty.
5. Faster frontend development
Developers who’ve worked on standard Shopify themes often complain about a lack of freedom or unwieldy Liquid code. Hydrogen, on the other hand, uses React and comes stacked with pre-built design patterns—so building a high-quality storefront feels more like a sprint than a marathon. You won’t have to juggle five different integrations for a custom front end, because Hydrogen handles much of the heavy lifting. Time is money, literally. If your dev team can iterate faster—launching landing pages, testing new flows, or adding cool micro-interactions without months of dev cycles—you can get innovations out the door before competitors catch on. Hydrogen’s all-in-one approach cuts down the chaos usually associated with custom setups.
6. Scalability
When traffic surges, your site can’t afford to choke. Before Hydrogen, developers had to piece together hosting, caching layers, and solutions for global CDNs to keep pages loading fast under heavy loads. Shopify’s new approach, coupling Hydrogen with Oxygen for hosting, makes scaling smoother. Oxygen boasts over 100 server locations worldwide, so your store remains fast whether your audience is local or global. Getting a site to run quickly at low traffic isn’t hard. The real test is peak load, like during a flash sale or holiday season. If your infrastructure can’t handle it, you can kiss those potential sales goodbye. Hydrogen and Oxygen streamline the back end so you can handle bigger crowds without sending your dev team into panic mode.
Shopify Hydrogen has upped the game for online retailers craving lightning-fast speeds and limitless customisation. By splitting your Shopify store’s front end from the back end, Hydrogen morphs plain old storefronts into modern, fully tailored shopping experiences. Below, we’ll dive into why Hydrogen is shaping the future of headless commerce—from site performance perks to unrivalled design flexibility.
1. Site performance optimisation
If your site loads at a snail’s pace, you are waving goodbye to potential customers before they even see your products. The headless approach with Hydrogen separates the front end from the Shopify back end, which means less bloat and more speed. The result? Your page load times can shrink from seconds to milliseconds, upping your store’s Core Web Vitals and delivering that “blink-and-it’s-there” experience customers now expect.
2. SEO advantages
Most default Shopify URLs aren’t exactly SEO-friendly—lines like “/collections” or “/products” can feel generic. But with Hydrogen’s headless setup, you gain full control of your URL structures. You can craft more descriptive and keyword-rich URLs, which search engines love. Also, everything from meta descriptions to Open Graph images can be dynamically generated, so you can adjust on the fly for seasonal pushes or new product launches.
3. Freedom and flexibility
Traditional Shopify themes can feel like a pair of off-the-shelf jeans—okay fit for most people, but not a perfect match for everyone. With Hydrogen, you’re free to create the exact UX/UI you envision. Whether you’re just pulling in data from Shopify or hooking up to a third-party CMS, the design possibilities are endless. A unique store experience sets you apart in a crowded market. And Hydrogen’s drag-and-drop tools, starter templates, and user-friendly blocks ensure that you don’t need a PhD in code to start experimenting. When you want to revamp your site’s look, you can do so without messing with the back-end logic, because the front end is truly independent.
4. Personalised commerce experience
One-size-fits-all marketing is old news, especially when data reveals different segments of your audience wanting completely distinct things. Hydrogen’s headless approach, combined with a dedicated content management setup, lets you curate experiences for each shopper. Show different banners, highlight custom product selections, and swap out content based on browsing history, all while maintaining a zippy load time. Customers respond to relevance. If your store can suggest the right product at the right moment—without feeling creepy or taking forever to load—you are not just increasing average order value, you are building brand loyalty.
5. Faster frontend development
Developers who’ve worked on standard Shopify themes often complain about a lack of freedom or unwieldy Liquid code. Hydrogen, on the other hand, uses React and comes stacked with pre-built design patterns—so building a high-quality storefront feels more like a sprint than a marathon. You won’t have to juggle five different integrations for a custom front end, because Hydrogen handles much of the heavy lifting. Time is money, literally. If your dev team can iterate faster—launching landing pages, testing new flows, or adding cool micro-interactions without months of dev cycles—you can get innovations out the door before competitors catch on. Hydrogen’s all-in-one approach cuts down the chaos usually associated with custom setups.
6. Scalability
When traffic surges, your site can’t afford to choke. Before Hydrogen, developers had to piece together hosting, caching layers, and solutions for global CDNs to keep pages loading fast under heavy loads. Shopify’s new approach, coupling Hydrogen with Oxygen for hosting, makes scaling smoother. Oxygen boasts over 100 server locations worldwide, so your store remains fast whether your audience is local or global. Getting a site to run quickly at low traffic isn’t hard. The real test is peak load, like during a flash sale or holiday season. If your infrastructure can’t handle it, you can kiss those potential sales goodbye. Hydrogen and Oxygen streamline the back end so you can handle bigger crowds without sending your dev team into panic mode.
What are the limitations of Hydrogen in Shopify?
Shopify Hydrogen might be a game-changer for headless commerce, but let’s be real—it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. While it delivers impressive flexibility and performance benefits, some challenges could derail the headless dream for certain businesses. Below, we’ll unpack the main issues that might trip you up if you’re considering a Hydrogen-based storefront.
Requires technical know-how
Hydrogen is primarily geared toward developers, not casual store owners. If you’re used to the plug-and-play ease of standard Shopify themes, you might find Hydrogen’s technical demands a bit intimidating. Traditional Shopify lets you do a quick theme tweak with zero coding know-how; in a headless setup, you’ll probably need at least one developer on speed dial. If you are running a small business with limited resources, or if your marketing team regularly handles site updates themselves, you’ll likely hit a wall. Without a code-savvy crew to maintain and modify the headless front end, you could spend more time and budget than you’re prepared for.
No built-in store preview
In conventional Shopify (think Liquid themes), there’s a real-time store preview that’s super handy for non-dev folks. Hydrogen lacks this out-of-the-box functionality, so if you want a preview system, you’ll need to build or configure a separate solution. That means your marketing manager can’t just go in and eyeball how that new page design looks before hitting “publish.” Not everyone wants to rely on Git commits or dev environments just to see how a color change or new banner layout appears live. For teams that need quick approvals—or want to experiment with micro-adjustments—it can feel like being stuck in slow motion.
Limited app support
If you’ve been comfortable using Shopify’s enormous app ecosystem for features like upsells, reviews, or loyalty programs, you might feel a bit restricted with Hydrogen. Because it’s still maturing, Hydrogen doesn’t yet offer the same breadth of app integrations. Implementing your favorite functionalities might involve writing custom middleware or more advanced code. While a typical Liquid-based Shopify store can just install an app with a couple of clicks, you might need to re-code or adapt that feature in a headless environment. If your store relies heavily on third-party apps, expect to invest time and resources into building or stitching together new solutions.
Shopify Hydrogen might be a game-changer for headless commerce, but let’s be real—it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. While it delivers impressive flexibility and performance benefits, some challenges could derail the headless dream for certain businesses. Below, we’ll unpack the main issues that might trip you up if you’re considering a Hydrogen-based storefront.
Requires technical know-how
Hydrogen is primarily geared toward developers, not casual store owners. If you’re used to the plug-and-play ease of standard Shopify themes, you might find Hydrogen’s technical demands a bit intimidating. Traditional Shopify lets you do a quick theme tweak with zero coding know-how; in a headless setup, you’ll probably need at least one developer on speed dial. If you are running a small business with limited resources, or if your marketing team regularly handles site updates themselves, you’ll likely hit a wall. Without a code-savvy crew to maintain and modify the headless front end, you could spend more time and budget than you’re prepared for.
No built-in store preview
In conventional Shopify (think Liquid themes), there’s a real-time store preview that’s super handy for non-dev folks. Hydrogen lacks this out-of-the-box functionality, so if you want a preview system, you’ll need to build or configure a separate solution. That means your marketing manager can’t just go in and eyeball how that new page design looks before hitting “publish.” Not everyone wants to rely on Git commits or dev environments just to see how a color change or new banner layout appears live. For teams that need quick approvals—or want to experiment with micro-adjustments—it can feel like being stuck in slow motion.
Limited app support
If you’ve been comfortable using Shopify’s enormous app ecosystem for features like upsells, reviews, or loyalty programs, you might feel a bit restricted with Hydrogen. Because it’s still maturing, Hydrogen doesn’t yet offer the same breadth of app integrations. Implementing your favorite functionalities might involve writing custom middleware or more advanced code. While a typical Liquid-based Shopify store can just install an app with a couple of clicks, you might need to re-code or adapt that feature in a headless environment. If your store relies heavily on third-party apps, expect to invest time and resources into building or stitching together new solutions.
From Hydrogen to Remix
Hydrogen and Oxygen, Shopify’s brainchildren for headless commerce, have already pushed boundaries. They promised a faster, more modular approach to online retail—and to be fair, they’ve delivered a good chunk of what they boasted. But there’s a twist: Hydrogen isn’t set in stone. It’s evolving quickly and, in the process, demands a fair bit of technical finesse to keep pace.
Recently, Shopify introduced Hydrogen 2, a version based on the Remix framework. Remix also relies on React, but it specializes in web standards and out-of-the-box web functionalities, making it a strong contender for modern eCommerce. With the pivot to Remix, Hydrogen’s long-term outlook feels more solid, yet it still carries a learning curve that might dissuade teams without robust dev firepower.
Hydrogen’s community support is still ramping up. If your developers get stuck, there’s less public wisdom (Stack Overflow posts, GitHub libraries) to lean on compared to more established frameworks.
The Remix-based approach is likely the path forward. For many, that’s a plus—a more mature foundation can lead to fewer headaches over time.
Headless commerce, in general, isn’t for the faint of heart. Hydrogen just happens to make it more Shopify-friendly.
Hydrogen and Oxygen, Shopify’s brainchildren for headless commerce, have already pushed boundaries. They promised a faster, more modular approach to online retail—and to be fair, they’ve delivered a good chunk of what they boasted. But there’s a twist: Hydrogen isn’t set in stone. It’s evolving quickly and, in the process, demands a fair bit of technical finesse to keep pace.
Recently, Shopify introduced Hydrogen 2, a version based on the Remix framework. Remix also relies on React, but it specializes in web standards and out-of-the-box web functionalities, making it a strong contender for modern eCommerce. With the pivot to Remix, Hydrogen’s long-term outlook feels more solid, yet it still carries a learning curve that might dissuade teams without robust dev firepower.
Hydrogen’s community support is still ramping up. If your developers get stuck, there’s less public wisdom (Stack Overflow posts, GitHub libraries) to lean on compared to more established frameworks.
The Remix-based approach is likely the path forward. For many, that’s a plus—a more mature foundation can lead to fewer headaches over time.
Headless commerce, in general, isn’t for the faint of heart. Hydrogen just happens to make it more Shopify-friendly.
Who should use Shopify Hydrogen?
So, you are eyeing a headless commerce setup and wondering if Hydrogen is the way to go. The short answer: It’s awesome if you have the dev chops or if you’re already comfortable with how headless works. You’ll unlock advanced design freedom, improved page performance, and the kind of customization that can wow customers. But if your brand is small-scale or you don’t have a dedicated tech team? Let’s just say you might be in for a steep uphill battle.
Design-driven brands after unique UX: If your mission is to stand out visually and functionally, Hydrogen gives you the runway to do it. You’re not chained to a one-size-fits-all theme; your team can sculpt the storefront exactly how you like.
Medium to large brands: Enterprises or mid-tier companies often have both the budget and the team to handle ongoing maintenance. For them, the performance and customization perks can justify the complexity.
SEO and page speed enthusiasts: Tired of Google’s Core Web Vitals dings? Hydrogen’s speed can help. Plus, more direct control over URLs and metadata means you can fine-tune your SEO strategy.
Complex international needs: If you are running multiple stores for different regions and languages, the flexibility of a headless setup might solve the headaches typical of going global.
Omnichannel Aspirations: Thinking beyond just a web store—maybe an in-store kiosk app or a fancy mobile experience? Hydrogen’s headless framework can adapt to multiple front-end channels.
Who might want to steer clear?
Less technical businesses: If you rely on the typical Shopify editor for day-to-day changes, the complexities of headless might slow you down.
Organisations without dev resources: Hydrogen isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it approach. You’ll need someone who understands code, frameworks, and continuous upkeep.
Brands already feeling burned by limited support: If you are on Shopify Plus and didn’t find the help you needed, going deeper into uncharted territory may not be the wisest move—at least not yet.
So, you are eyeing a headless commerce setup and wondering if Hydrogen is the way to go. The short answer: It’s awesome if you have the dev chops or if you’re already comfortable with how headless works. You’ll unlock advanced design freedom, improved page performance, and the kind of customization that can wow customers. But if your brand is small-scale or you don’t have a dedicated tech team? Let’s just say you might be in for a steep uphill battle.
Design-driven brands after unique UX: If your mission is to stand out visually and functionally, Hydrogen gives you the runway to do it. You’re not chained to a one-size-fits-all theme; your team can sculpt the storefront exactly how you like.
Medium to large brands: Enterprises or mid-tier companies often have both the budget and the team to handle ongoing maintenance. For them, the performance and customization perks can justify the complexity.
SEO and page speed enthusiasts: Tired of Google’s Core Web Vitals dings? Hydrogen’s speed can help. Plus, more direct control over URLs and metadata means you can fine-tune your SEO strategy.
Complex international needs: If you are running multiple stores for different regions and languages, the flexibility of a headless setup might solve the headaches typical of going global.
Omnichannel Aspirations: Thinking beyond just a web store—maybe an in-store kiosk app or a fancy mobile experience? Hydrogen’s headless framework can adapt to multiple front-end channels.
Who might want to steer clear?
Less technical businesses: If you rely on the typical Shopify editor for day-to-day changes, the complexities of headless might slow you down.
Organisations without dev resources: Hydrogen isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it approach. You’ll need someone who understands code, frameworks, and continuous upkeep.
Brands already feeling burned by limited support: If you are on Shopify Plus and didn’t find the help you needed, going deeper into uncharted territory may not be the wisest move—at least not yet.
Who is using Shopify Hydrogen?
Shopify Hydrogen might still be carving out its niche, but a handful of forward-thinking brands have already jumped on board, showing just how far you can stretch the platform. Here are some standout examples of companies adopting Hydrogen’s headless approach and the real-world impact it’s having on their store and overall brand presence.
Allbirds
Allbirds, which is well-known for eco-friendly shoes and apparel, has long adopted D2C e-commerce to stay close to its environmentally conscious audience. By transitioning to Shopify Hydrogen, the brand reinforced its commitment to offering a frictionless online experience. It also ensures its offline presence remains neatly integrated. The store locator feature is a case in point: Allbirds managed to whip it up in just over three weeks, proving that speed and design flair can happily coexist in a headless framework.
Allbirds needed a site that could easily localise content for various regions, yet still feel unified under one brand ethos. Hydrogen made that juggling act straightforward, allowing them to swap or adapt content for different markets without sacrificing website performance. The takeaway? For brands that crave consistency across multiple channels—from brick-and-mortar to mobile—Hydrogen’s flexible setup is a big win.
Kamp Grizzly
Kamp Grizzly, an independent agency, wanted a site that could mesh immersive storytelling with a seamless shopping experience. They turned to Shopify Hydrogen and Oxygen to merge visual artistry with strong performance metrics. The result is a site featuring a captivating homepage collage, an eye-catching grid on product landing pages, and a “museum exhibit” feel for product detail layouts.
Hydrogen’s React-based architecture empowered Kamp Grizzly’s designers to rapidly make changes during development, like switching up the homepage structure or fine-tuning a dynamic gallery, without slogging through extra overhead. The combination of Hydrogen (front end) and Oxygen (hosting) proved that performance doesn’t have to take a back seat when you’re focusing on aesthetic wow factor. If your brand banks on visuals to stand out, Kamp Grizzly’s approach is a solid template.
Fashiontofigure
Fashiontofigure exemplifies how Shopify Hydrogen can push a straightforward fashion store beyond the standard. Specialising in plus-size fashion and accessories, they tapped into headless commerce to offer multiple shopping options: customers can outright buy products or rent them for a flat monthly fee. Despite these added complexities, the site maintains a clean, user-friendly vibe—stark proof that “sleek design” and “rich functionality” aren’t mutually exclusive.
If your brand wants to explore unconventional business models—like rentals or subscription-based services—Hydrogen’s flexibility can help integrate them smoothly into the shopping flow. Moreover, the improved loading speed underscores how critical performance is for an eCommerce store that relies on visuals and dynamic catalogues.
Goodnature
Goodnature aims to “rewrite pest control” with innovative traps that reduce invasive species—starting in the wilds of New Zealand and spreading globally. With Shopify Hydrogen, their site balances a straightforward layout (with easy-to-digest categories and subcategories) and high-quality product imagery. The result is a quick, fuss-free shopping journey, whether you’re a farmer, business owner, or homeowner in need of modern pest control solutions.
Some might assume advanced eCommerce frameworks only benefit fashion or electronics. Goodnature defies that assumption by using Hydrogen for a niche product. The speed boosts and improved structure let them handle increased traffic from curious environmentalists or large-scale agricultural clients. If your brand operates in a specialised industry, Goodnature proves that advanced tech doesn’t have to be reserved for mainstream categories.
SKIMS
SKIMS, the brand famed for shapewear and loungewear, showcases another angle of Hydrogen’s capabilities. Their site features crisp, high-quality images, consistent branding, and all the important product details—like size charts and fabric breakdowns—for customers making personal sizing decisions. Despite the extensive product line, SKIMS manages to keep page loads fast and ensure a breezy browsing experience.
When your product line is huge, or you rely on detailed product pages (fabric details, multiple colorways, etc.), any delay can deter potential buyers. SKIMS leans on Hydrogen to maintain performance and interactivity. While the brand sees room for further UX tweaks, it’s a testament that even large, visually driven sites can stay snappy under the right framework.
Shopify Hydrogen might still be carving out its niche, but a handful of forward-thinking brands have already jumped on board, showing just how far you can stretch the platform. Here are some standout examples of companies adopting Hydrogen’s headless approach and the real-world impact it’s having on their store and overall brand presence.
Allbirds
Allbirds, which is well-known for eco-friendly shoes and apparel, has long adopted D2C e-commerce to stay close to its environmentally conscious audience. By transitioning to Shopify Hydrogen, the brand reinforced its commitment to offering a frictionless online experience. It also ensures its offline presence remains neatly integrated. The store locator feature is a case in point: Allbirds managed to whip it up in just over three weeks, proving that speed and design flair can happily coexist in a headless framework.
Allbirds needed a site that could easily localise content for various regions, yet still feel unified under one brand ethos. Hydrogen made that juggling act straightforward, allowing them to swap or adapt content for different markets without sacrificing website performance. The takeaway? For brands that crave consistency across multiple channels—from brick-and-mortar to mobile—Hydrogen’s flexible setup is a big win.
Kamp Grizzly
Kamp Grizzly, an independent agency, wanted a site that could mesh immersive storytelling with a seamless shopping experience. They turned to Shopify Hydrogen and Oxygen to merge visual artistry with strong performance metrics. The result is a site featuring a captivating homepage collage, an eye-catching grid on product landing pages, and a “museum exhibit” feel for product detail layouts.
Hydrogen’s React-based architecture empowered Kamp Grizzly’s designers to rapidly make changes during development, like switching up the homepage structure or fine-tuning a dynamic gallery, without slogging through extra overhead. The combination of Hydrogen (front end) and Oxygen (hosting) proved that performance doesn’t have to take a back seat when you’re focusing on aesthetic wow factor. If your brand banks on visuals to stand out, Kamp Grizzly’s approach is a solid template.
Fashiontofigure
Fashiontofigure exemplifies how Shopify Hydrogen can push a straightforward fashion store beyond the standard. Specialising in plus-size fashion and accessories, they tapped into headless commerce to offer multiple shopping options: customers can outright buy products or rent them for a flat monthly fee. Despite these added complexities, the site maintains a clean, user-friendly vibe—stark proof that “sleek design” and “rich functionality” aren’t mutually exclusive.
If your brand wants to explore unconventional business models—like rentals or subscription-based services—Hydrogen’s flexibility can help integrate them smoothly into the shopping flow. Moreover, the improved loading speed underscores how critical performance is for an eCommerce store that relies on visuals and dynamic catalogues.
Goodnature
Goodnature aims to “rewrite pest control” with innovative traps that reduce invasive species—starting in the wilds of New Zealand and spreading globally. With Shopify Hydrogen, their site balances a straightforward layout (with easy-to-digest categories and subcategories) and high-quality product imagery. The result is a quick, fuss-free shopping journey, whether you’re a farmer, business owner, or homeowner in need of modern pest control solutions.
Some might assume advanced eCommerce frameworks only benefit fashion or electronics. Goodnature defies that assumption by using Hydrogen for a niche product. The speed boosts and improved structure let them handle increased traffic from curious environmentalists or large-scale agricultural clients. If your brand operates in a specialised industry, Goodnature proves that advanced tech doesn’t have to be reserved for mainstream categories.
SKIMS
SKIMS, the brand famed for shapewear and loungewear, showcases another angle of Hydrogen’s capabilities. Their site features crisp, high-quality images, consistent branding, and all the important product details—like size charts and fabric breakdowns—for customers making personal sizing decisions. Despite the extensive product line, SKIMS manages to keep page loads fast and ensure a breezy browsing experience.
When your product line is huge, or you rely on detailed product pages (fabric details, multiple colorways, etc.), any delay can deter potential buyers. SKIMS leans on Hydrogen to maintain performance and interactivity. While the brand sees room for further UX tweaks, it’s a testament that even large, visually driven sites can stay snappy under the right framework.
Will Hydrogen replace Liquid Shopify?
One of the biggest questions swirling around Shopify these days is whether Hydrogen will eventually outshine or outright replace Liquid. While both are integral to how Shopify stores function, they serve distinctly different purposes. Below, we’ll break down what each of these does, why they matter, and whether we’re heading toward a full-on takeover by Hydrogen—or if Liquid will still hold its ground.
Shopify Liquid
Liquid is Shopify’s tried-and-true template language. Think of it as a relatively straightforward way to inject data from your Shopify store—like product names, prices, or images—into HTML templates. If you’re using a traditional Shopify theme, you’re almost certainly dabbling in Liquid, whether you realize it or not.
Pros
Easy setup: You can spin up a decent-looking store without deep coding knowledge.
Decent customisation: Liquid gives you enough tools to personalize your theme while staying within a structured approach.
Broad adoption: Since it’s the backbone of most Shopify themes, there’s a lot of community help available.
Limitations
Less flexibility: Complex customizations can turn into a tangle of Liquid tags and partials.
Performance constraints: While Liquid can handle most eCommerce needs, large-scale stores or heavy personalization can see performance slowdowns.
Time-consuming: Adding intricate features means more Liquid-based logic, which can get unwieldy.
Shopify Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a React-based framework specially designed for building headless storefronts on Shopify. By decoupling the front end from Shopify’s back end, you can create a more dynamic, personalized user experience—akin to building a custom app on top of Shopify’s infrastructure.
Pros
Unlimited customisation: Tweak the front end any way you’d like, no matter how unconventional your design aspirations are.
High performance: Hydrogen is geared toward advanced site speed and can easily integrate with third-party services through APIs.
Modern tech stack: React is a powerhouse for building rich, interactive applications, making your store feel less like a static site and more like a polished web app.
Limitations
Technical overhead: If you’re not comfortable in React or headless architecture, the learning curve can be steep.
Still evolving: Hydrogen is relatively new and changing quickly, so expect a bit of trial and error or the need for advanced dev skills to handle updates.
Less plug-and-play: Unlike Liquid, which can tap into the massive Shopify theme ecosystem, Hydrogen-based stores might require more custom coding to achieve certain features.
Hydrogen is, in many ways, Shopify’s “next-gen” solution for storefront development. With its robust customization and performance edge, there’s a case to be made that it could become the new standard—especially for larger brands aiming for unique digital experiences or ambitious marketing campaigns that push beyond typical Shopify themes.
One of the biggest questions swirling around Shopify these days is whether Hydrogen will eventually outshine or outright replace Liquid. While both are integral to how Shopify stores function, they serve distinctly different purposes. Below, we’ll break down what each of these does, why they matter, and whether we’re heading toward a full-on takeover by Hydrogen—or if Liquid will still hold its ground.
Shopify Liquid
Liquid is Shopify’s tried-and-true template language. Think of it as a relatively straightforward way to inject data from your Shopify store—like product names, prices, or images—into HTML templates. If you’re using a traditional Shopify theme, you’re almost certainly dabbling in Liquid, whether you realize it or not.
Pros
Easy setup: You can spin up a decent-looking store without deep coding knowledge.
Decent customisation: Liquid gives you enough tools to personalize your theme while staying within a structured approach.
Broad adoption: Since it’s the backbone of most Shopify themes, there’s a lot of community help available.
Limitations
Less flexibility: Complex customizations can turn into a tangle of Liquid tags and partials.
Performance constraints: While Liquid can handle most eCommerce needs, large-scale stores or heavy personalization can see performance slowdowns.
Time-consuming: Adding intricate features means more Liquid-based logic, which can get unwieldy.
Shopify Hydrogen
Hydrogen is a React-based framework specially designed for building headless storefronts on Shopify. By decoupling the front end from Shopify’s back end, you can create a more dynamic, personalized user experience—akin to building a custom app on top of Shopify’s infrastructure.
Pros
Unlimited customisation: Tweak the front end any way you’d like, no matter how unconventional your design aspirations are.
High performance: Hydrogen is geared toward advanced site speed and can easily integrate with third-party services through APIs.
Modern tech stack: React is a powerhouse for building rich, interactive applications, making your store feel less like a static site and more like a polished web app.
Limitations
Technical overhead: If you’re not comfortable in React or headless architecture, the learning curve can be steep.
Still evolving: Hydrogen is relatively new and changing quickly, so expect a bit of trial and error or the need for advanced dev skills to handle updates.
Less plug-and-play: Unlike Liquid, which can tap into the massive Shopify theme ecosystem, Hydrogen-based stores might require more custom coding to achieve certain features.
Hydrogen is, in many ways, Shopify’s “next-gen” solution for storefront development. With its robust customization and performance edge, there’s a case to be made that it could become the new standard—especially for larger brands aiming for unique digital experiences or ambitious marketing campaigns that push beyond typical Shopify themes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shopify Oxygen?
Shopify Oxygen is a hosting service offered by Shopify, designed to simplify running Hydrogen-powered storefronts on Shopify’s own servers. In the old days, you might’ve had to mess with third-party hosting providers, juggling compatibility issues and extra fees. Oxygen cuts that nonsense out of the equation by letting you handle everything in one place—on Shopify’s infrastructure—complete with reliable performance and built-in support. No more worrying about your hosting environment randomly tanking or needing a separate customer support line when stuff goes sideways.
Do you need Shopify Plus for Hydrogen?
Not necessarily. Hydrogen is an open-source React framework available to any Shopify user, regardless of plan. You can build headless commerce experiences even if you’re not on Shopify Plus. However, to use Shopify Oxygen (which is the official hosting for Hydrogen), you’ll need a Shopify Plus subscription. Essentially, Oxygen’s complementary hosting perk is reserved for Plus customers. But if you’re fine hosting your Hydrogen storefront elsewhere, you don’t need Shopify Plus to get started.
How much does Shopify Hydrogen cost?
Hydrogen itself is free—it’s an open-source framework. Oxygen, Shopify’s hosting service, is also available at no added cost if you’re a Shopify Plus merchant. Of course, being on Shopify Plus involves a monthly subscription fee, so that’s where the cost factor comes in. If you’re integrating additional third-party services—like advanced APIs, fancy analytics, or specialized marketing tools—those will come with their own price tags. But in terms of the core “Hydrogen + Oxygen” combo from Shopify, there’s no direct extra fee beyond what you already pay for your Plus plan.
Wrapping Up
Shopify Hydrogen is making waves in headless commerce, offering a quicker, more creative way to build online stores—particularly for tech-savvy brands. Its success hinges on factors like developer experience and each brand’s unique requirements, but the potential is there to shape the next generation of e-commerce.
If you are excited by the idea of blazing-fast sites, refined user experiences, and flexible setups, Shopify Hydrogen could be well worth exploring. Keep an eye on the framework as it evolves—especially with the leap to Remix—because it just might become a cornerstone of modern online retail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shopify Oxygen?
Shopify Oxygen is a hosting service offered by Shopify, designed to simplify running Hydrogen-powered storefronts on Shopify’s own servers. In the old days, you might’ve had to mess with third-party hosting providers, juggling compatibility issues and extra fees. Oxygen cuts that nonsense out of the equation by letting you handle everything in one place—on Shopify’s infrastructure—complete with reliable performance and built-in support. No more worrying about your hosting environment randomly tanking or needing a separate customer support line when stuff goes sideways.
Do you need Shopify Plus for Hydrogen?
Not necessarily. Hydrogen is an open-source React framework available to any Shopify user, regardless of plan. You can build headless commerce experiences even if you’re not on Shopify Plus. However, to use Shopify Oxygen (which is the official hosting for Hydrogen), you’ll need a Shopify Plus subscription. Essentially, Oxygen’s complementary hosting perk is reserved for Plus customers. But if you’re fine hosting your Hydrogen storefront elsewhere, you don’t need Shopify Plus to get started.
How much does Shopify Hydrogen cost?
Hydrogen itself is free—it’s an open-source framework. Oxygen, Shopify’s hosting service, is also available at no added cost if you’re a Shopify Plus merchant. Of course, being on Shopify Plus involves a monthly subscription fee, so that’s where the cost factor comes in. If you’re integrating additional third-party services—like advanced APIs, fancy analytics, or specialized marketing tools—those will come with their own price tags. But in terms of the core “Hydrogen + Oxygen” combo from Shopify, there’s no direct extra fee beyond what you already pay for your Plus plan.
Wrapping Up
Shopify Hydrogen is making waves in headless commerce, offering a quicker, more creative way to build online stores—particularly for tech-savvy brands. Its success hinges on factors like developer experience and each brand’s unique requirements, but the potential is there to shape the next generation of e-commerce.
If you are excited by the idea of blazing-fast sites, refined user experiences, and flexible setups, Shopify Hydrogen could be well worth exploring. Keep an eye on the framework as it evolves—especially with the leap to Remix—because it just might become a cornerstone of modern online retail.
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Work with us
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work@for.co
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We’re remote-first — with strategic global hubs
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Click to copy
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Click to copy
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