What is headless Shopify?

Headless Shopify means decoupling the storefront (what customers see) from Shopify's back-end (products, cart, checkout). The front-end is built separately – usually with Hydrogen or a framework like Next.js – and pulls data from Shopify through the Storefront API. It gives you total control over the front-end experience and performance, while Shopify still powers commerce behind the scenes.

What are Hydrogen and Oxygen?

Hydrogen is Shopify's React-based framework for building headless storefronts, and Oxygen is Shopify's hosting platform built to deploy them globally at the edge. Together they're Shopify's official, optimised stack for going headless – and what we most often build on.

Should my brand go headless?

Not every brand should. Headless makes sense when you need maximum performance, a highly custom front-end, content from multiple sources, or experiences a Liquid theme can't deliver. For many stores a well-built Liquid theme is faster to ship and easier to maintain – and we'll tell you honestly which camp you're in before you commit.

Is headless Shopify faster?

It can be significantly faster when built well – edge rendering, granular control over what loads and modern front-end techniques can deliver excellent Core Web Vitals. But headless isn't automatically faster; a poorly built headless site can be slower than a good theme. The performance comes from how it's built.

Can I still use the Shopify admin with a headless store?

Yes. Your team still manages products, orders, customers and inventory in the familiar Shopify admin. Headless only changes how the storefront is built and served – the commerce back-end and admin stay exactly as you know them.

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Headless & Hydrogen

Headless & Hydrogen

Headless Shopify Development on Hydrogen & Oxygen

Decoupled Shopify storefronts on Hydrogen and Oxygen, with full control over the front-end and edge-fast performance.

Discuss a headless build

Book a strategy call

5.0

Based on 35 reviews

300+

Shopify stores built

100%

Job Success Score

Certified

Shopify Partner

Brands we've designed for

What is headless?

Your front-end, unchained from the theme

Headless splits your storefront from Shopify's back-end. Customers see a custom front-end built on Hydrogen or Next.js, while Shopify still runs products, cart, checkout and the admin you know. The payoff is full design freedom and a speed a Liquid theme simply can't reach.

See if headless fits

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Storefront API

An honest take

We'll tell you if headless isn't right for you

Done for the wrong reasons, headless adds cost and complexity for little gain. Done for the right ones, it's transformative. Here's how to tell which side you're on.

Using Headless

You need performance beyond what even a well-optimised theme delivers.

You want a highly custom or interactive front-end a theme can't support.

You're pulling content from multiple sources like a CMS, PIM or several back-ends.

You're at real scale, where front-end speed and flexibility move serious revenue.

You have the resources to invest in and maintain a more advanced setup.

Using the Theme

A well-built Liquid theme already hits your performance targets.

You want the fastest, most cost-effective route to launch.

Your team relies on the standard Shopify theme editor and app ecosystem.

Your needs are well served by what Online Store 2.0 already offers.

You'd rather not take on the extra complexity headless brings.

Not sure which you are?

Tell us your goals and we'll give you a straight answer, even if it's "you don't need headless."

Tell us your goals

Why Teplin

A headless partner who builds it right

Headless rewards good engineering and punishes bad. We've got the Shopify depth and front-end expertise to make sure you get the upside, not the headaches.

Creating Value

01/05

Hydrogen & Oxygen native

We build on Shopify's own headless stack, with Hydrogen for the framework and Oxygen for global edge hosting, so you get the most optimised, best-supported path to headless.

02/05

Performance done properly

Headless is only fast if it's built well. We use edge rendering, smart data loading and modern front-end techniques to hit the speed headless promises.

03/05

Deep Shopify expertise

Plenty of devs can build a React front-end. Far fewer truly understand Shopify's commerce model. We bring both, with 11 years of Shopify plus modern front-end engineering.

04/05

Your admin stays familiar

Going headless doesn't change how your team works. They still manage products, orders and content in the Shopify admin they already know. Only the storefront changes.

05/05

Built to maintain

Headless can become a maintenance burden in the wrong hands. We build clean, documented, well-architected front-ends that your team, or ours on retainer, can sustain.

Wondering if headless is worth it?

We'll assess your case honestly and tell you if the gains justify the move.

Get an honest assessment

What's included

Everything in our headless service

From deciding whether headless is right through to a deployed, edge-fast storefront, we handle it end-to-end.

The stack

What we build headless on

Shopify's official headless stack, plus the modern front-end tools that make it sing.

Oxygen hosting

GraphQL

Customer Account API

Storefront API

Hydrogen

React & Remix

TypeScript

Tailwind / custom CSS

Edge rendering

Next.js

Headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful)

PIM integrations

Metafields & Metaobjects

Third-party APIs

Search & merchandising

Cart & Storefront APIs

Shopify checkout

Shopify Plus & B2B

Markets & multi-currency

Subscriptions

Our process

How we deliver a headless build

A careful, staged approach, because headless has more moving parts and higher stakes.

01

Assess & plan

We confirm headless is the right call, then architect the stack, data flow and hosting around your goals.

02

Build the storefront

Custom Hydrogen (or Next.js) development in sprints, wired to Shopify and your content sources, with milestone reviews.

03

Test & optimise

Cross-device QA plus performance tuning. We validate speed, Core Web Vitals and every commerce flow before launch.

04

Deploy & maintain

Launch on Oxygen, then ongoing support as frameworks and APIs change, keeping the build fast and current.

Selected work

Performance-led builds

Brands where front-end speed and flexibility made the difference.

Headless

StoryKeeper

Headless Shopify platform for family albums, redesigned to lift album creation conversion by 48%.

+48% CVR

↓64% BR

View case study

Shopify Plus

Ovrload

Shopify redesign for a creatine gummy brand that took conversion from 2.03% to 4.6%.

4.6% CVR

+32% AOV

View case study

View all work

Build it, then grow it

Headless needs a team that keeps up

A headless storefront isn't a set-and-forget build. Frameworks update, APIs change and the front-end needs ongoing care to stay fast and current. Most headless clients keep us on a retainer as their dedicated front-end team, with full context and no ramp-up.

Explore retainer plans