How to Use the Shopify CLI to Build Shopify Apps

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Shopify CLI and what can it do for app developers?

  Shopify CLI is a command line interface tool that helps developers scaffold, build, and deploy Shopify apps faster by automating repetitive setup tasks.
  
  Rather than configuring everything by hand, the Shopify CLI lets you generate a working app structure in minutes, choosing your preferred backend language such as Node.js or Ruby on Rails. It handles tunneling via ngrok so your local app is immediately accessible over HTTPS, which is required for Shopify authentication. You can also populate a development store with test products, customers, and draft orders to validate your app before going live. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and uses open-source tools so no escalating privileges are required.
• How do I set up and use Shopify CLI to start building a Shopify app?

  To use the Shopify CLI for app development, install it via your computer's command line, run shopify create to scaffold a new project, then use shopify serve to start a local development server with a live ngrok tunnel.
  
  During project creation you will be prompted for your Shopify Partner organization details and your preferred stack. Node.js with a React frontend and Ruby on Rails are the two supported options. Once the server is running, your app is accessible via a secure HTTPS port. From there you can use commands like shopify populate to add test data, shopify generate to create new pages or webhooks, and shopify deploy to push your app to Heroku when you are ready to go live.
• What are the key Shopify CLI commands every app developer should know?

  The most important Shopify CLI commands are create, serve, populate, generate, deploy, connect, and tunnel, each handling a distinct stage of the app development workflow.
  
  Here is what each one does:

  • shopify create: scaffolds a new Node or Rails app and registers it in your Partner Dashboard
  • shopify serve: starts your local server and opens an ngrok tunnel for HTTPS access
  • shopify populate: fills your dev store with sample customers, products, or draft orders for testing
  • shopify generate: adds billing API calls, new pages, or webhooks to an existing project
  • shopify deploy: pushes your app to Heroku for external hosting
  • shopify connect: links an existing project back to a Partner org or store
• Why did Shopify choose Ruby for the Shopify CLI instead of Node or Go?

  Shopify built the CLI in Ruby because it is more approachable than Go, avoids the path and installation complexity of Node-based tooling, and aligns with the internal frameworks their own engineering teams already use.
  
  Go would have made it harder for Shopify Partners to contribute to the open-source project over time. Node has useful CLI libraries like yargs and ink, but managing dependencies and environment paths creates friction for developers who are new to the platform. Ruby allowed Shopify to reuse their existing CLI-kit framework and CLI-UI pattern library, keeping the tool consistent with their internal development practices while keeping the barrier to entry low for external contributors.
• How does Shopify CLI compare to building Shopify apps manually without a CLI tool?

  Using the Shopify CLI to build apps is significantly faster than manual setup because it automates scaffolding, tunnel configuration, and test data creation in a single workflow.
  
  Without a command line interface tool, developers must manually configure authentication, set up HTTPS tunneling, register the app in the Partner Dashboard, and write boilerplate code from scratch. The Shopify CLI handles all of that in a few commands. It also reduces the risk of configuration errors that slow down early development cycles. For SaaS founders and development teams who want to ship a Shopify app quickly, the CLI shortens the setup stage from hours to minutes and keeps the focus on building the actual product logic rather than infrastructure.
• How can SaaS founders track revenue from a Shopify app after it goes live?

  Once your Shopify app is live and generating subscription revenue, you need a dedicated analytics platform to track MRR, churn, LTV, and trial-to-paid conversion in real time.
  
  The Shopify CLI helps you build and deploy the app, but it does not give you visibility into how that app is performing as a subscription business. That is where Baremetrics comes in. By connecting your payment processor, you get real-time dashboards showing new MRR, expansion MRR, contraction, and churned revenue broken out cleanly. You can also use Baremetrics Recover to automatically retry failed payments and reduce involuntary churn, which is one of the most common revenue leaks for early-stage subscription apps.
• How can I benchmark my Shopify app's subscription metrics against other SaaS companies?

  You can benchmark your churn rate, MRR growth, and LTV against comparable SaaS companies using Baremetrics Open Benchmarks, which aggregates anonymised data from hundreds of subscription businesses.
  
  Once you have deployed your Shopify app and are collecting subscription revenue, knowing whether your numbers are strong or lagging behind similar products is critical for making pricing and retention decisions. Baremetrics surfaces benchmark data so you can compare your churn rate, average revenue per account, and trial conversion rate against businesses at a similar MRR stage. Rather than guessing whether a 5% monthly churn rate is acceptable, you can see exactly where you stand relative to your peer group and prioritise the metrics that need the most attention.