shopify-admin-api

Shopify Admin API

Overview

The Shopify Admin API gives apps full access to a merchant's store data — products, variants, orders, customers, inventory, metafields, and more. It is available in both GraphQL (recommended) and REST flavors, with GraphQL offering precise field selection, bulk operations, and better rate limiting via the calculated cost system. Use the @shopify/shopify-api Node.js library or direct HTTP calls with an Admin API access token.

When to Use This Skill

• When reading or writing product catalog data (titles, variants, pricing, images, inventory)
• When fulfilling or updating orders programmatically from an external system
• When syncing customer records between Shopify and a CRM or ERP
• When running bulk data exports or imports using Bulk Operations
• When building an internal tool that needs merchant store access via a Custom App token
• When automating inventory adjustments from a warehouse management system

Core Instructions

1. Obtain an Admin API access token

   For a custom app (single store), create it in Admin → Settings → Apps and Sales Channels → Develop apps. For a public/partner app, the token is obtained after OAuth (see @shopify-app-development).

   # .env
   SHOPIFY_ADMIN_API_TOKEN=shpat_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   SHOPIFY_SHOP=mystore.myshopify.com
   SHOPIFY_API_VERSION=2025-01
   

2. Initialize the Admin API client

   // lib/shopify-admin.ts
   import { shopifyApi, ApiVersion, Session } from "@shopify/shopify-api";
   import "@shopify/shopify-api/adapters/node";
   
   const shopify = shopifyApi({
     apiKey: process.env.SHOPIFY_API_KEY!,
     apiSecretKey: process.env.SHOPIFY_API_SECRET!,
     scopes: ["read_products", "write_products", "read_orders", "write_orders"],
     hostName: process.env.SHOPIFY_APP_URL!,
     apiVersion: ApiVersion.January25,
     isEmbeddedApp: false, // true for merchant-facing embedded apps
   });
   
   // For custom apps with a static token
   const session = new Session({
     id: `offline_${process.env.SHOPIFY_SHOP}`,
     shop: process.env.SHOPIFY_SHOP!,
     state: "",
     isOnline: false,
     accessToken: process.env.SHOPIFY_ADMIN_API_TOKEN,
   });
   
   export const adminClient = new shopify.clients.Graphql({ session });
   export const restClient = new shopify.clients.Rest({ session });