Shopify has made a few changes to the oldest supported version. If you use Shopify, you need to know about these changes, particularly if you are a developer of a private app. We’ll tell you all the latest news regarding the latest version of Shopify and how it might affect your online store.
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How API Versioning Works at Shopify
Before we get into the latest changes and updates at Shopify, let’s discuss how API versioning works at Shopify.
Shopify Releases a New Version Quarterly
Around January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, Shopify releases a new version. The versions are named in the year-month format, which makes sure that it is simple to identify when the version became stable and also to compare the timelines of each version.
Apps Make Requests to a Specific API Version
Apps make requests to a specific version of the API by specifying it in the request URL. The Shopify APIs are evolving constantly. However, apps can be built on a stable version to make sure the API contract stays the same. But remember that this means that you won’t be able to access any new features released after your targeted version until you update your request URL.
Features Are Released to Merchants Continuously
In order to ship features without affecting the latest stable APIs, Shopify uses release candidates. Release candidates are the next API version and can be targeted for requests using the date (year-month) format. You will see the newest set of features that have just been released in the release candidate.
However, because it is always changing, avoid using the release candidate for your app’s general daily consumption of the API. In order to have access to the newest features and stability, Shopify recommends keeping your app’s everyday requests on a stable version and only moving specific calls that deal with newly released features to the release candidate.
Apps Not Requesting a Specific Version Are Served Oldest Supported
If you do not request a specific version of the Shopify app, you will be served the oldest supported version. This allows existing apps to continue functioning when Shopify ships versioning without having to update to the new URLs. This also applies to apps that are specifically calling versions that are no longer supported. This mechanism prevents requests from erroring out after a version switch. However, Shopify still recommends targeting recent releases.
Versions of Shopify Are Supported for One Year
Each version of Shopify is supported for one year. Shopify removes support for older versions in order to stay agile and make necessary updates for the long term. Though versions are supported for a year, it actually means that apps only have nine months to adopt the new changes and take advantage of new features.
Changes to Shopify APIs
It’s important to know about the latest version of Shopify. These changes are now in effect on Shopify APIs for both public and private apps. In order to minimize the impact on merchants, Shopify will de-list flagged apps from the Shopify App Store and block new installs. Shopify might also notify you that your app is no longer supported.
Shopify’s Latest Breaking Changes
These are the latest breaking changes introduced.
Tax Field Data
Shopify has deprecated the tax field on the Country and Province resources, so you will no longer be able to create or update them.
Include-Risk-Analysis Header
The include-risk-analysis header that provided the risks and risk analysis objects in the Order payload has been removed. However, the existence of this header was not documented previously.
Type Filter Parameter
Shopify deprecated the type field parameter on CodeDiscountQuery. Instead, use the discount_type field parameter.
Deprecated Fields in Refund RefundLineItem Objects
Shopify deprecated the following two fields on two different objects within the GraphQL Admin API:
- The restocked field on the Refund object has been deprecated. You should use RefundLienItem.restockType instead.
- The refundType field on the RefundLineItem object has been deprecated. Use RefundLienItem.restockType instead.
How to Stay on Top of Shopify Changes
There are several tools you can use in order to stay on top of Shopify changes:
- API Health Report: This is a per-app health report in the Partner Dashboard that shows exactly with API changes will affect you.
- Email: Make sure your developer contact email is up-to-date in Shopify, so you will be notified about updates.
- Deprecation Headers: Within your app, the X-Shopify-API-Deprecated-Reason header is added to requests that are deprecated and won’t be supported in nine months. This gives you time to prepare in advance.
- Subscribe to the Shopify Developer Changelog: Follow the Shopify Developer Changelog to stay current with the latest updates to Shopify’s API and other developer products.
- Deprecated API Calls Endpoint: If you have a private app, you can access your health API information via this endpoint.
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