Non Embedded App

[Leonan]

Hi,

There is an tutorial or docs about how to create a non embedded (standalone) Shopify App, I mean a app that don't load inside admin area.

[Talha]

Most of the large scale apps on Shopify are Non-embedded. Still they dont have any docs for non-embedded apps.

[MysterFitz]

This is so frustrating. This is the first thing I've found that even mentions developing apps that are not embedded. Every bit of documentation is about embedded apps. Thank you for asking this question, even if it's languishing at the bottom of the queue.

[KarlOffenberger]

Erm... am I missing something here?

The Shopify API documentation which is quite formidable I'd say (and I've read many in 20 years) is THE documentation for non-embedded apps a.k.a. officially called private apps. Being non-embedded, it is entirely up to you how you consume and interact with the Shopify APIs and there's little need for Shopify to provide guides and tutorials - I mean what would we expect them to do? Write one for Ruby? Oh hey, he needs PHP. Dude, I grok Java. Java you say, oh you peasants of the dark ages, Golang is where it's at. Somewhere in backroom a Rust developer is giggling all on his own while the Elixir dude is mumbling incomprehensible spells from inside a wardrobe.

Point is, private apps can be written in and architected as and run on a myriad of different ways which are all described, samplified and what not on the internet - REST API this, REST API that, GarphQL here, GraphQL there.

But if you're keen to find some - there is code lingering around on Github - not that some neglected user experiments from 2 years ago really help.

Or did I really miss something?

[MysterFitz]

I am rather new to this whole process, obviously. But I do not see this relationship of private app = non-embedded app that you reference.
Here's my understanding (possibly flawed) of the different app types:

• A private app is one that is not available in the app store and is usually developed for a particular store.
• A public app is available either free or for a cost from the app store.
• An embedded app appears within the Shopify environment through an iframe and should be an organic experience for the user.
• A non-embedded app is one that is external and to which you are re-directed to when clicking on the app in the `admin/apps` section.

So, if my interpretation is correct, "non-embedded" and "private" have nothing to do with each other.

I would like to make an app that is available in the app store and able to be installed in the admin section, but which takes the user to my site/app which does not show up in an iframe inside the Shopify environment. I have installed three separate apps that all exhibit this behavior on my development store. (SiteKit, Video Slider, and Instant Traffic) They all redirect using a link like this:

<a href="https://STORE_NAME.myshopify.com/admin/api_permissions/APP_ID/redirect" class="text-emphasis-strong" data-trekkie-app-title="{"api_client_id":APP_CLIENT_ID}" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">APP_NAME</a>

But my embedded app that I built from the tutorial has a different link, like:

<a href="https://STORE_NAME.myshopify.com/admin/apps/APP_NAME" class="text-emphasis-strong" data-trekkie-app-title="{"api_client_id":2736495}">APP_NAME</a>

I would like to build an app that works like the three I mentioned above, but have been unable to, either because there is so much documentation that it's hard to find the needle in that haystack, it doesn't exist, or it's been made hard-to-find because it's not the preferred use-case of Shopify.

[MysterFitz]

My reply was marked as spam. Could you tell me why?

[MysterFitz]

I am rather new to this whole process, obviously. But I do not see this relationship of private app = non-embedded app that you reference.
Here's my understanding (possibly flawed) of the different app types:

A private app is one that is not available in the app store and is usually developed for a particular store.

A public app is available either free or for a cost from the app store.

An embedded app appears within the Shopify environment through an iframe and should be an organic experience for the user.
A non-embedded app is one that is external and to which you are re-directed to when clicking on the app in the `admin/apps` section.

So, if my interpretation is correct, "non-embedded" and "private" have nothing to do with each other.

I would like to make an app that is available in the app store and able to be installed in the admin section, but which takes the user to my site/app which does not show up in an iframe inside the Shopify environment. I have installed three separate apps that all exhibit this behavior on my development store. (SiteKit, Video Slider, and Instant Traffic) They all redirect using a link like this:

<a href="https://STORE_NAME.myshopify.com/admin/api_permissions/APP_ID/redirect" class="text-emphasis-strong" data-trekkie-app-title="{"api_client_id":APP_CLIENT_ID}" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">APP_NAME</a>

But my embedded app that I built from the tutorial has a different link, like:

<a href="https://STORE_NAME.myshopify.com/admin/apps/APP_NAME" class="text-emphasis-strong" data-trekkie-app-title="{"api_client_id":2736495}">APP_NAME</a>

I would like to build an app that works like the three I mentioned above, but have been unable to, either because there is so much documentation that it's hard to find the needle in that haystack, it doesn't exist, or it's been made hard-to-find because it's not the preferred use-case of Shopify.

[KarlOffenberger]

But I did receive it in my notification and you're quite right in your assessment that non-embedded apps are public apps that are external to the Shopify admin UIs iframe. So it was me missing the point. And have nothing to add really because I haven't tried writing a non-embedded app yet.

[MysterFitz]

Thank you for the sanity check! ;)
At least I know that I'm not crazy for being confused. 

[MysterFitz]

I did go to some time and trouble to write that reply, though. It is distressing that it was removed with no reason given.