Is it mandatory to use Shopify App Bridge?

[Plambir93]

Hello! I currently develop embedded app for Shopify Store. We use https://github.com/gnikyt/laravel-shopify as a backend and have separate frontend React app.
  I read in your requirements https://shopify.dev/apps/store/requirements in clause "10. Embedded apps", that all embedded apps must use Shopify App Bridge. But in our concept - all interactions with Shopify API goes through backend and frontend interacts only with our backend. So, my question - is it mandatory to use Shopify App Bridge in our case? Because we have no need to use it.

[Ugurcan]

If you are creating an embedded app, yes it is mandatory.

You can also create an app which is not embedded to Shopify admin.

[Plambir93]

@Ugurcan Thank you! But what should we do with it, just wrap our app in Provider? Because we have no need in Shopify App Bridge functionality.

[Ugurcan]

@Plambir93 Shopify App Bridge handles the authentication and embedding the app within the Shopify frame. Without App Bridge you app cannot work within the Shopify admin. There is a authentication flow that app needs to follow, in some parts it needs to escape the iframe and then get back in. App Bridge is a library you can use for that purpose.

If you do not need it to work in the admin, consider creating an non-embedded application.

[Plambir93]

@Ugurcan But our frontend app do not interact with Shopify Admin by itself, authentication, billing and other things are executed by our Laravel backend (made on https://github.com/gnikyt/laravel-shopify ). So our backend works with admin, but not our frontend app. Does our frontend still needs to be wrapped with Shopify App Bridge Provider?

[electrodrel]

We have a similar setup: golang backend that deals with authentication and with serving frontend html and vanilla js frontend that communicates with the backend via fetch. I am not sure if/where we should introduce AppBridge. 

[zksumon]

what type of setup do you guys have now?

[ChrisBao]

as the time of writing(Jan. 2024), share what I learn about this topic based on my investigation with App Bridge V3. 

The App Bridge library is designed only for embedded app. This statement has two meanings:

• Embedded App must use App Bridge, otherwise it can not be imbedded inside the Shopify Admin dashboard. 
• App Bridge can only work correctly within an embedded app. 

For the first point, I guess Shopify requires this based on security concerns. Since App Bridge is not open source, so this is my guess. 

For the second point, you can easily verify it by setting up a general React or other front end app, then import App Bridge library as dependency. You will see the error message from App Bridge complains missing environment setting. 

[NickShi]

App bridge lib just help third-party app work with Shopify Admin, if you app no need to show ( or call it embed ) in Shopify admin pages, then it's no need to include the Shopify App Bridge. At the same time, you need make sure your app type is non-embedded app.