A full-stack developer experienced with Angular, Laravel, NestJS, and Django is seeking guidance on building their first Shopify app. They’re questioning whether learning React/Node.js—the dominant stack for Shopify apps—offers tangible advantages, or if their existing Angular-based stack would suffice.
Key concern: Would using Angular instead of React create limitations?
Community responses:
One developer shared their evolution across multiple approaches:
Angular + CSS: Too time-consuming due to manual UI logic implementation
React + Polaris UI + Symfony: Faster UI development, but backend integration with Shopify authentication remained challenging
Shopify Remix: Significantly faster development, though requires TypeScript knowledge for backend
Current solution: Shopify Remix frontend with Go microservice backend, using gRPC for communication and handling webhooks/API calls
The responder suggests that if comfortable with TypeScript for both frontend and backend, Shopify Remix provides the most efficient path. The discussion remains open regarding whether Angular is viable or if adopting React/Remix is recommended for Shopify app development.
Summarized with AI on November 1.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
I’m a full-stack developer, and I want to create a Shopify App for the first time. My stack includes: Frontend: Angular Backend: Laravel, NestJS, Django
I don’t think I’ll face any significant difficulties if I learn ReactJS or other technologies to develop this app, as I’ve noticed that most Shopify Apps are built using React/NodeJS or React/Ruby. I’m just curious—would learning React or switching to these stacks provide me with any real benefits? Or can I still develop a solid app using my current stack, but it might just come down to personal preference?
For example, if I decide to use Angular instead of React for the frontend, would that be a limitation?
I’d like to hear opinions and advice from experienced developers who have worked on Shopify Apps before and can share their insights.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, and I wish you all success!
Yes, I can certainly help you with that! With over 8 years of experience in Shopify development, I have the expertise to guide you through building your first Shopify App and ensure it meets all requirements. Whether you stick with your current stack or decide to explore React and Node.js, I can provide valuable insights to help you achieve your goals efficiently.
Feel free to reach out to me via email to discuss further. Looking forward to hearing from you!
I’ve had a similar experience with your tech stack. I started with Angular but realized that using only CSS elements took too much time, as I needed to implement logic for UI elements manually. Then, I switched to ReactJS with Polaris UI and Symfony for the backend. This made the UI development much faster and more robust. However, integrating the backend with Shopify authentication and handling installations was still not easy compared to what Shopify Remix allows.
In the third iteration, I used the Shopify Remix bundle. This solution is very fast, but I don’t know TypeScript well for the backend.
The next part might feel like over-engineering, but if you’re okay using TypeScript for both the frontend and backend, I’d suggest stopping here.
However, I wanted to split the frontend and backend while keeping Shopify interactions simple. To do this, I retained most of the functions from Shopify Remix but moved all business logic to a Go microservice. I used the gRPC protocol for communication between the Remix app and the microservice. The Go microservice handles webhooks, frontend gRPC requests, and Shopify API calls.
