Shopify Admin API

Set up API access for the Shopify Admin API, enabling management of products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.

⏱ 10 minutes ecommerce payments admin.shopify.com

getapi shopify

Prerequisites

Variable	Description	Sensitive
`SHOPIFY_STORE_URL`	Your Shopify store's myshopify.com domain (e.g., my-store.myshopify.com)	Public
`SHOPIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN`	Admin API access token for authenticating requests	Secret

1 Info

We'll create a custom app in your Shopify store and get an Admin API access token. This token lets you manage products, orders, customers, and more via the API.
2 Input

Enter your Shopify store's myshopify.com domain (e.g., my-store.myshopify.com):

→ SHOPIFY_STORE_URL
3 Open URL

Opening Shopify admin. Sign in and select your store if prompted.
https://admin.shopify.com
4 Info

Go to 'Settings' (bottom of the sidebar) > 'Apps and sales channels' > 'Develop apps'. If custom app development isn't enabled, click 'Allow custom app development'.
5 Info

Click 'Create an app'. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., your project name).
6 Info

Click 'Configure Admin API scopes'. Select the access scopes your app needs (e.g., read_products, write_orders). Start with minimal scopes — you can add more later. Click 'Save'.
7 Info

Click 'Install app' in the top right, then confirm the installation. This generates your API credentials.
8 Confirm

App installed?

Checkpoint — confirm before continuing
9 Input

Copy the 'Admin API access token' (shown only once after install) and paste it here:

→ SHOPIFY_ACCESS_TOKEN

Starts with shpat_. 32 characters
10 Validate

Checking your access token works...

Access token verified. Your Shopify Admin API is ready.

Couldn't verify the access token. Make sure the token is correct and the app is installed.

The Admin API access token is shown ONLY ONCE after installing the app. If you lose it, you must uninstall and reinstall the app.
Always use the minimum required scopes. Overly broad access increases security risk.
Shopify has API rate limits: 2 requests/second for REST and 50 points/second for GraphQL.
Use the GraphQL Admin API for new projects — it's more efficient and is Shopify's recommended approach.
Development stores are free but have limitations. Create one at partners.shopify.com for testing.
The API version in the URL (e.g., 2024-01) determines available features. Shopify deprecates old versions quarterly.