01 ◆
You need logic in the Shopify admin itself — a custom embedded UI your team works in daily — not just a storefront feature. That's an embedded app with App Bridge + Polaris, not a theme tweak.
Shopify app development · build
Custom Shopify app development — for what the App Store doesn't sell.
Independent Shopify app developer building embedded admin apps, theme app extensions, and App Proxy storefront features — OAuth, billing, webhooks and Polaris done right. 5+ apps shipped, including a live app for a 50-year jewelry brand. Public App Store listing or private/custom distribution.
Book a 20-min scope call → See selected work
◆ 5+ apps shipped · App Bridge + Polaris · OAuth / billing / webhooks · theme app extensions · App Proxy
When you actually need an app
When a Shopify app is the right answer.
Most "I need an app" requests are really theme-code requests — and I'll tell you when that's cheaper. But these five are genuine app territory, and getting the auth/billing/webhook layer right is where most builds go wrong.
02 ◆
You need to react to store events reliably — orders, fulfillments, product updates — via webhooks with verification, retries and idempotency. Done wrong, events silently drop and data desyncs.
03 ◆
You're charging merchants — recurring or usage-based billing through Shopify's Billing API, with trials, proration and the GDPR/mandatory webhooks the App Store requires.
04 ◆
You need a storefront feature that talks to your own backend securely — that's App Proxy with HMAC validation, returning Liquid-compatible responses, not an exposed public endpoint.
05 ◆
You want a feature that installs into any theme without merchants editing Liquid — that's a theme app extension (app blocks/embeds), the modern, OS-2.0-friendly way to ship.
What I build
What gets built and shipped.
Apps on Laravel (kyon147/laravel-shopify) or Node, App-Store-ready or private. Auth, billing and webhooks are handled to App Store review standards by default — the parts that fail review or break in production are the parts I get right first.
- ◆ Embedded admin app — App Bridge + Polaris UI that lives inside the Shopify admin, session-token auth, embedded-app best practices, App Store design-guideline compliant.
- ◆ OAuth + install flow — online/offline tokens handled correctly, scopes scoped tightly, re-auth paths on 401, uninstall cleanup.
- ◆ Billing — Shopify Billing API: recurring, usage-based, or one-time charges, free trials, proration, and the billing edge cases the App Store reviews for.
- ◆ Webhooks — HMAC-verified, idempotent handlers with retry/backoff, the mandatory GDPR webhooks (customers/redact, shop/redact, customers/data_request), processed via queued jobs.
- ◆ Theme app extensions — app blocks and app embeds so merchants add your feature in the theme editor with zero Liquid editing.
- ◆ App Proxy storefront features — HMAC signature validation, Liquid-compatible responses, secure bridge from the storefront to your backend (this is the Stuller showcase pattern).
- ◆ Admin & Storefront GraphQL — efficient queries, bulk operations for large catalogs, metafields/metaobjects, rate-limit-aware clients.
- ◆ App Store submission support — listing copy, screenshots, the review checklist, and the back-and-forth with Shopify's review team. Or a private/custom app if you're not listing.
- ◆ Tests on the money paths — billing, webhook processing, auth — plus error tracking so production issues surface before merchants report them.
- ◆ 14 days post-launch monitoring + iteration. Bugs in delivered scope fixed free.
Packages
Three app shapes.
Most app builds fit one of these. If yours doesn't, I quote inside 48 hours after a scope call.
Private / single-store app
From $4,800
Delivery 2-4 weeks
- Embedded app or theme app extension for your own store
- OAuth + the scopes you need
- App Bridge + Polaris admin UI
- Webhooks (verified, idempotent) for your use case
- Tests on critical paths + 14 days support
Public App Store app Most chosen
From $9,000
Delivery 5-9 weeks
- App Store-grade embedded app (design-guideline compliant)
- Recurring/usage Billing API with trials + proration
- Mandatory GDPR webhooks + full webhook lifecycle
- Theme app extension for zero-Liquid install
- App Store listing + submission support
- 30 days post-launch support
Complex / integration app
From $15,000
Delivery 8-14 weeks
- App Proxy storefront features + external API/data sync
- Multi-tenant architecture, background processing at scale
- GraphQL bulk operations for large catalogs
- ERP / supplier / marketplace integration
- Full test + observability coverage
- Retainer option for ongoing maintenance
Process
How a typical project ships.
01
Scope call (20-30 min)
You describe the merchant problem. I tell you on the call whether it's genuinely an app or cheaper as theme code — and if it's an app, public or private.
02
Spec doc + fixed quote
Within 48h: data model, scopes, billing model, webhook list, distribution plan, and a fixed-price quote with a delivery date.
03
Build on a dev store
App built against a development store, code in your repo from day one. Weekly demo on a working install, daily Loom updates.
04
Submit / ship + support
App Store submission support (or private install), then 14-30 days of post-launch iteration. Review feedback handled by me.
FAQ
Questions clients ask before building.
No fluff — the specifics buyers want before booking a call. If yours isn't here, ask on the call.
Have you actually shipped Shopify apps?
Yes — 5+, including a live Laravel 12 embedded app for Stuller (a 50-year jewelry brand) with OAuth, billing, webhooks and an App Proxy storefront pattern, plus jewelry apps like a wishlist and Drop A Hint. The auth/billing/webhook layer that fails most builds is the part I've shipped to production repeatedly.
Do I need a public App Store app, or a private one?
Public if you're selling the app to many merchants and want App Store distribution + discovery. Private/custom if it's for your own store(s) or a specific client — faster to ship, no review process, no public listing. I scope both honestly on the call; many "I need an app" cases are actually a private app or even theme code.
Laravel or Node for the app backend?
Both work. I build on Laravel with kyon147/laravel-shopify (mature OAuth, billing middleware, webhook lifecycle, ShopModel conventions) or on Node with Shopify's official libraries. Choice depends on your existing stack and team; I recommend per-case.
Can the app charge merchants?
Yes — Shopify Billing API for recurring, usage-based, or one-time charges, with free trials and proration. I handle the billing edge cases the App Store reviews for (downgrade/upgrade, trial expiry, reinstall) so charges don't break or double-bill.
How do you handle the App Store review process?
I build to the App Store design and technical guidelines from day one — mandatory GDPR webhooks, billing done correctly, embedded-app best practices, performance. For submission I help with the listing copy, screenshots, and the review back-and-forth. Most rejections are billing or webhook issues, which I get right before submitting.
What's a theme app extension and do I need one?
It's how a modern app injects storefront UI into OS 2.0 themes via app blocks/embeds — merchants add it in the theme editor with no Liquid editing, and it survives theme updates. If your app shows anything on the storefront, you almost certainly want one instead of asking merchants to paste code.
Do I own the code?
Yes — full IP transfer on final payment, code in your repo from day one, documented. For public apps you keep the listing and the Partner account; I can operate under your Partner org or hand everything over.
Keep reading
Related pages & posts.
Laravel
Hire a Laravel Developer
The Laravel backend behind the app (Stuller pattern).
Open →Hire-me
Hire a Shopify Developer
Theme + storefront work, not just apps.
Open →App audit
Replace Expensive Shopify Apps
When the answer is removing apps, not building one.
Open →Products
Apps & products I've shipped
Wishlist, Drop A Hint, RingBuilder, and more.
Open →Build your Shopify app
Scope your Shopify app
in a 30-min call.
Tell me the merchant problem. I send back a spec — scopes, billing, webhooks, distribution — and a fixed quote inside 48 hours. If it's really theme code, I'll save you the build.