Issue 244 - What Actually Shipped at DotDev: Events, Analytics, and Liquid-First Templates
Shopify DotDev 2026: What Actually Shipped for Developers
DotDev 2026 delivered Liquid-first templates, Events replacing webhooks, and native app analytics with ShopifyQL. Bas Lefeber breaks down what landed, what is preview-only, and what to do about each.
By Bas Lefeber
We Built a Full Shopify Brand with AI in One Afternoon
Liquid Weekly tests current AI tooling limits by building a complete Shopify brand in one afternoon: product generation, store setup, branding.
By Liquid Weekly
Our Shopify app is now integrated with Sidekick
Our Shopify app is now integrated with Sidekick At first, I wasn't sure if Sidekick could handle our use case and was underestimating its capabilities, but I am really surprised by how capable and smart it is.
By Farid Movsumov
Finally. APIs, MCP, and CLIs Clearly Explained
Coding with Jan breaks down APIs, MCP (Model Context Protocol), and CLIs in a clear, developer-focused explainer. The video is relevant for Shopify developers navigating the newer AI tooling landscape, especially as Shopify's AI Toolkit and MCP integrations become more central to the dev workflow. Covers how these pieces fit together in modern development stacks.
By Coding with Jan
Ship analytics in your Shopify app without building a data stack
At DotDev (July 21, 2026) Shopify shipped full-stack app analytics so you no longer own an event pipeline, warehouse, rollup job, or charting library. Mark a metafield analytics-queryable and it becomes a ShopifyQL dimension; emit App Events and they become queryable alongside Shopify's own commerce data.
By Bas Lefeber
Mat De Sousa Talks with Shopify About the Future of App Founders
Mat De Sousa discusses the future of Shopify app founders: changing economics of app dev, Sidekick impact on discoverability, Static Apps and Events.
By Mat De Sousa
Found in Shopify Dev Docs: Paid Placements for AI Agents
Ethercycle spots paid placements for AI agents in Shopify developer documentation. Signals how Shopify is monetizing AI-driven storefront interactions.
By Ethercycle
Case Study: Replacing a Storefront with a Private Shopify App for Order Entry
A merchant replaced a hacked-together storefront order flow with a private Shopify app for phone and in-store entries. Case study walks through the workflow and app architecture.
By Essenify
Catalog ecommerce design inspiration tool gets major update
Kimura Thomas announced significant updates to Catalog, an ecommerce design inspiration tool. New features include quick view for any brand with all their pages across desktop and mobile. Catalog Pro is $4/month with limited coupons available. Useful for Shopify designers and developers looking for design references.
By Thomas
