
Headless Shopify: Which frontend framework is best to use?
Going headless with Shopify will require a frontend framework – typically Javascript-based – separate from the Shopify platform itself. To ease this process, Shopify provides a ready-made framework called Hydrogen. However, Hydrogen is by-far not the only option, and in fact there are a myriad of alternate tools that might prove more beneficial depending on your ideals.
There isn't a "best" frontend framework to use – it's a decision that will be made collaboratively with your development or agency partner. However, it's an important consideration since the frontend framework will be the primary interaction point for end-users and its stability will make a huge difference to the effectiveness and longevity of your stack.
For instance, some JS frameworks are more targeted toward Static Site Generation, while others are more appropriate for Server Side Rendering. To be honest, the lines have blurred significantly over the last few years, with most frameworks having evolved to better-support areas they may have previously lacked. It used to be the case that individual frameworks had clear-cut strengths and weaknesses, but over time feature sets have consolidated and are, these days, mirrored fairly closely. For instance, while Gatsby was once the "king" of static site generation, we feel that Next.js offers a toolset that today rivals Gatsby's static site generation capabilities. Most likely it'll be down to professional experience and developer preference, in terms of which framework is ultimately chosen.
Some frameworks are newer (and more "hip"!... *ahem* Astro *ahem*) than others. We tend to advise our clients that ultimately – stability is one of the most crucial factors when deciding upon the optimal frontend framework, and that this should take precedence over fancy marketing.
At Cocoon, we have a trusted arsenal of proven tools and technologies that we work with, and will align our decision closely in relation to the buil requirements for any given project. Contact us to discuss your Headless Shopify project.
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