Product subscription app extension overview

The product subscription app extension can be used to render an interface that allows merchants to create and manage subscriptions in the Shopify admin.

This guide introduces the product subscription app extension and the App Bridge Admin app extension framework, demonstrates the high-level subscription flow.

How subscriptions work with the product subscription app extension

The following diagram illustrates a high-level subscription flow for an app that has implemented a subscription flow using the product subscription app extension:

• The app interacts with the selling plan API and the product subscription app extension to render an interface that allows merchants to create and manage subscriptions within the Shopify admin.
• The customer purchases a subscription product on the storefront and Shopify generates a subscription contract.
• The app updates the subscription contract using the subscription contract API when a change to a subscription occurs (a customer updates their payment method or makes a change to their subscription).
• The app provisions subscriptions to customers by automating the billing and scheduling of subscriptions.

App Bridge Admin app extension framework

The product subscription app extension renders in Shopify using App Bridge Admin. App Bridge Admin is a technology that allows apps to integrate directly into the Shopify admin, mobile apps, checkout, or POS. It includes a set of consistent UI components, and development tools for authoring them.

You create app extensions by writing JavaScript, React, or TypeScript to define your app’s behavior and describe your user interface. Shopify securely hosts and renders your user interface seamlessly in the client.

With App Bridge Admin, you use session tokens to authenticate your app instead of relying on third-party cookies.

When the product subscription app extension appears to the merchant in Shopify admin, it includes both app-provided and Shopify-provided interface elements, as shown in the diagram below:

Designing the best experience for merchants

Shopify renders a product subscription app extension in the product page, which contains a set of extension modes. Apps are responsible for integrating with these extension modes, allowing merchants to complete their tasks or access app functionality directly in the Shopify admin.

Apps can also include contextual links to active subscriptions in the Customers and Order detail pages.

Subscription apps should follow our user experience guidelines to provide a consistent experience.

Example product subscription app extension

Next steps

• Getting started building a product subscription app extension: Learn how to create a new product subscription app extension with App Bridge Admin, connect the extension to Shopify, and render your extension within Shopify.
• Create and manage a product subscription app extension: Learn about the structure and different modes of a product subscription app extension, and some best practices for implementation.
• Version and publish your product subscription app extension: Learn how to deploy your app extension code to Shopify, create an immutable version, and publish your extension for merchants.