• Create a product with variants and options asynchronously
  • Update the product data asynchronously
  • Create a product with variants and options synchronously
  • Update the product data synchronously
  • Next steps

Sync product data from an external source

Legacy

The REST Admin API is a legacy API as of October 1, 2024. All apps and integrations should be built with the GraphQL Admin API. For details and migration steps, visit our migration guide.

Use the productSet mutation to sync the desired state of a product with data from an external source in a single operation

This mutation is suited for apps and use cases where the state of the product model is managed outside of Shopify, for example with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or Worksheet, and you want to update Shopify's product model to reflect your external state.

The mutation is available in both asynchronous and synchronous modes. The default is asynchronous. The productSet mutation has an input limit of 2K variants when run asynchronously and only 100 variants when run synchronously.

This guide provides examples of how to create and update products asynchronously and synchronously, with data from an external source.

Create a product with variants and options asynchronously

Anchor link to section titled "Create a product with variants and options asynchronously"

The following productSet mutation initiates an asynchronous operation to create a product with an option named Color. The option has three possible values: Red, Green, and Blue. The mutation also sets up product variants, each associated with one of the color options.

The response to the mutation indicates that the operation has been successfully initiated with the status CREATED.

Products, variants, and options
Variant GID Option name Option value name
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/1 Color Red
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/2 Color Green
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/3 Color Blue

Check the status of the operation

Anchor link to section titled "Check the status of the operation"

Use the productOperation query to check the status of the operation, using the ID that was returned when the product was created.

The query response indicates that the operation is COMPLETE and provides the details of the created product.

Update the product data asynchronously

Anchor link to section titled "Update the product data asynchronously"

The following productSet mutation initiates an asynchronous operation to update an existing product's Color option. The original color values of Red, Green, and Blue are replaced with new values of Maroon, Forest Green, and Deep Sea Blue. The mutation also updates the product variants from the old color values to the new ones. Each variant retains its original GID.

Updated products, variants, and options
Variant GID Option name Option value name
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/1 Color Deep Sea Blue
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/2 Color Forest Green
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/3 Color Maroon

The response to the mutation indicates that the operation has been successfully initiated with the status CREATED.

Query the updated product asynchronously

Anchor link to section titled "Query the updated product asynchronously"

After the product has been updated asynchronously, use the productOperation query to retrieve the updated product data. This query uses the ProductSetOperation object to check the status of the operation and to retrieve the details of the updated product and its variants.

The response to this query indicates that the operation is COMPLETE, and indicates that the product's title has been updated, and the color options have been updated to Deep Sea Blue, Forest Green, and Maroon.

Create a product with variants and options synchronously

Anchor link to section titled "Create a product with variants and options synchronously"

The following productSet mutation creates a product with an option named Color. The option has three possible values, Red, Green, and Blue. The mutation creates product variants where each is associated with one of the color options. Each variant is identified by a globally-unique ID.

The mutation runs synchronously because the synchronous field is set.

Products, variants, and options
Variant GID Option name Option value name
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/1 Color Red
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/2 Color Green
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/3 Color Blue

Note

synchronous: true executes the mutation in synchronous mode.

Update the product data synchronously

Anchor link to section titled "Update the product data synchronously"

Note

Because this mutation encapsulates many domain entities and their relationships, forming valid product inputs requires more care and attention and the mutations will take longer to execute.

The following productSet mutation updates the existing product's Color option. The original color values Red, Green, and Blue are replaced with new values of Maroon, Forest Green, and Deep Sea Blue. The mutation also updates the product variants from the old color values to the new ones. Each variant retains its original GID.

The mutation runs synchronously because the synchronous field is set.

Updated products, variants, and options
Variant GID Option name Option value name
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/1 Color Deep Sea Blue
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/2 Color Forest Green
gid://shopify/ProductVariant/3 Color Maroon

Next steps

Anchor link to section titled "Next steps"

Product management in GraphQL versus REST

Learn about the differences between using GraphQL and REST to interact with products, variants, and related API components.

Migrate to GraphQL

If you're new to using GraphQL at Shopify, review guides and resources for migrating your app to the GraphQL Admin API from the REST Admin API.

GraphQL basics

Learn about the basics of GraphQL, including its benefits over REST.

On this page

  • Create a product with variants and options asynchronously
  • Update the product data asynchronously
  • Create a product with variants and options synchronously
  • Update the product data synchronously
  • Next steps