---
title: About stores
description: >-
  Learn about the store types available to your organization, and when to use
  each one.
source_url:
  html: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores'
  md: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores.md'
---

# About stores

Your organization works with three types of store: the [dev stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/development-stores) you own and test against, the [client transfer stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/client-transfer-stores) you build and hand over to a merchant, and the [collaborations](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/collaborations) on stores a merchant already owns.

***

## Where to manage stores

In the [Dev Dashboard](https://dev.shopify.com/dashboard/), **Stores** lists every store your organization can reach, whatever its type. Search by name when you know the store you want, or narrow the list by **Type** when you don't.

**Create store** starts a new dev store or client transfer store. **Request store access** asks a merchant for collaborator access to a store they already own.

Shopify CLI works from the terminal too. Use it to [list](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopify-cli/store/store-list) the stores in your organization, and to [create](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopify-cli/store/store-create-dev) or [delete](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopify-cli/store/store-delete) dev stores.

What you can do depends on your role. Refer to [user permissions](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/dev-dashboard/user-permissions).

### Store statuses

A store's status depends on its type. Client transfer stores and collaborations each carry their own lifecycle:

* [Client transfer store statuses](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/client-transfer-stores#transfer-status) track a handoff from your organization to the client.
* [Collaboration statuses](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/collaborations#collaboration-statuses) track the access a merchant has granted you.

What a row's **Actions** menu offers depends on the store's type, its status, and your [permissions](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/dev-dashboard/user-permissions).

***

## Store types

### Dev stores

Dev stores are testing environments that you own and control. They're the right choice when you're building or testing an app, experimenting with a theme, or need a Shopify store that behaves like a real merchant store without the risk of affecting live data.

Dev stores can be created on any Shopify plan, and you can enable a [feature preview](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/feature-previews) at creation to test capabilities that aren't available to all stores yet.

[Learn more about dev stores →](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/development-stores)

***

### Client transfer stores

Client transfer stores are stores you build on behalf of a client. You own and configure the store during the build, then transfer ownership to the client when it's ready.

Use one when a merchant has hired you to build their store. The store is created under your organization, which gives you full access while you work and a clean handoff when you're done.

[Learn more about client transfer stores →](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/client-transfer-stores)

***

### Collaborations

Collaborations are access relationships with merchant-owned stores. When a merchant grants your organization collaborator access, that store appears in your **Stores** list with **Collaboration** as its type. You're working inside a live merchant store. You don't own it, and it isn't transferred to you.

Use a collaboration when an existing merchant needs ongoing support, customization, or app development on their store.

[Learn more about collaborations →](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/stores/collaborations)

***

## Choosing the right store type

Which type you need depends on who owns the store once the work is done.

| | Dev store | Client transfer store | Collaboration |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Who owns the store** | You (your organization) | You during the build; the merchant after transfer | The merchant |
| **Primary use** | App and theme development and testing | Build a store to hand off to a client | Work on a merchant's live store |
| **Transferable to a merchant** | No | Yes | N/A. The merchant already owns it. |
| **How to create** | Dev Dashboard, then Shopify admin, or entirely in Shopify CLI | Dev Dashboard, then Shopify admin | You don't create one. The merchant initiates, or you ask with **Request store access**. |
| **Real transactions** | No | No | Yes |
| **Install custom or draft apps** | Yes | No | Depends on merchant permissions |

***

## Next steps

* [Configure user permissions](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/dev-dashboard/user-permissions) to control who can create, transfer, and delete stores in your organization.
* [Start building an app](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build) to put your store to work as a testing environment.

***