The `index` template renders the home page of the store, located at the root URL (`/`). The home page often serves as a customer's first impression of a merchant's store, so the `index` template should include versatile options for merchants to tell their story.

> Tip:
> Refer to the [index template](https://github.com/Shopify/dawn/blob/main/templates/index.json) in Dawn for an example of this template.

<figure class="figure">
  <img src="/assets/themes/templates/index.png" style="width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" alt="An example of the index template in Dawn">
</figure>

## Location

The `index` template is located in the `templates`  directory of the theme:

```text
└── theme
    ├── layout
    ├── templates
    |   ...
    |   ├── index.json
    |   ...
    ...
```

## Usage

When working with the `index` template, you should familiarize yourself with the [differences between JSON and Liquid index templates](#json-vs-liquid).

### JSON vs. Liquid

Both JSON and Liquid index templates allow merchants to add and remove sections using the theme editor. Although the Liquid index template has this functionality, in most cases, you should use a JSON template (`index.json`) as your index template. JSON templates have the following advantages over Liquid templates:

  - JSON templates give more flexibility for merchants to add, remove, and reorder sections, including app sections.
  - JSON templates store their own data, which minimizes the amount of data in [settings_data.json](/docs/storefronts/themes/architecture/config/settings-data-json) and improves the performance of the theme editor.