Start with the storefront
Shopify’s headless approach lets developers build a custom frontend while connecting it to commerce services through APIs. Hydrogen is its toolkit for that work; developers can also connect Shopify APIs to other technology stacks.
Three different responsibilities
Shopify’s fundamentals documentation separates three roles. Hydrogen supplies Shopify-specific components and utilities. React Router provides the underlying application framework. Oxygen is Shopify’s serverless hosting platform for Hydrogen storefronts.
A toolkit, not a finished shop
Keep the interface, commerce services and hosting environment separate when reading a stack description. Before choosing an approach, map out who will build the storefront, maintain integrations and test the customer journey. This file explains the architecture; it does not provide a cost estimate or a purchasing recommendation.
Go to the original sources.
Source review: 5 October 2026. These links are the references for this file, not endorsements.