1. Introduction: The Evolution of Shopify’s Design System
If you have worked with Shopify for a while, you’ve already come across Polaris. It’s the design system that powers the interface of almost everything inside Shopify — from the Admin dashboard to embedded apps and custom extensions. For developers, Polaris has always been the bridge between Shopify’s design language and our code.
When Shopify first launched Polaris in 2017, it was a big step forward. It gave developers a ready-to-use library of React components such as buttons, modals, tables, and form elements that matched the look and feel of Shopify’s own admin. The idea was simple but powerful: if every app looked and behaved consistently, merchants would feel more confident using them.
Over the years, Shopify grew far beyond the Admin panel. New experiences like Checkout Extensibility, POS, and Customer Accounts came in — each with its own requirements. This growth created a new challenge. Developers now had to maintain multiple versions of UI components across different frameworks and environments. The React-based Polaris system, while great in its time, started to show limits. It created heavier dependencies, slower performance, and more maintenance overhead.
Shopify saw this problem coming. They realized that merchants and developers both needed a more flexible foundation — one that would not depend on React or any single JavaScript framework. Something that could run natively everywhere and keep the user experience consistent no matter where it appeared.
That thinking gave birth to the new Polaris, introduced in Shopify’s Summer 2025 Edition. This is not just a visual refresh or an update to the library. It’s a complete rebuild of the design system using Web Components, a modern browser standard for creating reusable UI elements that work in any framework — or even without one.
This shift changes the way we think about building with Shopify.
For developers, it means lighter apps, faster rendering, and the freedom to use any tech stack.
For merchants, it means smoother interfaces, faster load times, and a more unified Shopify experience.
As a developer who also works closely with store owners and business teams, I see this as a major turning point. The new Polaris is not only about cleaner code or better design; it’s about giving everyone in the Shopify ecosystem a common foundation to build on — one that’s faster, more flexible, and ready for the next generation of commerce tools.
2. Why Shopify Rebuilt Polaris
When Shopify decided to rebuild Polaris, it wasn’t just about adding new features or changing the design. It came from years of feedback and real technical challenges faced by both Shopify’s internal teams and external developers like us. The original Polaris, built with React, worked beautifully when Shopify’s Admin interface was its main home. But as the platform expanded, the old system began to show cracks.
The first challenge was dependency and performance.
Every time you built an app or an extension using Polaris, you had to include React as a dependency. That meant larger bundles, slower load times, and compatibility issues when React versions didn’t align with Shopify’s. This might sound minor at first, but at scale, it adds up. For merchants using several embedded apps, each carrying its own copy of React, the experience became heavier and slower.
The second challenge was consistency.
Shopify’s ecosystem has grown far beyond the Admin dashboard. There are now custom storefronts, Checkout UI extensions, POS systems, and Customer Account pages — all needing a consistent visual experience. The old Polaris wasn’t designed to stretch across so many environments. Developers had to rebuild the same UI patterns in different frameworks, and that meant small but noticeable inconsistencies across interfaces. It created more work for developers and a less unified feel for merchants.
Accessibility was another big reason behind the rebuild.
Shopify has always been strong about accessibility, but maintaining accessibility standards across React-based components and multiple contexts required extra effort. By moving to Web Components, Shopify can now ensure that accessibility standards are baked directly into the core components and behave the same everywhere.
Finally, there was a question of flexibility and the future.
Shopify wanted a design system that wouldn’t depend on what JavaScript framework is popular at the moment. React has dominated for years, but the web moves fast. Frameworks like Svelte, Solid, and others are gaining ground, and Shopify needed something future-proof. Web Components offer that. They’re part of the web platform itself, not tied to any external library. That means developers can use them with React, Vue, or even plain HTML — or combine them across different stacks without friction.
So, the decision to rebuild Polaris was about more than modernizing. It was about creating a single, flexible, and consistent system that could serve every part of Shopify’s ecosystem — from the Admin to the storefront, from apps to checkout extensions — without developers having to rebuild the same elements over and over again.
This shift is also a sign of Shopify’s direction. The company is clearly moving toward a more open and modular architecture where merchants, partners, and developers can all build faster and more confidently on the same foundation.
3. The Core Shift – From React Components to Web Components
The biggest change in the new Polaris is not visual. It’s structural. Shopify has moved away from using React components and rebuilt the entire system using Web Components. To understand why this is such a big deal, it’s worth knowing what Web Components are and how they change the way we build interfaces.
Web Components are a set of browser standards that let developers create custom HTML elements with their own behavior, styling, and logic — without needing any external framework. They are built on three main technologies:
Custom Elements let you define your own HTML tags.
Shadow DOM keeps the component’s internal styles and scripts isolated from the rest of the page.
HTML Templates allow you to define markup that can be reused whenever the component is called.
In simple terms, it’s like being able to create your own version of a button, input, or modal that behaves exactly the same everywhere — without relying on React, Vue, or any framework at all.
This change gives developers freedom. Earlier, Polaris required React to render its UI components. That meant if you were building an app using Vue or plain JavaScript, you had to add React just to use Polaris. Now you can use the same Polaris components directly in your markup, regardless of your stack.
For example, creating a button in the old Polaris looked like this:
You had to import the component, wrap it with React, and handle props the React way.
In the new Polaris, you can do the same thing like this:
It’s that simple. No React dependency, no import, no wrapper. The browser understands it natively.
This approach does more than simplify development. It improves performance too. Web Components load faster because they rely on native browser capabilities instead of external JavaScript libraries. They also reduce code duplication. Each Shopify surface — whether Admin, Checkout, or POS — can now share the same component library. That means when Shopify updates a button or form element, it stays consistent everywhere automatically.
Another big advantage is how easy it is to combine Web Components with existing code. If your app already uses React, Vue, or even jQuery, you don’t have to rebuild everything. You can start using Polaris Web Components alongside your existing setup. This makes the migration process gradual and painless.
For theme developers, this means new opportunities too. The same lightweight components used inside Shopify’s admin can now be integrated into custom apps or embedded tools. You can use them for dashboards, merchant settings, or even internal analytics panels, all while keeping the same look and performance benefits.
In short, moving from React to Web Components isn’t just a technical shift — it’s a new way of thinking about Shopify development. It bridges the gap between frameworks and gives everyone, from theme developers to app builders, a single common language to create faster, more consistent experiences.
4. Performance and UX Improvements
Every developer who has built apps for Shopify knows that speed and consistency are everything. When the admin takes too long to load, or when one app looks and behaves differently from another, merchants notice. The new Polaris aims to fix both of those problems at once.
By moving to Web Components, Shopify has made a major improvement in how fast and efficiently interfaces render. The old React-based version of Polaris needed to load React itself, along with Shopify’s component code, before rendering anything on the screen. That meant larger bundle sizes, longer load times, and more resources used in the background.
With Web Components, those dependencies disappear. The components are built directly into the browser using native APIs, so they start working as soon as they’re loaded. There’s no virtual DOM overhead, no library weight, and no framework initialization delay. This makes the new Polaris noticeably lighter and faster, especially for large apps or stores with multiple embedded extensions.
Performance isn’t only about load time though. The new Polaris is also better at maintaining consistent visual behavior. Whether you’re building a dashboard, a checkout extension, or a customer account page, the same button or input now behaves exactly the same. That means smoother animations, cleaner spacing, and fewer layout shifts between different surfaces.
This consistency creates a better user experience for merchants too. In the past, merchants could instantly tell when an app was built by a third party because the interface looked slightly off — buttons were a bit different, margins didn’t match, or modals felt heavier. With the new Polaris, all of those differences disappear. Every app and extension built with it now looks and feels like part of the native Shopify experience.
Accessibility has also improved in a big way. Since Web Components are platform-level elements, accessibility logic like ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation, and focus handling are all baked into the components themselves. Developers no longer need to manually add or reconfigure accessibility features that React sometimes required. The result is more reliable, inclusive interfaces by default.
This redesign also simplifies how updates are delivered. Because the same component library powers every Shopify surface, updates to visuals, accessibility, or performance automatically apply across the entire ecosystem. Developers spend less time maintaining UI consistency and more time focusing on business logic.
Another benefit is memory efficiency. Apps using Web Components consume fewer resources because they avoid mounting and unmounting heavy React trees. This keeps admin tabs responsive even when several embedded apps are open simultaneously.
To put it simply, the new Polaris helps both developers and merchants. Developers gain speed, simplicity, and consistency. Merchants enjoy faster, cleaner, and more reliable interfaces. And because everything is unified, Shopify as a platform becomes easier to scale and maintain.
5. What This Means for Theme Developers
For theme developers, this change opens up a lot of exciting possibilities. Even though Polaris was originally built for the Shopify Admin and app interfaces, its new Web Component foundation means it can now extend far beyond those boundaries. The same components that shape the Admin or Checkout experience can be used in your own custom extensions, dashboards, or private tools that interact with a store’s data.
In the old setup, theme developers often had to rebuild similar components by hand — buttons, form fields, modals — to match Shopify’s design language. Even small details like spacing, typography, or focus states had to be manually adjusted to feel consistent with the rest of Shopify. Now, because Web Components work everywhere, you can use the same Polaris elements directly inside your theme-related tools or app UIs.
For example, if you’re building a theme setup dashboard for a merchant or a backend interface to manage theme content, you can use Polaris Web Components right away. The visual style and behavior will automatically match Shopify’s design system, and you won’t need any framework to get started.
This also reduces the effort required to maintain your tools over time. When Shopify updates its design tokens, color palette, or component behavior, those changes flow through the Web Components automatically. Your UI stays consistent and future-ready without constant manual refactoring.
Another area where this change matters is performance. Theme developers spend a lot of time optimizing for speed and minimizing JavaScript payloads. Using Polaris Web Components helps here too because these components rely on native browser rendering instead of heavy libraries. That means cleaner, faster interfaces for any merchant-facing tools or embedded experiences you build.
You can also start using Polaris components as a visual reference when designing custom theme sections. Since these components define Shopify’s official design language, aligning your section UI with them creates a smoother transition between store and admin experiences. For instance, your custom section settings in the theme editor could use similar spacing, buttons, and input layouts as Polaris, making the merchant’s workflow feel more natural and predictable.
Most importantly, this shift means theme developers can experiment more freely. You’re no longer tied to React or any specific library. If you prefer plain JavaScript or even want to mix frameworks for different features, Polaris Web Components will still work the same way. It’s a more open and flexible environment to create tools that look professional and stay lightweight.
To put it simply, the new Polaris allows theme developers to spend less time replicating Shopify’s UI patterns and more time focusing on creativity and functionality. It brings Admin-grade consistency and performance to every project, whether you’re building public themes, private storefront apps, or internal tools for clients.
6. What This Means for App Developers
For app developers, this new version of Polaris changes how we design and deliver merchant experiences. Apps have always been an essential part of the Shopify ecosystem, but until now, creating a truly native experience inside the Shopify Admin required a lot of effort. With the shift to Web Components, that experience becomes faster, cleaner, and much easier to maintain.
Before this update, apps built with Polaris had to rely heavily on React. That worked well when the Admin interface itself was built around React, but it created several problems for developers. Each app carried its own React dependencies, which increased bundle sizes and often caused version mismatches. You had to constantly keep your setup aligned with Shopify’s React version, or things could break unexpectedly.
Now, with Web Components, that dependency is gone. You can build an app using any framework or even pure JavaScript, and still use the same Polaris components Shopify uses internally. This change is especially useful for developers working on embedded apps, where performance and consistency matter most.
For example, if your app displays analytics, manages products, or automates workflows, you can now use Polaris Web Components directly in your app’s UI. The components will automatically match Shopify’s styling, accessibility standards, and behavior. That means no more custom CSS to align fonts or colors, no more manual spacing fixes, and no more guessing how Shopify’s next UI update will look.
Another benefit is consistency across Shopify surfaces. The new Polaris library doesn’t just power the Admin anymore; it extends to Checkout, Customer Accounts, and other extensions too. That means if your app has elements in multiple places — say, an admin dashboard and a checkout widget — you can use the same component library for both. The button a merchant clicks in the Admin will look and behave exactly like the button a customer interacts with during checkout.
This level of consistency is valuable for both user trust and brand perception. Merchants often use several apps together, and when each one feels like part of Shopify instead of a separate add-on, their overall experience improves dramatically.
From a development standpoint, this also simplifies testing and maintenance. You no longer need to manage different UI libraries for different environments. Shopify handles the heavy lifting behind the scenes, while you focus on the logic that makes your app unique.
Polaris Web Components also integrate better with the latest Shopify development tools like App Bridge and Checkout UI Extensions. Because everything is now standardized at the web platform level, these integrations run more efficiently and require less custom glue code.
In short, this update gives app developers a cleaner starting point. You can use a single component library that works everywhere, loads faster, and stays in sync with Shopify’s own UI updates. It saves time, improves performance, and lets you focus on what really matters — building meaningful features for merchants instead of fighting with dependencies.
7. Migration and Compatibility Tips
Whenever a major framework shift happens, the first question developers ask is — will my existing projects break? The good news is that Shopify has made sure this transition to Web Components is smooth and backward compatible. You don’t have to rebuild everything at once. You can adopt the new Polaris gradually, side by side with your current React setup.
If you’ve built apps or admin extensions using the older React-based Polaris, they’ll continue to work exactly as before. Shopify isn’t deprecating the old version overnight. Instead, it’s encouraging developers to start exploring the new system in phases. This means you can try out the Web Component approach in smaller parts of your app before deciding to fully migrate.
Here’s a simple way to think about migration: treat it as a gradual enhancement, not a rebuild. You can begin by using new components where they fit naturally — such as buttons, badges, or form inputs — and replace older React-based ones over time. Because Web Components are framework-independent, they work perfectly even if the rest of your app still uses React.
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