We’re often asked when to evolve to Shopify Plus and whether a headless ecommerce solution is needed. The short answer - it depends on the scale and complexity of your operations.
Headless ecommerce is a powerful solution for fast-growing and international brands needing agility, performance, and custom front-end experiences beyond Shopify’s default Liquid-based themes.
Shopify's headless solution, **Hydrogen & Oxygen**, has evolved significantly since its launch. This article covers its **original features**, **recent updates**, and whether investing in headless is the right move for your brand.
What is Shopify Hydrogen & Oxygen?
Ecommerce development is continuously evolving, and Shopify Hydrogen & Oxygen provide a **React-based framework and global hosting solution** for **headless commerce** on Shopify Plus.
- **Shopify Hydrogen** - A React framework that allows developers to build custom storefronts with Shopify's **Storefront API**.
- **Shopify Oxygen** - Shopify's **global hosting** infrastructure designed to host Hydrogen-built storefronts directly on Shopify.
This combination enables brands to separate their front-end and back-end operations, providing better performance, control, and flexibility in how they present their store to customers.
Shopify Hydrogen: Custom storefronts with React
Shopify Hydrogen was launched to **help developers build custom storefronts** using React instead of Shopify’s traditional Liquid templating language.
Core features of Hydrogen (2022-2023)
- **React-based front-end framework** - Allows for **fully custom storefronts**.
- **Pre-built Shopify components** - Includes shopping carts, product galleries, and checkout flows.
- **API-driven data fetching** - Pulls in real-time Shopify product, inventory, and customer data.
- **Virtual DOM for better performance** - Only updates necessary page elements.
Hydrogen was Shopify’s solution to **headless complexity** – making React-based commerce **faster, more integrated**, and **more manageable for brands** without requiring extensive custom API work.
Hydrogen updates and new features (2024-2025)
- April 2024: **Hydrogen 2.0 release** - Performance improvements, better caching, and an updated developer experience.
- June 2024: **Native Shopify Checkout integration** - Hydrogen storefronts now support Shopify's built-in checkout without custom API work.
- October 2024: **Improved domain routing** - Hydrogen stores now support multiple domains per storefront for international selling.
These updates have helped Hydrogen become a **more scalable, secure, and Shopify-native** solution for brands looking to go headless.
Shopify Oxygen: Global hosting for Hydrogen stores
One of the biggest challenges with **headless commerce** has traditionally been **hosting**. Shopify solved this by introducing **Oxygen**, allowing merchants to host their **Hydrogen storefronts directly on Shopify**.
Core features of Oxygen (2022-2023)
- **Shopify-hosted** - No need for third-party hosting (e.g., Vercel, Netlify).
- **Global CDN (100+ locations)** - Ensures fast page loads worldwide.
- **Native security & performance optimisations** - Shopify handles security patches and speed improvements.
Oxygen updates and new features (2024-2025)
- February 2024: **Expanded hosting regions** - Shopify Oxygen now supports more regions for even faster global delivery.
- August 2024: **Automatic scaling improvements** - Shopify Oxygen can now auto-scale Hydrogen storefronts during peak demand.
- December 2024: **Deeper Shopify Plus integrations** - Better syncing between headless storefronts and Shopify's back-end.
These improvements mean Shopify **fully supports headless commerce** without requiring merchants to rely on external hosting providers.
Is Shopify Hydrogen & Oxygen right for your brand?
Hydrogen & Oxygen are ideal for brands that:
- Need **highly custom frontend experiences** beyond Shopify themes.
- Operate in **multiple regions** and require **advanced international selling capabilities**.
- Want **faster page speeds and improved SEO** for their Shopify storefront.
However, **headless commerce is not for everyone**. It requires **significant development investment**, and Shopify's default theme-based approach is often enough for many merchants.
Final thoughts
Shopify Hydrogen & Oxygen have matured significantly since their launch. Shopify has addressed **checkout limitations, domain routing issues, and performance scaling**, making headless **more accessible and efficient for larger brands**.
If you’re considering headless but are not quite ready, check out our Carbon theme – a high-performance Shopify theme built for growth.
Need help deciding between Shopify Plus and headless? Get in touch to discuss the best setup for your brand.