🚀 Understanding the Shopify Section Rendering API with Code Examples

Shopify’s Section Rendering API is a powerful tool for developers looking to create fast, dynamic user experiences on storefronts. Introduced to help reduce full-page reloads, it allows you to update sections of a page via AJAX, enhancing interactivity and performance.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What the Section Rendering API is
• How it works
• Common use cases
• Code examples (JavaScript + Liquid)
• Real-world implementation tips

🧠 What is the Section Rendering API?

The Section Rendering API lets you fetch and render one or more sections on your Shopify store using AJAX requests. Instead of refreshing the whole page, you can dynamically update parts like the cart drawer, product recommendations, or filtering/sorting results.

Why Use It?

• Better performance (no full-page reloads)
• Smoother UX
• Cleaner code with reusable sections

⚙️ How It Works

The basic URL format to fetch a section:

GET /?sections=section-id-1,section-id-2
        

You can also add query parameters like variant, collection, or others depending on the page context.

The server responds with JSON containing the rendered HTML of each requested section.

📦 Common Use Cases

• Cart drawer updates
• Product variant changes
• Filtering collection pages
• Changing product media
• Language or currency switches

🛠️ Setting Up a Section (Liquid + JavaScript Example)

Let’s say we have a section that displays a product’s price and we want to update it dynamically when a variant changes.

Step 1: Create the Section

sections/product-price.liquid

<div id="ProductPrice-{{ product.id }}">
  <span class="product-price">
    {{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.price | money }}
  </span>
</div>
        

Step 2: Include the Section on Your Product Page

product.liquid or main-product.liquid

{% section 'product-price' %}
        

Step 3: Write JavaScript to Fetch and Update the Section

document.querySelectorAll('input[name="id"]').forEach((radio) => {
  radio.addEventListener('change', function () {
    const variantId = this.value;

    fetch(`/products/${productHandle}?variant=${variantId}&sections=product-price`)
      .then((res) => res.json())
      .then((data) => {
        const updatedHTML = data['product-price'];
        document.getElementById(`ProductPrice-${productId}`).outerHTML = updatedHTML;
      });
  });
});
        

Replace productHandle and productId with their actual values (from Liquid or JavaScript context).

🧪 Real-World Example: Filter Collection Without Reload

Let’s say we want to filter a collection and update only the product grid.

Step 1: Create a Section for the Grid

sections/collection-product-grid.liquid

<div id="CollectionProductGrid">
  {% for product in collection.products %}
    <div class="product-card">
      {{ product.title }}
    </div>
  {% endfor %}
</div>
        

Step 2: JavaScript for AJAX Filtering

const filterForm = document.querySelector('#CollectionFilters');

filterForm.addEventListener('change', () => {
  const formData = new FormData(filterForm);
  const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(formData).toString();

  fetch(`${window.location.pathname}?sections=collection-product-grid&${searchParams}`)
    .then(res => res.json())
    .then(data => {
      document.getElementById('CollectionProductGrid').innerHTML = data['collection-product-grid'];
    });
});
        

📝 Tips and Best Practices

• Use meaningful section IDs: Avoid collisions.
• Minimize section content: Smaller HTML responses = faster updates.
• Use loading indicators for better UX.
• Defer event binding after AJAX updates—reinitialize any JavaScript behavior if needed.
• Avoid full-page context in dynamic sections—stick to data available through query strings or product/variant JSON.

🧩 Debugging Tips

• Use browser DevTools → Network tab → inspect sections request.
• Check for missing keys or mismatched section IDs.
• Add logging to catch JavaScript errors during fetch/render.

🧨 Limitation

• Works only for sections, not blocks
• Cannot update the <head> (e.g., title/meta)
• Only supports public content (can’t access private customer data)

🏁 Final Thoughts

The Shopify Section Rendering API is a game-changer for creating fast, app-like experiences on Shopify stores. Whether you’re updating prices, filtering collections, or building custom carts—understanding and using this API will give your Shopify theme a serious performance boost.

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