Setting Up A Local Environment For Shopify Theme Development
Tags: shopify, shopifydev, beginners, tutorial
Published: 2023-10-26 14:10:15

A local development environment acts as a secure workspace for developers to fine-tune their Shopify themes without the worry of affecting the live store. In this tutorial, we'll explore Shopify CLI, which allows us to effortlessly extract any theme from our Shopify store. 

Follow along to learn to customize Shopify themes within the comfort of your local setup.

## What You'll Learn

- Setup Your Local Development Environment
- Clone Shopify Store’s Theme
- Preview Changes Made To Your Local Code

## Prerequisites

Before you get started, make sure you have the following:

**1. Shopify Partner Account And Shopify Store:** If you want to use a development store to work on a theme, then create or log in to a [Shopify Partner account](https://partners.shopify.com/signup?shpxid=65695602-A6D2-4EFA-24D7-4A732B5BBF96), and then create a development store if you don’t already have one.
If you want to work on an already setup store, make sure you either have a have a [collaborator account](https://shopify.dev/docs/themes/tools/collaborator-accounts) or [staff account](https://help.shopify.com/manual/your-account/staff-accounts) with the **Manage themes** permission or **Themes** permission for that store, or you're the store owner.

**2. Node.js:** Install the latest version of [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download), as it is essential for running the necessary tools for Shopify theme development.

**3. Git:** [Install Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads) to manage version control and easily collaborate with other developers.

**4. Shopify CLI:** Ensure that you have Shopify CLI installed on your system along with everything mentioned in Shopify CLI docs. If you haven't installed it yet, please first refer to the [Shopify CLI documentation](https://shopify.dev/docs/themes/tools/cli/install) for instructions on installation and then you can use the command given below.

```bash
npm install -g @shopify/cli @shopify/theme
```

## Why Local Environment Setup?

Here are some compelling reasons why setting up a local environment is crucial for Shopify theme development:

1. **Enhanced Workflow Efficiency:** Working on a local environment enables faster development cycles and facilitates more efficient collaboration among team members. Developers can swiftly test and implement changes without the delays associated with live deployments.
2. **Minimized Risks And Errors:** Local environments offer a controlled setting for developers to experiment with new features and designs. This reduces the possibility of introducing errors or bugs directly into the live store, ultimately enhancing the overall stability of the platform.
3. **Optimized Theme Customization:** A local development environment empowers developers to customize themes with greater flexibility and precision. It allows for detailed testing of various design elements and functionalities, ensuring an exceptional end-user experience on the live store.

## Setup Your Local Development Environment

Now, let's delve into the step-by-step process of setting up your local development environment for Shopify theme development using Shopify CLI.

### Step 1: Create A Project Folder

Establish a dedicated folder for your project and navigate to it:

```bash
mkdir your-folder-name
cd your-folder-name
```

![Git Bash Commands](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/sbj2a502v2yulovjxu40.png)

### Step 2: Pull Your Store's Theme

Fetch your store's theme to your local system using the following command:

```bash
shopify theme pull --store=your-store-name.myshopify.com
```

- If its your first time running the above command, you will be prompted to log in to Shopify.
- If you have already logged in to your store at least once, you will be directly asked to choose the theme.
- Select the theme of your choice and hit enter so the download can begin.

![Git Bash Commands](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/glhfgneqrki13lesnznw.png)

**Once the theme is downloaded, proceed to the subsequent steps.**

### Step 3: Open Your Code Editor

Launch your preferred code editor and load the project folder you created earlier.

![Folder View in VS Code](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5ihlfhjiqbl1r0r03x5g.png)

You can see all the files that were present in your store’s theme are now available in your local folder.

### Step 4: Initialize Theme Development

Execute the subsequent command in your code editor's terminal (ensure you're in your project directory):

```bash
shopify theme dev
```

<aside>
💡 This command will create a development theme, enabling you to make modifications locally without impacting your live store.

</aside>

![Git Bash Commands](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7qqd4ij4jkyfjauqqg70.png)

### Step 5: Preview Development Theme In Local Environment

After you run `shopify theme dev` , you can interact with your theme in browser. Shopify CLI uploads the theme as a development theme on the store.

The command returns a URL that hot reloads local changes allowing you to preview changes in real time using the store's data. 

You can navigate to `http://127.0.0.1:9292` to open the theme preview in your browser.

![Shopify Theme Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2psgzqbioo8m0oxzndzq.png)

### Step 6: Preview Changes Made In Your Local Code

Feel free to modify the code of your development theme and preview the changes in real-time. Lets say, you might want to adjust the text displayed in your store's announcement bar.

As shown in the image below, I've updated the text in the announcement bar within my local environment, while my live theme remains unaffected. 

![Shopify Theme Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/xb0yb5qtytfitrt9foyx.png)

<aside>
💡 Now you can make changes, preview them and when you're satisfied with your changes, you can seamlessly push them to your GitHub repository and subsequently deploy them to your live store.

</aside>

## Conclusion

Setting up a local environment for Shopify theme development lays the foundation for a streamlined and error-free development process. This setup ensures that your customers enjoy an exceptional shopping experience on your Shopify store while allowing you to seamlessly make and review alterations before deploying them live.

For more Shopify tips and tricks, feel free to connect with me.
LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/quratulain](https://www.linkedin.com/in/quratulain-shoro-7792721a4/)
GitHub: [https://github.com/QuratAin](https://github.com/QuratAin)