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Senior web & app development · 20 capabilities
oakstone.digital
Websites & commerce / capability

Plugin & Shopify app development
instead of another workaround.

The custom extension your platform is missing, built properly instead of bolted on.

This is for you if
  • You pay for several apps to achieve one outcome
  • An off-the-shelf plugin does 80% of the job and blocks the rest
  • Third-party apps have slowed your storefront measurably
A sharper way forward

The work should
change the numbers.

Tools we reach for
Shopify App BridgeRemixGraphQL Admin APIWordPress hooksPHPTypeScriptNode.js

There is a point where the app store stops helping. You are paying four subscriptions to approximate one workflow, each with its own admin, each writing to the storefront in its own way, and the combined performance cost is measurable on every page load.

Custom extension work replaces that pile with one thing that does exactly what you need. Built to the platform’s own conventions, it survives core updates, respects the theme, and can be handed to another developer without an apology.

We build private plugins and apps for single businesses, and public ones for teams who want to sell into a marketplace — including the review, billing and support scaffolding that comes with distribution.

What's included

What the engagement
actually contains.

01

Requirement shaping

The workflow written down properly, with edge cases named before code exists.

02

Platform-native architecture

Hooks, extensions, app blocks and APIs used the way the platform intends, so upgrades stay boring.

03

Admin experience

Settings and reporting screens built for the person who will use them daily, not the person who commissioned them.

04

Performance discipline

Storefront impact measured, scripts deferred, and nothing loaded on pages that do not need it.

05

Distribution readiness

For public apps: billing, OAuth, webhooks, GDPR endpoints and review-guideline compliance.

06

Tests and documentation

Automated coverage on the logic that matters plus a README your next developer will thank you for.

What you get
  • Source code in your repository under your licence
  • Deployed plugin or app in your environment
  • Admin interface and configuration
  • Automated test suite
  • Technical and user documentation
  • App store submission package where relevant
Signals it is time
  • You pay for several apps to achieve one outcome
  • An off-the-shelf plugin does 80% of the job and blocks the rest
  • Third-party apps have slowed your storefront measurably
  • You want to productise something your team built internally
Common mistakes we fix

What usually went wrong
before we were called.

  • 01Patching core behaviour instead of using documented extension points
  • 02Loading scripts on every page when only one template needs them
  • 03Building a public app architecture for a single private store
  • 04Shipping without an admin screen the client can actually operate
How we measure it
  • Storefront performance impact
  • App subscriptions retired
  • Support tickets on the workflow
  • Time to configure without a developer
Typical timeline

3–6 weeks private; 8–12 weeks for a public marketplace app

Practicalities

What week one
actually looks like.

First week

The workflow written down properly, including the edge cases nobody mentions in the brief, and a decision on private versus public architecture before any code exists.

What we need from you
  • Staging environment access
  • A subject-matter owner for the workflow
  • Existing app subscriptions to be replaced
  • Store or marketplace account, for public apps
Not included
  • Marketing the app in a marketplace
  • Ongoing customer support for public apps
  • Redesigning the surrounding theme
  • Platform licence costs

Scope boundaries stated up front rather than discovered in a change request.

How the work runs

Four stages, visible throughout.

01

Diagnose

Analytics, search data, sales conversations and a technical audit read together, so the brief is based on evidence rather than opinion.

02

Structure

Message hierarchy, page architecture and URL plan agreed before design starts — the decisions that are expensive to change later.

03

Build

A component system engineered by seniors, with technical SEO, accessibility and performance handled as we go rather than bolted on.

04

Prove

Staged launch, redirect and coverage monitoring, and conversion measured against the baseline we took before starting.

Questions buyers actually ask

Plugin & Shopify app development, answered.

Private (custom) apps are faster to build and ship because they skip the review process and multi-tenant billing. Public apps make sense when you intend to sell the tool or install it across many stores. The architecture differs enough that it is worth deciding before development starts.

If it is built on documented extension points, yes. Most upgrade pain comes from plugins that patched core behaviour instead of hooking into it. We stay inside supported APIs and pin the review of breaking-change notices into your maintenance retainer.

Often. We start with a short code audit and a written verdict: extend, refactor or rewrite. You get the reasoning and the estimate before committing to either path.

A better brief starts here

Make plugin & shopify app development useful.

Bring us the hard thing. We will bring a point of view, a senior team and a clear next step.

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