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Shopify Performance Optimization

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

Web-search site:shopify.dev theme performance for theme optimization
Web-search site:shopify.dev hydrogen caching for Hydrogen caching strategies
Web-search site:web.dev core web vitals for current CWV guidelines and thresholds
Web-search site:shopify.dev image optimization cdn for image URL transforms
Web-search site:shopify.dev theme speed report for Shopify's built-in speed metrics

Liquid Rendering Performance

Template Optimization

Minimize Liquid logic — complex loops and conditionals slow server-side rendering
Use {% render %} (not {% include %}) — isolated scope prevents variable conflicts
Avoid nested loops — O(n²) in Liquid is expensive
Limit forloop iterations with limit: parameter
Pre-compute values with {% assign %} instead of repeating expressions

Object Access

Access specific properties: {{ product.title }} not {{ product | json }}
Avoid all_products[handle] in loops — each is a separate data lookup
Use section settings to pass data instead of global lookups
Minimize use of {{ content_for_header }} scripts (managed by Shopify — cannot remove, but minimize additional scripts)

Liquid Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It's Slow	Better Approach
Nested `for` loops	O(n²) rendering	Flatten data, use single loop
`all_products[handle]` in loop	Data fetch per iteration	Pass products via section settings
`{% include %}` with variables	Shared scope causes conflicts	Use `{% render %}` (isolated)
Complex `{% if %}` chains	Evaluated every render	Simplify conditions, use `{% case %}`
Unused sections in templates	Rendered even if hidden	Remove from JSON template

Asset Optimization

CSS

Minimize CSS — remove unused styles
Use {{ 'style.css' | asset_url | stylesheet_tag }} for proper caching
Critical CSS: inline above-the-fold styles in <head>
Defer non-critical CSS: media="print" onload="this.media='all'"

JavaScript

Defer non-critical JS: <script defer> or dynamic import()
Minimize JS bundles — Shopify themes don't need frameworks for most UI
Use native browser APIs over jQuery
Load third-party scripts asynchronously (async attribute)
Avoid render-blocking scripts in <head>

Images

Shopify CDN image optimization:

# Responsive images with srcset
{{ image | image_url: width: 800 }}
{{ image | image_url: width: 400 }}

# Srcset pattern
<img
  srcset="{{ image | image_url: width: 400 }} 400w,
         {{ image | image_url: width: 800 }} 800w,
         {{ image | image_url: width: 1200 }} 1200w"
  sizes="(max-width: 600px) 400px, (max-width: 1000px) 800px, 1200px"
  src="{{ image | image_url: width: 800 }}"
  alt="{{ image.alt }}"
  loading="lazy"
  width="{{ image.width }}"
  height="{{ image.height }}"
>

Key image practices:

Use loading="lazy" for below-the-fold images
Use fetchpriority="high" for LCP image
Set explicit width and height to prevent layout shift
Shopify CDN automatically serves WebP/AVIF when supported
URL parameters: ?width=, ?height=, ?crop=, ?format=

Fetch live docs: Web-search site:shopify.dev image_url filter parameters for current CDN transform options — new parameters are added over time.

Core Web Vitals

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

Target: < 2.5 seconds

Preload hero/LCP image: <link rel="preload" as="image" href="{{ image | image_url: width: 1200 }}">
Use fetchpriority="high" on LCP image
Avoid lazy-loading above-the-fold images
Minimize render-blocking CSS and JS
Use server-side rendering (Liquid or Hydrogen SSR)

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Target: < 0.1

Set explicit width and height on all images and media
Reserve space for dynamic content (ads, embeds, lazy-loaded images)
Avoid inserting content above existing content after page load
Use aspect-ratio CSS property for responsive media containers
Avoid dynamically injected banners or pop-ups that shift content

INP (Interaction to Next Paint)

Target: < 200ms

Minimize main-thread blocking JavaScript
Break up long tasks with requestIdleCallback or setTimeout(fn, 0)
Use CSS for animations and transitions (not JS)
Debounce event handlers (scroll, resize, input)
Avoid synchronous layout thrashing (read-then-write DOM patterns)

Fetch live docs: CWV thresholds and measurement methodology evolve. Web-search site:web.dev core web vitals thresholds for current targets.

Hydrogen Caching

Cache Strategies

// Pattern: apply cache strategy to storefront query
const data = await storefront.query(QUERY, {
  cache: CacheLong(),  // products, collections
});

const cart = await storefront.query(CART_QUERY, {
  cache: CacheShort(), // dynamic data
});

Strategy	Use For
`CacheLong()`	Products, collections, pages
`CacheShort()`	Cart, personalized content
`CacheNone()`	Customer-specific data
`CacheCustom({...})`	Fine-tuned scenarios

Fetch live docs for exact TTL values — Hydrogen caching defaults may change across versions.

Streaming SSR

Use defer() in loaders for non-critical data
Critical data renders immediately, deferred data streams in
Show loading states with <Suspense> + <Await>
Preload routes with <Link prefetch="intent">

Shopify CDN

Shopify's global CDN:

Automatic for all theme assets and images
Cache-Control headers managed by Shopify
Image transformations via URL parameters
No manual CDN configuration needed for themes
Asset fingerprinting for cache busting

Measurement Tools

Tool	What It Measures
Shopify Theme Speed Report	Overall theme score in admin
Google Lighthouse	CWV + performance audit
WebPageTest	Real-world loading waterfall
Chrome DevTools Performance	JS profiling, layout shifts
Search Console CWV Report	Field data from real users

Best Practices

Measure before optimizing — use Lighthouse, WebPageTest, Shopify's theme speed report
Focus on LCP image optimization first (biggest impact for most stores)
Lazy-load everything below the fold
Minimize third-party scripts (analytics, chat widgets, social embeds)
Use Shopify's built-in analytics over custom tracking scripts where possible
For Hydrogen: cache aggressively, stream non-critical data, preload routes
Test on real devices and slow connections (3G throttling)
Set explicit dimensions on all media to prevent CLS
Use font-display: swap for custom fonts

Fetch the Shopify performance documentation, Core Web Vitals guides, and Hydrogen caching docs for exact optimization techniques and current best practices before implementing.