Aneesh . 6 minutes

April 28, 2025

Unleashing the Power of BigCommerce Storefront API in Headless Architecture

Ever found yourself feeling constrained by traditional e-commerce platforms?

You’re not alone. As brands push for more unique digital experiences, the limitations of conventional storefronts become increasingly apparent. That’s where headless commerce architecture comes in, specifically BigCommerce’s Storefront API.

As someone who’s implemented dozens of headless BigCommerce solutions, we’ve seen firsthand how this approach can transform businesses.

Let’s dive into how you can harness this powerful API to create exceptional customer experiences.

What is BigCommerce Storefront API?

The BigCommerce Storefront API is a GraphQL-based API that allows developers to access store data for creating custom shopping experiences. Unlike the older REST APIs, this GraphQL implementation gives you precise control over what data you retrieve, making your applications faster and more efficient.

Think of it as having direct access to your store’s engine, allowing you to build any interface you want on top of BigCommerce’s robust commerce platform.

Key Features:

GraphQL Implementation: Request exactly the data you need, nothing more
Real-time Data: Access up-to-date product, customer, and order information
Customization: Build unique frontend experiences with any technology
Performance: Optimize API calls for faster loading times

Pro-tip: When starting with BigCommerce’s Storefront API, invest time in learning GraphQL fundamentals. This will dramatically improve your query efficiency and application performance.

Why Go Headless with BigCommerce?

Before implementing, let’s understand why you might choose a headless approach with BigCommerce.

Traditional e-commerce platforms bundle the front-end (what customers see) with the back-end (the commerce engine). Headless architecture separates these, giving you:

Creative Freedom: Build your storefront with any front-end technology (React, Vue, Next.js, etc.)
Omnichannel Capabilities: Deploy to web, mobile apps, kiosks, voice assistants, and more from a single back-end
Performance Optimization: Create lightning-fast experiences with modern front-end frameworks
Future-Proofing: Adopt new technologies without rebuilding your entire commerce platform

Is your e-commerce platform holding you back?

Talk to our experts

Setting Up Your Headless BigCommerce Environment

Let’s get practical. Here’s how to set up your development environment for working with the BigCommerce Storefront API.

Step 1: Create a BigCommerce Store and Generate API Credentials

Sign up for a BigCommerce account
Navigate to Advanced Settings > API Accounts
Create a Storefront API Token with appropriate scopes

// Example of storing your credentials (in a secure environment variable)
const STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN = process.env.STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN;
const STORE_HASH = process.env.STORE_HASH;

// Example of storing your credentials (in a secure environment variable)

const STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN = process.env.STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN;

const STORE_HASH = process.env.STORE_HASH;

Step 2: Choose Your Front-end Technology

While you can use any frontend technology, these are particularly well-suited for headless commerce:

Framework	Pros	Cons	Ideal For
Next.js	SEO-friendly, SSR support	Steeper learning curve	Content-heavy stores
React	Component reusability, large ecosystem	Requires additional SEO work	Custom interfaces
Vue.js	Easy to learn, lightweight	Smaller ecosystem than React	Smaller projects
Gatsby	Performance, static generation	Build times can be long	Catalog-focused sites

At 2HatsLogic, we’ve found Next.js to be the most versatile choice for most headless BigCommerce projects due to its hybrid rendering capabilities.

Step 3: Install Required Dependencies

# For a Next.js project
npm init
npm install next react react-dom graphql graphql-request

# For a Next.js project

npm init

npm install next react react-dom graphql graphql-request

Step 4: Create Your First GraphQL Query

import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request';

// Create a GraphQL client
const client = new GraphQLClient(
  `https://store-${STORE_HASH}.mybigcommerce.com/graphql`, 
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN}`
    },
  }
);

// Example query to fetch products
const PRODUCTS_QUERY = `
  query {
    site {
      products (first: 10) {
        edges {
          node {
            name
            sku
            path
            prices {
              price {
                value
                currencyCode
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

// Function to fetch products
async function fetchProducts() {
  const data = await client.request(PRODUCTS_QUERY);
  return data.site.products.edges;
}

import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request';

// Create a GraphQL client

const client = new GraphQLClient(

`https://store-${STORE_HASH}.mybigcommerce.com/graphql`,

{

headers: {

'Authorization': `Bearer ${STOREFRONT_API_TOKEN}`

}

);

// Example query to fetch products

const PRODUCTS_QUERY = `

query {

site {

products (first: 10) {

edges {

node {

name

sku

path

prices {

price {

value

currencyCode

}

// Function to fetch products

async function fetchProducts() {

const data = await client.request(PRODUCTS_QUERY);

return data.site.products.edges;

}

Need expert guidance on implementing headless commerce?

Building Core E-commerce Functionality

Once your environment is set up, you’ll need to implement essential e-commerce functionality using the Storefront API.

Product Catalog Implementation

The heart of any e-commerce site is its product catalog. Here’s how to build a robust catalog with the Storefront API:

// Query for a product catalog with filtering and pagination
const CATALOG_QUERY = `
  query CatalogProducts($categoryId: Int, $first: Int!, $after: String) {
    site {
      category(entityId: $categoryId) {
        name
        products(first: $first, after: $after) {
          pageInfo {
            hasNextPage
            endCursor
          }
          edges {
            node {
              entityId
              name
              path
              defaultImage {
                url(width: 300)
                altText
              }
              prices {
                price {
                  value
                  currencyCode
                }
                salePrice {
                  value
                  currencyCode
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

// Query for a product catalog with filtering and pagination

const CATALOG_QUERY = `

query CatalogProducts($categoryId: Int, $first: Int!, $after: String) {

site {

category(entityId: $categoryId) {

name

products(first: $first, after: $after) {

pageInfo {

hasNextPage

endCursor

}

edges {

node {

entityId

name

path

defaultImage {

url(width: 300)

altText

}

prices {

price {

value

currencyCode

}

salePrice {

value

currencyCode

}

For better performance, consider:

Implementing pagination to load products as users need them
Using image optimization with the width parameter
Caching frequent queries with a solution like Redis

Shopping Cart Functionality

The cart is where the Storefront API shines compared to traditional implementations:

// Add to cart mutation
const ADD_TO_CART = `
  mutation AddToCart($productId: Int!, $variantId: Int!, $quantity: Int!) {
    cart {
      addCartLineItems(
        input: {
          cartLineItems: [
            {
              quantity: $quantity
              productEntityId: $productId
              variantEntityId: $variantId
            }
          ]
        }
      ) {
        cart {
          id
          lineItems {
            physicalItems {
              name
              quantity
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

// Add to cart mutation

const ADD_TO_CART = `

mutation AddToCart($productId: Int!, $variantId: Int!, $quantity: Int!) {

cart {

addCartLineItems(

input: {

cartLineItems: [

{

quantity: $quantity

productEntityId: $productId

variantEntityId: $variantId

}

]

}

) {

cart {

lineItems {

physicalItems {

name

quantity

}

Line breaks make content easier to digest, especially technical content.

Let’s add another useful feature:

Implementing Real-time Inventory Updates

One advantage of headless architecture is the ability to display real-time inventory information:

const INVENTORY_QUERY = `
  query ProductInventory($productId: Int!) {
    site {
      product(entityId: $productId) {
        inventory {
          isInStock
          aggregated {
            availableToSell
          }
        }
        variants {
          edges {
            node {
              entityId
              inventory {
                isInStock
                aggregated {
                  availableToSell
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

const INVENTORY_QUERY = `

query ProductInventory($productId: Int!) {

site {

product(entityId: $productId) {

inventory {

isInStock

aggregated {

availableToSell

}

variants {

edges {

node {

entityId

inventory {

isInStock

aggregated {

availableToSell

}

Pro tip: For high-traffic sites, implement a caching layer for inventory data with a short TTL (Time To Live) of 1-2 minutes. This provides near-real-time inventory while reducing API load.

Transform your e-commerce performance with a headless approach.

Advanced Implementation Strategies

Once you’ve mastered the basics, these advanced techniques will elevate your headless implementation:

1. Custom Checkout Experience

While BigCommerce provides an embedded checkout option, building a custom checkout with the Storefront API gives you complete control:

// Initialize checkout
const CHECKOUT_MUTATION = `
  mutation CreateCheckout($cartId: String!) {
    checkout {
      createCheckout(input: { cartId: $cartId }) {
        checkout {
          id
          webUrl
        }
        checkoutMutationError {
          code
          message
        }
      }
    }
  }
`;

// Initialize checkout

const CHECKOUT_MUTATION = `

mutation CreateCheckout($cartId: String!) {

checkout {

createCheckout(input: { cartId: $cartId }) {

checkout {

webUrl

}

checkoutMutationError {

code

message

}

Remember that handling payment security is critical. Consider using BigCommerce’s hosted payment components even within your custom checkout.

2. Content + Commerce Integration

A major benefit of headless architecture is the ability to integrate content seamlessly:

Common content integration patterns include:

Content-enriched product pages: Combine product data from BigCommerce with marketing content from your CMS
Shoppable blog posts: Add shopping functionality directly to content pages
Unified search: Search across products and content simultaneously

3. Performance Optimization Techniques

Headless implementations can be blazing fast with these optimizations:

Implement ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) with Next.js for product pages
Use edge caching for API responses
Optimize images using modern formats and lazy loading
Employ GraphQL fragments to reuse common query parts

Ready to optimize your e-commerce performance?

Let 2Hats Logic help you!

Common Challenges and Solutions

Implementing a headless architecture with BigCommerce Storefront API isn’t without challenges. Here are solutions to the most common issues:

Challenge 1: Managing Cart State Across Devices

Solution: Implement a hybrid cart approach:

// Function to merge anonymous cart with user cart after login
async function mergeCartsAfterLogin(anonymousCartId, userToken) {
  const mergeResult = await client.request(MERGE_CARTS_MUTATION, {
    anonymousCartId,
    userToken
  });
  
  return mergeResult.cart.id;
}

// Function to merge anonymous cart with user cart after login

async function mergeCartsAfterLogin(anonymousCartId, userToken) {

const mergeResult = await client.request(MERGE_CARTS_MUTATION, {

anonymousCartId,

userToken

});

return mergeResult.cart.id;

}

Challenge 2: SEO Management

Solution: Implement server-side rendering for critical pages and utilize structured data:

// Product structured data example
function generateProductJsonLd(product) {
  return {
    '@context': 'https://schema.org/',
    '@type': 'Product',
    name: product.name,
    image: product.images.map(img => img.url),
    description: product.description,
    sku: product.sku,
    offers: {
      '@type': 'Offer',
      url: `https://yourdomain.com/products/${product.slug}`,
      priceCurrency: product.price.currencyCode,
      price: product.price.value,
      availability: product.inventory.isInStock 
        ? 'https://schema.org/InStock' 
        : 'https://schema.org/OutOfStock'
    }
  };
}

// Product structured data example

function generateProductJsonLd(product) {

return {

'@context': 'https://schema.org/',

'@type': 'Product',

name: product.name,

image: product.images.map(img => img.url),

description: product.description,

sku: product.sku,

offers: {

'@type': 'Offer',

url: `https://yourdomain.com/products/${product.slug}`,

priceCurrency: product.price.currencyCode,

price: product.price.value,

availability: product.inventory.isInStock

? 'https://schema.org/InStock'

: 'https://schema.org/OutOfStock'

}

};

}

Challenge 3: Managing Complex Product Options

Solution: Build a dedicated product options selector component:

// React component for handling product options (simplified)
function ProductOptionsSelector({ product, onVariantSelect }) {
  const [selectedOptions, setSelectedOptions] = useState({});
  
  useEffect(() => {
    // Find matching variant based on selected options
    const matchedVariant = findMatchingVariant(product, selectedOptions);
    if (matchedVariant) {
      onVariantSelect(matchedVariant);
    }
  }, [selectedOptions]);
  
  return (
    <div className="product-options">
      {product.options.map(option => (
        <div key={option.id} className="option-group">
          <h4>{option.displayName}</h4>
          <div className="option-values">
            {option.values.map(value => (
              <button
                key={value.id}
                className={selectedOptions[option.id] === value.id ? 'selected' : ''}
                onClick={() => setSelectedOptions({
                  ...selectedOptions,
                  [option.id]: value.id
                })}
              >
                {value.label}
              </button>
            ))}
          </div>
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

// React component for handling product options (simplified)

function ProductOptionsSelector({ product, onVariantSelect }) {

const [selectedOptions, setSelectedOptions] = useState({});

useEffect(() => {

// Find matching variant based on selected options

const matchedVariant = findMatchingVariant(product, selectedOptions);

if (matchedVariant) {

onVariantSelect(matchedVariant);

}

}, [selectedOptions]);

return (

{product.options.map(option => (

<h4>{option.displayName}</h4>

{option.values.map(value => (

<button

key={value.id}

className={selectedOptions[option.id] === value.id ? 'selected' : ''}

onClick={() => setSelectedOptions({

...selectedOptions,

[option.id]: value.id

})}

{value.label}

</button>

))}

</div>

))}

</div>

);

}

Future-Proofing Your Headless Architecture

The e-commerce landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Here’s how to ensure your headless implementation remains cutting-edge:

1. Embrace Composable Commerce

Beyond headless, consider moving toward a fully composable approach where you select best-of-breed solutions for each commerce function.

2. Implement Progressive Web App (PWA) Capabilities

Enhance your headless storefront with PWA features:

// next.config.js example for PWA configuration
const withPWA = require('next-pwa');

module.exports = withPWA({
  pwa: {
    dest: 'public',
    register: true,
    skipWaiting: true,
  }
});

// next.config.js example for PWA configuration

const withPWA = require('next-pwa');

module.exports = withPWA({

pwa: {

dest: 'public',

skipWaiting: true,

}

});

3. Prepare for Web3 and Emerging Technologies

The Storefront API architecture makes it easier to integrate with emerging technologies:

NFT ownership verification for exclusive products
AR product visualization using mobile devices
Voice commerce integration

Want to stay ahead of e-commerce trends?

Partner with 2Hats Logic for solutions!

Conclusion

Implementing BigCommerce’s Storefront API in a headless architecture opens up incredible possibilities for creating unique, high-performance shopping experiences.

By separating your frontend from the commerce engine, you gain the flexibility to innovate while leveraging BigCommerce’s robust commerce capabilities.

At 2HatsLogic, we’ve helped numerous businesses transform their digital commerce with headless architecture.

Our expertise in BigCommerce’s Storefront API, combined with modern frontend technologies, allows us to create exceptional shopping experiences. Contact 2HatsLogic today to discuss your headless commerce project!

FAQ

What is the difference between BigCommerce's Storefront API and its REST API?

The Storefront API uses GraphQL, allowing you to request exactly the data you need in a single call. The REST API requires multiple endpoints for complex operations and returns fixed data structures. For headless implementations, the Storefront API typically offers better performance and flexibility.

Can I use BigCommerce's Storefront API with any front-end framework?

Yes, the Storefront API is framework-agnostic. While popular choices include React, Vue, and Angular, you can use any JavaScript framework or even native mobile development platforms.

How does the Storefront API handle product variants?

The Storefront API provides robust support for variants through its product options structure. You can query available options, their values, and corresponding variant data, including inventory and pricing.

Is it possible to use BigCommerce's checkout with a custom storefront?

Yes, BigCommerce offers an embedded checkout option that you can use with your headless storefront. Alternatively, you can build a completely custom checkout experience using the Storefront API.

What is BigCommerce Storefront API?
Why Go Headless with BigCommerce?
Setting Up Your Headless BigCommerce Environment
Building Core E-commerce Functionality
Common Challenges and Solutions

Greetings! I'm Aneesh Sreedharan, CEO of 2Hats Logic Solutions. At 2Hats Logic Solutions, we are dedicated to providing technical expertise and resolving your concerns in the world of technology. Our blog page serves as a resource where we share insights and experiences, offering valuable perspectives on your queries.