How to Tell if a Website Is Built on Shopify (2026 Guide)

Q: How can I tell if a website uses Shopify?

The fastest way is to scan the URL with Web Reveal—a free tool that detects Shopify and the full tech stack of any website in seconds. Manual signs include a window.Shopify JavaScript object, /cdn.shopify.com/ URLs in the page source, and /cart, /collections, and /products URL patterns.

Q: What is the Shopify CDN and why does it reveal Shopify?

Shopify hosts theme assets, images, and JavaScript files on its CDN at cdn.shopify.com. When a page's HTML contains URLs with cdn.shopify.com, it is a definitive indicator that the site runs on Shopify.

Q: Can a Shopify store hide that it uses Shopify?

It is very difficult to hide Shopify completely. While you can use a custom domain, Shopify's CDN URLs, JavaScript globals, and URL patterns are embedded in the Shopify platform itself and cannot be removed by store owners. Advanced headless Shopify setups that use a custom front end can reduce some signals.

Why Detect Shopify?

Identifying that a website runs on Shopify is valuable for many professionals:

Shopify app developers: Find merchants to target for app installs or outreach.
E-commerce agencies: Identify potential clients on Shopify for redesign, optimisation, or migration pitches.
Competitive research: Understand whether a competitor runs their store on Shopify and what apps and themes they use.
Investors and analysts: Estimate the size of Shopify's merchant base or identify companies within a specific vertical.
Security researchers: Find Shopify stores running outdated apps with known vulnerabilities.

Fastest Method: Free Scanner Tool

The quickest way to confirm a website uses Shopify is to use Web Reveal—a free technology scanner that performs live analysis and detects Shopify along with the full technology stack of any URL. No account required.

Enter the store's URL on the Web Reveal homepage and you'll see a comprehensive result within seconds, including the e-commerce platform, active Shopify apps (where detectable), CDN, and analytics tools.

The Web Reveal Chrome extension detects Shopify automatically while you browse, showing the result in the browser toolbar without needing to visit the Web Reveal site.

Shopify CDN URLs

The most reliable manual signal for identifying Shopify is the presence of URLs from Shopify's CDN in the page's HTML. Shopify hosts all theme assets, product images, and JavaScript on its global CDN at:

cdn.shopify.com – Main Shopify CDN domain
shopify.com/s/ – Short URL format for Shopify assets

Press Ctrl+U (or Cmd+U on Mac) to view page source, then search for cdn.shopify.com. If it appears anywhere in the HTML, the site is a Shopify store.

Example URL: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0123/4567/t/2/assets/theme.css?v=12345678

JavaScript Globals and Variables

Shopify injects several JavaScript global variables into every page. Open the browser console (F12 → Console) and check for:

window.Shopify – A global Shopify object present on all Shopify storefronts. If this returns an object, the site is a Shopify store.
window.Shopify.shop – Returns the store's myshopify.com subdomain (e.g., my-store.myshopify.com), confirming Shopify even when a custom domain is used.
ShopifyAnalytics – Another Shopify-specific global used for analytics tracking.
window.ShopifyBuy – Present on sites using the Shopify Buy Button widget.

Typing window.Shopify in the browser console is one of the most definitive ways to confirm a Shopify store.

Shopify URL Patterns

Shopify stores follow distinctive URL structures for their standard pages. Look for these patterns in the site's navigation and links:

/cart – The shopping cart page
/collections/all or /collections/[collection-name] – Product collection pages
/products/[product-handle] – Individual product pages
/account – Customer account login/dashboard
/checkout – Shopify's hosted checkout (hosted on checkout.shopify.com)
/pages/[page-handle] – Static content pages
/blogs/[blog-handle]/[article-handle] – Blog posts

The checkout URL is particularly telling—Shopify's checkout is served from its own domain (checkout.shopify.com) regardless of the store's custom domain, which is unmistakable.

HTML Source Signals

Generator meta tag

Many Shopify themes include a generator meta tag:

<meta name="generator" content="Shopify" />

Search for generator in the page source to find this tag.

Shopify theme data

Shopify themes inject a <script> block with theme and product data as a JSON object. Look in the page source for patterns like:

"Shopify": in script blocks
Shopify.theme data blocks
Script tags loading from cdn.shopify.com/shopifycloud/

myshopify.com subdomain

Every Shopify store has a permanent myshopify.com subdomain (e.g., store-name.myshopify.com). This subdomain is used internally and sometimes appears in canonical URLs, redirects, or JavaScript variables even when the store uses a custom domain.

HTTP Response Headers

HTTP headers can also confirm Shopify. Open browser developer tools (F12 → Network tab), reload the page, and inspect the Response Headers for:

X-ShopId: – A Shopify-specific header containing the store's internal ID.
X-Shopify-Stage: – Confirms Shopify infrastructure.
Server: Shopify – Some Shopify responses include this server header.
Set-Cookie: _shopify_s= – Shopify session cookies are a reliable indicator.

Headless Shopify and Custom Frontends

Some larger brands use Shopify in a headless configuration—where the store's front end is built with a custom React, Next.js, or other framework, communicating with Shopify only through its Storefront API or GraphQL API. In headless setups:

The window.Shopify global may not be present on the front end
CDN URLs may not reference cdn.shopify.com
Standard Shopify URL patterns may be replaced with custom routes

However, even headless Shopify stores typically redirect to checkout.shopify.com at checkout, which is often the most reliable signal in these edge cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if a website uses Shopify?

The fastest way is to scan the URL with Web Reveal. Manually, check for cdn.shopify.com URLs in the page source, or type window.Shopify in the browser console—if it returns an object, the site runs on Shopify.

What is the Shopify CDN and why does it reveal Shopify?

Shopify serves all theme assets, product images, and JavaScript files from its CDN at cdn.shopify.com. URLs referencing this domain in a page's HTML are a definitive indicator of a Shopify storefront.

Can a Shopify store hide that it uses Shopify?

Complete concealment is very difficult. While a custom domain hides the myshopify.com URL, Shopify's CDN URLs, JavaScript globals, and checkout domain are deeply embedded in the platform and cannot be removed by store owners. Only advanced headless setups with a fully custom frontend can significantly reduce external signals.

Is Shopify the most popular e-commerce platform?

As of 2026, Shopify is the most widely used hosted e-commerce platform globally. WooCommerce (a WordPress plugin) remains the most popular overall when counting self-hosted solutions, but Shopify leads among dedicated hosted platforms.