Shopify’s latest developer update adds a simple yet powerful way to know exactly which published build of your POS UI extension is running on a merchant’s device. The new shopify.extension.version field surfaces the opaque version name you see on the Versions page in the Dev Dashboard and when you run shopify app deploy. In this post we’ll break down what changed, who needs to pay attention, and how to start using the field in your code today.
What Changed
The POS UI Extensions API now includes shopify.extension.version. When an extension is executed from a published bundle, the field returns the exact version identifier that was deployed—an opaque string such as “v1‑202410‑abc123”. The value matches the name shown on the Versions page in the Shopify Dev Dashboard and the version you select when you run shopify app deploy. If the extension is running from a local development server, the field is undefined.
Who’s Affected
Only POS UI extensions that target API version 2026-10 receive the new field. Extensions still on earlier API versions continue to behave exactly as before, with no shopify.extension.version property available. For most developers this means a simple version bump in the extension’s manifest to start seeing the data.
Why It Matters
POS devices cache extension bundles so they can operate offline or in low‑connectivity environments. Because the same device may run different builds over time, developers often struggle to know which code a merchant’s register is actually executing. The new version field gives you a reliable fingerprint you can log, send to your backend, or surface in a UI for troubleshooting. It also helps you enforce rollout strategies—e.g., you can compare the running version against a “minimum required” version and prompt the merchant to update the app if needed.
How to Implement the Field
First, update your extension’s shopify.extension.toml (or the JSON manifest) to target the 2026-10 API. Then you can read the version directly from the shopify.extension object. Below is a minimal example that logs the version and gracefully handles the undefined case when you’re testing locally:
js
import {extension} from '@shopify/ui-extensions/pos';
extension('POS::Checkout::Render', (root, {shopify}) => {
const version = shopify.extension.version;
if (version) {
console.log(Running version: ${version});
} else {
console.log('Running in local dev mode – version is undefined');
}
// Your extension logic here …
});
Because the value is opaque, treat it as a black‑box identifier. Compare it with strict equality (===) rather than trying to sort or parse it. For example, if you maintain a list of approved versions on your server, you can do a simple inclusion check:
js
const allowedVersions = ['v1‑202410‑abc123', 'v1‑202410‑def456'];
if (allowedVersions.includes(version)) {
// Good to go
} else {
// Show a warning or request a redeploy
}
Testing Locally – Expect Undefined
When you run shopify extension serve or use the local development server, shopify.extension.version will be undefined. That’s intentional: the local bundle isn’t a published version, so there’s no meaningful identifier to return. In your code, always guard against undefined before using the value, as shown in the snippets above.
Best Practices & Next Steps
Conclusion & Call to Action
The addition of shopify.extension.version fills a long‑standing gap for POS developers: visibility into exactly which published bundle a merchant’s hardware is executing. By targeting the 2026-10 API, adding a few lines of defensive code, and incorporating version checks into your deployment workflow, you’ll gain confidence that every checkout experience runs the right code—even offline.
Ready to upgrade? Update your manifest, redeploy, and start logging the version today. If you hit any snags, drop a comment below or reach out on the Shopify Community forums—we’re happy to help you get the most out of this new capability.
