Shopify Vs. Laravel For Your Web Project

Jeremy M Williams
9 min readOct 6, 2022

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When it comes to choosing an eCommerce platform for your online business, you’re probably wondering which is better: Shopify or Laravel. Both platforms have their own benefits and limitations, so it’s important to understand the difference between them before making a decision.

Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform, which means that you don’t need to worry about hosting your own website or managing server updates.

THE FREEDOM

This can be a big advantage if you’re not tech-savvy or if you don’t have the time to handle these things yourself. However, because Shopify is a hosted platform, you’ll be limited in terms of customization options. If you want to add custom features to your store, you’ll need to use Shopify’s app store or hire a developer who is familiar with the platform.

To elaborate, Shopify is a closed platform, which means that it’s much easier to use and get started with than Laravel. Shopify also offers a wide range of features and integrations out of the box, making it a good choice if you need a turnkey solution. However, because it’s a closed platform, you’ll be limited in terms of customization and will have to pay fees to use certain features.

Laravel, on the other hand, is an open-source platform that gives you more control over your website.

THE COSTS

For Shopify, the basic plan starts at $29 per month, while the more advanced plans can cost up to $299 per month. Laravel, on the other hand, is an open-source platform that you can download and use for free. However, you will need to pay for hosting and any third-party software or plugins you use.

In terms of hidden costs, Shopify is generally the more expensive option.

For example, if you want to use a custom domain name, you’ll need to pay an annual fee. Additionally, transaction fees can add up if you’re not careful.

Laravel is another popular eCommerce platform that offers a different set of features than Shopify. One advantage of Laravel is that it doesn’t have any transaction fees.

CODING ON SHOPIFY

Shopify themes are built using a combination of HTML, CSS, and Liquid. Liquid is a template language that enables developers to dynamically generate content within a Shopify theme.

Developers can create custom Liquid templates by modifying existing templates or by creating new ones from scratch.

Customizing Shopify themes can be a daunting task, but with a little know-how, it’s easy to create a custom liquid theme template. To start, you’ll need to create a new file in your text editor. Then, you’ll need to add the following code to the top of the file:

{% include ‘shopify’ %}

This code includes the necessary files for Shopify theme development. Next, you’ll need to choose a layout for your template. Shopify offers a few different options, but I recommend using the “layout/theme.liquid” option. This will give you access to all the necessary files for customization.

Once you’ve selected your layout, you’ll need to add your own CSS and HTML code to customize the look and feel of your template.

LIQUID EXPLAINED

Liquid is a templating language that enables theme developers to output content in a consistent and organized way. Liquid tags are used to insert dynamic content into a theme, and can be used to insert dynamic content into any type of template, including themes, products, collections, and blog posts.

What do liquid tags look like?

Liquid tags have a {% tagname %} format and always appear in pairs. The first half of the tag is the opening tag, and the second half is the closing tag. For example, {% if %} is an opening tag, and {% endif %} is the corresponding closing tag.

Liquid tags are snippets of code used to insert content into a shopify theme. They are important because they allow theme developers to dynamically generate content that is specific to each individual shop. Without liquid tags, theme developers would have to hard-code every single piece of content into their themes, which would be time-consuming and difficult to maintain.

What are some of the most commonly used liquid tags?

Some of the most commonly used liquid tags include: {% include %}, {% layout %}, {% section %}, and {% yield %}. These tags are used to insert other files or templates into the current file, create new layouts, sections, or page elements, and output content from other files or templates.

Liquid tags are code snippets that are used to output content from the Shopify data. They are placed within the layout file, and Shopify will automatically replace them with the corresponding data when a store is loaded.

For example, let’s say you want to output the price of a product in your store. You would use the following Liquid tag:

{{ product.price }}

This would output something like “9”.

WHAT DO SHOPIFY DEVELOPERS THINK?

As a Shopify developer, I’m often asked why someone would want to build a custom Liquid theme template, and what the process entails. Liquid has been used to power over 8,000 active online stores.

Many developers enjoy building custom Liquid theme templates because of the control it gives them over the look and feel of their website. The Liquid syntax is easy to learn and use, and there are plenty of resources available to help developers understand the meaning of each tag. Plus, custom templates can be a great way to show off your development skills to potential employers or clients.

The most important thing to know about Liquid is that it is tag-based. That means that all the dynamic content in your Liquid templates will be enclosed in special tags that tell the Shopify server how to render that content.

Some developers think that building custom Liquid theme templates is a good way to learn more about coding. Others believe that it is a waste of time since there are already so many great themes available.

One of the reasons why building custom Liquid theme templates can be beneficial is because you can learn more about the code. This can be helpful if you want to eventually create your own themes or become a better developer overall. Another reason is that it can be fun and satisfying to create something from scratch. Finally, if you find a bug in one of your themes, you can fix it yourself instead of waiting for someone else to do it.

MISTAKES MANY DEVELOPERS MAKE WHEN BUILDING SHOPIFY SITES

When building custom Liquid theme templates, there are three main mistakes that developers make: not understanding the Liquid syntax, not knowing how to code for Shopify’s specific structure, and not being honest about their skill level.

The first mistake is not understanding the Liquid syntax. Liquid is a templating language created by Shopify and is used to power all themes on the Shopify platform. It is important for developers to have a strong understanding of the Liquid syntax in order to build custom templates that are error-free.

The second mistake is not knowing how to code for Shopify’s specific structure. Shopify’s platform is unique and requires specific coding in order to function properly. Without this knowledge, developers will likely run into issues when trying to build custom templates.

The third mistake is not being honest about their skill level.

LARAVEL EXPLAINED

Laravel is a development framework for PHP that has gained popularity in recent years due to its ability to streamline the process of developing Web applications. In this article, we will explain how Laravel development works and why it has become so popular.

Laravel is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern and provides a robust set of tools for developers to use. The main benefit of using Laravel is that it helps you organize your code into separate “modules” which makes it easy to maintain and reuse code.

Another advantage of Laravel is its built-in templating engine, which allows you to easily create beautiful layouts for your Web applications. Finally, Laravel also comes with a powerful command line interface (CLI) which can be used for managing your application.

CODING ON LARAVEL

Many developers choose Laravel because of its vast ecosystem with support for multiple tools and libraries.

Laravel has its own syntax that is different from standard PHP. By understanding the Laravel syntax, you will be able to develop better Laravel applications.

Laravel uses the blade templating engine which has its own syntax that is different from standard HTML. In blade templates, you can use expressions and variables without having to echo them out.

Laravel’s syntax is designed to be easy to read and understand. For example, the following code defines a route that responds to GET requests:

Laravel code example 1:

Route::get(‘/’, function () {
return ‘Hello World!’;
});

In this example, we’re defining a route that responds to GET requests and returns the string “Hello World!”. Laravel routes are typically defined in the app/Http/routes.php file.

Laravel code example 2:

$foo = ‘bar’; //This assigns the value ‘bar’ to the variable $foo

This is a very simple example of Laravel code. We are simply assigning the value ‘bar’ to the variable $foo. This is a basic assignment statement in PHP.

Laravel code example 3:

$users = User::all(); //This gets all users from the database and assigns them to the variable $users

In this example, we are using Eloquent ORM to query the database and get all users.

WHAT DO LARAVEL DEVELOPERS THINK

There are many reasons why developers absolutely love Laravel and building eCommerce stores and platforms on Laravel.

One reason is that Laravel is built with PHP, which is a language that many developers are already familiar with. Another reason is that Laravel provides an easy-to-use interface that makes development quicker and easier.

Laravel also has excellent documentation, which makes it easy for developers to find answers to their questions. In addition, the Laravel community is very active and helpful, so developers can get support when they need it.

Finally, there are many great tools available for Laravel development, which makes it even easier to build high-quality eCommerce stores and platforms.

MISTAKES MANY DEVELOPERS MAKE WHEN BUILDING LARAVEL SITES

One mistake that is often made is not taking advantage of Laravel’s built-in features. Laravel offers a lot of great features out of the box, such as routing, authentication, and caching. Not taking advantage of these can make development more difficult and time-consuming.

Another mistake is not planning for growth. When building a Laravel site, it’s important to think about how the site will scale in the future. This means planning for things like adding new users, handling increased traffic, and expanding functionality. Without proper planning, a site may start to experience performance issues as it grows.

WHEN TO USE LARAVEL vs. SHOPIFY

Laravel is a great choice for developers who want more control over their projects. With Laravel, you can create custom functionality and really tailor your site to your specific needs. However, this also means that there is a bit of a learning curve — you’ll need to be comfortable with PHP in order to get the most out of Laravel.

Shopify, on the other hand, is perfect for those who want an all-in-one solution. Shopify takes care of all the hosting and security for you, so you can focus on building your store and adding products.

Laravel is a more popular choice among developers because it offers more flexibility and customizability than Shopify. Shopify is a great platform if you want to create an online store quickly and without much hassle. However, it is not as flexible as Laravel when it comes to customizations and additions.

Laravel also has better documentation than Shopify. This means that if you are new to Laravel, it will be easier for you to find information and tutorials on how to use the framework.

Shopify is a platform that helps businesses create and run their online stores. It offers users a customizable platform, an easy-to-use checkout process, and a wide range of features.

Laravel is a PHP framework that enables developers to create web applications. While it offers many benefits, such as a modular structure and an expressive syntax, it can be challenging to learn and use.

So, ultimately, If you’re looking for an easy-to-use platform with a wide range of features via sometimes costly plugins, Shopify is the better choice. If you’re looking for more control over your website’s design and enhanced custom functionality, Laravel may be a better fit.

IN CLOSING

We hope that this article helped you learn some new strategies for your business, but more than that, we hope that we impressed you enough to come and work with us, so we can help your business grow and thrive.

We are creatively serious and insane in the best way.

Furthermore, we help businesses build, brand, and boast from beginning to end.

We do the following:

  1. Design 2D & 3D
  2. Brand Management
  3. Web / App Development
  4. Content Creation & Strategy
  5. Video Editing & Motion Design

Check us out at VYUDU INC

You can also email me directly if you would like for us to work on your business with you.

jeremy@vyudu.com

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Jeremy M Williams
Jeremy M Williams

Written by Jeremy M Williams

Empire Builder with a poetic mind. A “Luxury brand expert” with hard knocks life experience. A “Writer” who codes. A “Strategist” who designs.

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