New Relic + Shopify integration

What New Relic is

New Relic is an observability platform. On a Shopify store it is mostly used for browser monitoring (page loads, JavaScript errors, real visitors' experience) and for monitoring the custom apps and integrations that run beside the store.

How we would approach New Relic with Shopify

Shopify hosts the store, so there are no Shopify servers for you to monitor. What you can watch is the browser (through the theme) and anything you run yourself: custom apps, middleware and integrations. We decide which of those matter, add the agents, and set alerts on the few signals someone will actually act on.

What the work involves

• Browser agent added near the top of the theme's main layout
• Agents on custom apps and integration services you host
• Alerts for errors and slow pages that a person owns
• A note on what checkout monitoring can and cannot see

Ways to connect New Relic and Shopify

• Built in

  Browser agent in the theme

  New Relic's Shopify quickstart adds the browser agent snippet to theme.liquid. It reports page views, errors and real-user timings. The quickstart is marked community-built, so treat it as a starting point.

• Custom build

  Monitoring your own services

  Custom Shopify apps, webhook handlers and sync jobs you host can run New Relic's standard agents like any other service. This is where failed syncs and slow API calls show up.

Where these projects go wrong

• The snippet is pasted low in the page, so early errors and timings are missed. New Relic recommends placing it as close to the top of the head as possible.
• Checkout pages don't use the theme, so a theme snippet doesn't see them.
• Dashboards get built but nobody owns the alerts.
• Agent code is lost when the theme is replaced or updated.

Questions

Can New Relic monitor Shopify checkout?

Not through the theme snippet, because checkout doesn't render the theme layout. Checkout needs a separate approach, such as a custom pixel, and its sandbox limits what can be measured.

Does adding New Relic slow the store down?

Any third-party script adds weight. We measure page speed before and after adding the agent.

Is New Relic or Datadog better for Shopify?

Both cover browser monitoring and custom services. If your team already uses one for other systems, use that one.

Before we scope the work

• Which data or customer journey needs to connect, and which system owns it?
• What access, plan features or API permissions are available?
• Does an existing connector cover the requirement, including failures and updates?
• Who will maintain the connection, and how will you know it is working?

Send your current setup and one real example of the flow you need. We'll tell you whether it can be done and what it would take.