Polaris reference documentation is being unified under the same versioning policy as Shopify's GraphQL API. Each stable version is supported for at least 12 months, and starting with the 2026-04 release, only the four most recent stable versions will be published on Shopify.dev. Older extension versions will continue to work, but their dedicated documentation will be removed.
References for older stable versions used to remain on Shopify.dev indefinitely.
At least 12 months of support, with only the 4 most recent stable versions published. Anything older is removed from docs.
* The article's wording that "only the most recent 4 versions are published" aligns with the policy that "each stable version is supported for at least 12 months" (the article notes this matches the same policy as Shopify's GraphQL API). The article does not specify whether old docs are removed immediately or in stages.
The references that the article explicitly states will "only publish the most recent 4 stable versions" are these 4:
| Item | Previously | New policy (from 2026-04) |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation coverage | Broad Docs for older versions also remained | Most recent 4 Last 4 stable versions only |
| Versioning policy | Per-product | Unified Same as the GraphQL API |
| Support period | Not explicitly stated | At least 12 months Per stable version |
| Behavior of older versions | Works | Works (only the docs disappear) |
| Deploys to versions older than 12 months | Not allowed Shopify CLIalreadyblocks them (since before this change) | |
If you're referencing a stable version older than 12 months, the documentation will disappear from Shopify.dev in the near future and you won't be able to look up the reference. On top of that, the CLI already blocks deploys beyond that window.
Reference URLs outside the most recent four versions may become unreachable at some point. Risk of broken links in bookmarks and wikis. (The article doesn't specify exactly when removal happens.)
As long as you maintain extensions on the latest four stable versions (roughly within the last 12 months), the docs and deploys keep working as before.
As stated, "Older versions continue to work" — thebehaviorof old-version extensions doesn't stop. This change is strictly about the scope of published documentation.
List the API version each extension (Admin / Checkout / Customer account / POS) references.
Bump versions so they fall within the latest four stable versions. The article recommends this too.
Build a quarterly version check into your calendar or CI to preempt docs disappearing and deploy blocks.
Polaris reference docs are now aligned with Shopify's GraphQL API versioning policy. Each stable version is supported for at least 12 months. You can think about API and extension versioning on the same yardstick.
What disappears is just thededicated documentationon Shopify.dev. The old-version extensions themselves continue to work (backward compatibility is preserved).
Shopify CLIalreadyprevents deploys to API versions older than 12 months. Nothing newly breaks with this docs change — the policy has simply been made explicit.
Starting with the 2026-04 release, only the last four stable versions will be published. Understand this as the range that aligns with the support window (at least 12 months).
The references for Admin UI / Checkout UI / Customer account UI / POS UI extensions are all affected. Projects that use multiple types need to manage version tracking separately for each.Watch out for broken links if you've pasted old docs URLs into internal materials(The article does not specify the exact deletion timing).