Performance

HTTP/2

HTTP/2 is the second major version of the HTTP network protocol. It enables multiplexing (multiple requests over a single connection), header compression, and server push — all of which reduce latency and improve page load performance compared to HTTP/1.1.

Why It Matters for Shopify Stores

Shopify's infrastructure supports HTTP/2, which means multiple assets (CSS, JavaScript, images) can load simultaneously over a single connection rather than queuing. This is particularly beneficial for stores with many small assets. The practical implication for merchants: HTTP/2 is already enabled by Shopify, so no action is required. However, understanding it explains why excessive number of requests (e.g., 30 small JavaScript files from different apps) still has performance costs even with HTTP/2.

How to Check Your Store

In Chrome DevTools > Network tab, right-click the column header and enable 'Protocol'. HTTP/2 entries show as 'h2'. Shopify stores should show h2 for all Shopify CDN assets.

Use the free shopify speed test tool

How to Fix It

N/A for standard Shopify stores — HTTP/2 is enabled automatically. Focus on reducing request count and file sizes rather than trying to configure HTTP/2.

Related Terms

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Performance

A CDN is a geographically distributed network of servers that caches and serves web content from the server closest to each visitor.

Shopify CDN

Shopify

Shopify's CDN (Content Delivery Network) automatically serves your store's images, JavaScript, and CSS from servers geographically close to your visitors.

Render-Blocking Resources

Performance

Render-blocking resources are CSS or JavaScript files that prevent a browser from displaying page content until they've fully downloaded and parsed.

Page Weight

Performance

Page weight is the total size of all resources required to load a web page — HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, and other assets.

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