Platform Updates: January 2025

Katie Hoesley

As we wrap up January (...it’s still January?!), we have had several updates and enhancements across our APIs, Stencil, Catalyst, and more. Here's a brief overview of the key changes we want our Developer Community to be aware of. 

These updates all come from our Release Notes, which you can find here. 

🧩 API Updates

1. Cursor Pagination for Customers API

The Customers V3 API now supports cursor pagination for the Get All Customers and Get Customer Form Field Values endpoints. This update is designed to improve navigation performance, particularly for stores managing large customer datasets or form field values. Learn more about the Customers V3 API.

2. Bi-directional Pagination for Storefront GraphQL

The Storefront GraphQL API now supports full bi-directional pagination. This allows for smoother data navigation and improved performance when dealing with large datasets, enhancing the user experience on both client and server ends. 

3. SubscriptionQuery Scope Filter

A new filter has been added to the SubscriptionQuery in Unified Billing, enabling users to filter by scope. This is particularly useful for partners, as it reduces the need to manually track a store's subscriptions and helps streamline their processes. You can also view our new "Requirements and limitations" section for Partners or check the Unified Billing API documentation. 

4. Customer SSO Support for Persistent Carts

The Customer SSO (Single Sign-On) feature now supports persistent carts. This means customers can maintain their cart contents across sessions, even after logging in through SSO, improving the shopping experience. Read about Customer Login JWT payload.

5. GraphQL and Shipping API Updates

  • Language Management for Multiple Channels: Using the GraphQL Admin API, merchants can now manage languages across different sales channels. This includes adding, updating, or removing locales for each channel. GraphQL Admin API documentation.

  • Shipping Cost Changes: When submitting a shipping cost for the POST and PUT v2 orders request, you are now required to include shipping_cost_inc_tax and shipping_cost_ex_tax to ensure accurate calculations and prevent issues with tax values. Shipping API reference.

6. Cursor-Based Pagination for Coupon Codes

The Get Coupon Codes endpoint now supports cursor-based pagination. This helps handle large datasets more efficiently and significantly improves query performance. Note that offset-based pagination will be deprecated starting June 2025, so switching to cursor-based pagination is recommended for the best performance. Learn more about Coupon Codes API.

🎨 Stencil Updates

New channelUrl Parameter

The stencil start command has been updated with a new channelUrl parameter. This allows users to directly configure a BigCommerce domain, bypassing custom domain protections—useful for those working with proxies or DNS settings that might block requests from Stencil CLI. Stencil CLI documentation.

Support for ESM Migration

The Stencil CLI now supports the ESM (ECMAScript Modules) migration. This ensures that the Stencil CLI remains compatible with modern JavaScript practices, allowing for smoother development workflows. More on Stencil CLI migration.

🚀 Catalyst Updates

1. Localization Enhancements

Catalyst's updated Internationalization guides now walk you through how to translate content into multiple languages on a single storefront and how to localize stores for multiple countries using different storefronts. Internationalization overview in Catalyst.

🤝 B2B Updates

1. Enhanced Pagination for Quotes & User Extra Fields

The  Get user extra field configs and Get quote extra field config endpoints now support pagination. This makes it easier to manage large datasets, improving performance for B2B stores handling extensive quote requests and user-specific fields.

Additionally, the value field in the Quote API has been renamed to fieldValue as part of a migration to the unified extra fields module. However, the original value field remains backward compatible, ensuring existing implementations are not affected.

2. B2B Headless Platform Enhancements

BigCommerce has published a new guide on how to create channels for a B2B headless platform. This resource helps merchants leverage BigCommerce’s API-driven capabilities to build customized and scalable B2B storefronts.

🪲 Bug Fixes & Enhancements

  • Increased Widgets per Store Limit: The limit for widgets per store has been increased from 10,000 to 100,000, giving merchants more flexibility in customizing their storefronts.

  • Tax Settings Update: The deprecated show_inclusive_in_control_panel field has been removed, and the new control_panel_price_display_strategy field has been added to the Tax Settings API. Learn more about Tax Settings API.

  • Shipping Methods Documentation: The documentation for the Shipping Methods endpoint has been updated to make table headings more consistent and improve overall clarity. Shipping Methods API reference.

  • Cornerstone Theme Updates: Several fixes and enhancements have been made to the Cornerstone theme, including support for Node 20, improved checkout and account page security, and updates to GitHub Actions for better traceability.

TL;DR: What changed in January?

  • Performance Improvements: Cursor-based pagination for the Get Coupon Codes and Customers endpoints, along with bi-directional pagination for GraphQL, ensures better performance when dealing with large datasets.

  • Localization and Multi-Storefront Support: Catalyst's updated guides and GraphQL API updates help streamline language management across sales channels, making it easier to manage multiple storefronts globally.

  • Stencil Enhancements: The new channelUrl parameter and ESM migration support simplify working with modern JavaScript tools and improve CLI functionality.

  • Subscription Management and SSO: Updates to the SubscriptionQuery and Customer SSO for persistent carts improve store management and the customer shopping experience.

That’s a wrap for January’s updates! Stay tuned for even more improvements in the coming months. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the DevRel team!