Appstle Memberships: Tiered Plans & Access Control

Appstle Memberships lets you build recurring membership programs on Shopify with tiered plans and gated content — via Admin and Customer Portal APIs.

Appstle Memberships gives you programmatic access to every part of your membership program — from creating tiered plans and gating content to processing renewals and tracking analytics. Whether you’re connecting a CRM, building a mobile app, or customizing your storefront member portal, the APIs deliver the flexibility you need.

Available APIs

Admin API

Server-side API for managing memberships, access rules, member data, and billing. Authenticate with an API key and call from your backend, mobile app, or automation tool.

Authentication: X-API-Key header

Use cases: Backend integrations, admin dashboards, bulk operations, mobile apps, third-party system sync

Customer Portal API

Customer-facing API for membership self-service, delivered via Shopify App Proxy. Members can view their plan, manage their membership, and access gated content directly from your storefront.

Authentication: Customer session (must be logged in)

Use cases: Custom member portals, theme integrations, self-service membership management, gated content

Key features

Membership Plans

Create and manage tiered membership plans with flexible pricing and billing cycles — monthly, annual, or custom intervals.

Member Management

Retrieve and sync member data, plan status, and access entitlements across your systems in real time.

Access Control

Gate content, collections, and pricing based on membership status and tier using customer tags and metafields.

Billing & Contracts

Manage membership contracts, renewals, and billing attempts. Handle dunning, pauses, and cancellations programmatically.

Member Benefits

Configure perks, discounts, and exclusive access rules per membership tier. Swap plans and roll back automatically on failed payments.

Notifications

Automate member communications for renewals, expirations, billing failures, and upgrades via Shopify Flow or webhooks.

Analytics

Access membership metrics, churn data, MRR projections, and revenue analytics using contract list endpoints and billing events.

Shopify Native

Deep integration with Shopify Flow, metafields, customer tags, and the App Proxy — no separate infrastructure required.

Which API should you use?

Admin API

Use the Admin API when you are building anything outside your Shopify storefront:

• Server-side integrations and automation workflows
• Managing memberships from your backend or a CRM
• Building admin dashboards or reporting tools
• Automating bulk operations across your member base
• Integrating with email platforms, analytics tools, or helpdesks
• Building mobile applications (iOS or Android)

The Admin API uses API key authentication (X-API-Key header) and must only be called from server-side code. Never expose your API key in browser JavaScript or public repositories.

Customer Portal API

Use the Customer Portal API when you are building member-facing features on your Shopify storefront:

• Custom member portals embedded in your theme
• Self-service membership management (pause, cancel, upgrade)
• Gated content that requires an active membership to view
• Storefront pages that display plan details and billing dates

The Customer Portal API uses Shopify App Proxy for authentication — the customer must be logged in to your store. There is no API key involved. These endpoints are not suitable for server-side or mobile use.

Customer Portal API endpoints are designed for storefront use via Shopify’s App Proxy only. For any integration outside your storefront — such as mobile apps, backend services, or external tools — you must use the Admin API with a valid API key.

Base URL

All Admin API requests use the following base URL:

https://membership-admin.appstle.com/api/external/v2/

Response format

All API responses follow standard HTTP status codes.

Status	Meaning
200	Success — request completed
201	Created — resource created successfully
400	Bad Request — invalid parameters
401	Unauthorized — invalid or missing API key
403	Forbidden — key lacks required permissions
404	Not Found — resource does not exist
429	Too Many Requests — rate limit exceeded
500	Server Error — something went wrong on our end

Error responses include a structured body:

{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid API key provided",
  "status": 401
}

Next steps

Authentication

Create your API key and learn how to authenticate requests.

Quickstart

Make your first API call in under five minutes.

Integration Guide

Explore common integration patterns for CRMs, email platforms, and access control.