A–E

.aab (Android App Bundle)

The compiled Android binary submitted to Google Play. Replaces the older .apk format for store submissions. Google Play optimizes and re-packages the bundle per device configuration at download time, resulting in smaller installs for end users.

.ipa

The compiled iOS app binary submitted to Apple's App Store Connect. Contains the app code, assets, and signing certificates. Appolar's build pipeline produces an .ipa signed with your Apple distribution certificate and uploads it to App Store Connect on your behalf.

APNs (Apple Push Notification service)

Apple's infrastructure for delivering push notifications to iOS devices. Every push notification sent to an iPhone routes through APNs. Appolar handles APNs certificate setup automatically using your App Store Connect API key — you do not need to generate or manage APNs certificates manually.

Block

A self-contained unit of UI on a configurable screen. Each block has a type — hero banner, collection row, product grid, promotional banner — and a set of configuration options specific to that type. Blocks are ordered within a screen and the screen renders them top-to-bottom. Adding, removing, and reordering blocks in the builder updates the screen layout without a rebuild.

Bundle ID

The unique iOS identifier for your app, in the format com.yourdomain.appname. Must be registered in App Store Connect before submitting a build. Set once at your first App Store submission and cannot be changed afterward. Changing the bundle ID effectively creates a new app — existing installs and reviews would not carry over.

EAS Build (Expo Application Services Build)

The cloud compilation service Appolar uses to build iOS and Android binaries. EAS runs the Xcode and Gradle build processes on cloud workers, so you never need a local Mac or development environment. Appolar triggers EAS Build on your behalf; you receive a build status notification when the binary is ready to submit.

Expo

The React Native framework Appolar's app is built on. Expo provides a managed workflow with pre-built native modules, a cloud build service (EAS), and over-the-air update infrastructure. Merchants interact with Expo indirectly through Appolar's builder and build pipeline — no direct Expo knowledge is required.

F–P

FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging)

Google's infrastructure for delivering push notifications to Android devices. Appolar handles FCM setup automatically — you do not need a Firebase project or FCM credentials. The google-services.json file required by FCM is provisioned by Appolar's build pipeline.

Package name

The Android equivalent of a bundle ID, in the same com.yourdomain.appname format. Set in Google Play Console when creating the app listing. Cannot be changed after the first submission. Like the iOS bundle ID, changing the package name means creating a new Play Store listing from scratch.

Preset

A curated starting configuration combining a color palette, font choice, and per-screen block layouts. Presets are starting points — every token and block is editable after applying. Loading a preset replaces your current configuration entirely, so apply a preset before making manual customizations, not after.

R–Z

Renderer

The component that powers each configurable screen in the app. The renderer reads a blocks array from your builder configuration and renders each block type using the corresponding block component. Changing the blocks array in the builder updates what the renderer displays. Each screen — home, collection, product detail, profile — has its own renderer with its own supported block types.

Shopify Customer Account

The authentication system Appolar uses. Customers log into the app with the same email and password they use on the merchant's Shopify web store. Registration in the app creates a Shopify customer record, visible in the merchant's Shopify admin under Customers. There is no separate app-only account system.

Shopify Storefront API

The public GraphQL API Appolar's app uses to read your Shopify store's products, collections, customer data, cart, and checkout URL. It is versioned and Shopify guarantees a 2-year deprecation notice before retiring any API version. Appolar handles API version upgrades as part of the platform — merchants are never responsible for keeping up with Storefront API version changes.

Theme token

A named design value — brand color, accent color, background color, font family — that every component in the app reads from. Changing a token in the builder propagates the change to every component that uses it simultaneously, in the live preview, without a rebuild. Token changes to colors and radius take effect instantly; font changes require a rebuild because font files are bundled into the binary.