Developers overview

This section is for developers integrating Dialog into a custom or headless storefront — your own code, not the Shopify app block or the Prestashop module. Data ingestion is separate: see Catalog integration for the upload flow (Shopify app, Prestashop module, or API upload).

If you’re on managed Shopify or Prestashop and just need the catalog wired, you’re in the wrong section — go to Install on Shopify or Install on Prestashop. Not sure which side of that line you’re on? Find your install path.

API, SDK, or component package — what each one is for

The four developer tools are not alternatives; they split along the same two concerns as every install:

• REST API — server-side, data only. Uploads your catalog, blog, and pages with your private key. It never renders anything and never runs in the browser.
• @askdialog/dialog-sdk — frontend, no UI. Talks to Dialog, manages the assistant lifecycle and tracking; you build the UI shell around it. For frameworks without a Dialog package.
• @askdialog/dialog-react and @askdialog/dialog-vue — frontend, with UI. Pre-built components on top of the same SDK. If your storefront is React or Vue, use these — not the bare SDK.

A typical custom integration uses the API (catalog, server-side) plus one of the frontend options (widget, client-side).

Pick by framework

Your frontend	Use this
React (any storefront — Hydrogen, Next.js, Remix, custom CRA / Vite, etc.)	@askdialog/dialog-react — DialogProductBlock, DialogInput
Vue 3 (Nuxt, custom Vite, etc.)	@askdialog/dialog-vue — same components, Vue flavor
Svelte / SvelteKit, SolidJS, Lit, Astro, vanilla JS	@askdialog/dialog-sdk — vanilla SDK, build your own UI shell
Server-side templating (Twig, Blade, Liquid outside Shopify, ERB, etc.)	@askdialog/dialog-sdk — load it as a normal <script> and call the SDK from your client-side glue
No frontend dev available, non-Shopify / non-Prestashop	GTM drop-in — no code path, documented under Installation

Rule of thumb: if there’s a Dialog package for your framework, use that. Don’t reach for the vanilla SDK on a React or Vue codebase — you’d be reinventing the components.

What you get

Components (React, Vue)

• A pre-built DialogProductBlock for product pages — renders suggestions and the assistant entry point.
• A DialogInput for non-product pages (homepage, blog, collection).
• Theme integration via the SDK constructor — colors, fonts, CTA shape.
• The full SDK underneath — you can still call client.sendProductMessage, client.registerAddToCartEvent, etc. when you need to.

SDK (vanilla)

• Class with addToCart / getProduct callbacks, sendProductMessage / sendGenericMessage, getSuggestions, tracking methods, event listeners.
• No UI — you build the question list and the input field, calling the SDK methods on user interaction.

Prerequisites for every path

1. Sign up at app.askdialog.com/sign-up.
2. Create your Dialog organization. Choose a name, select the API Integration card, and configure:
   • All locales you use on your store.
   • All domains that host your store (e.g. mystore.com and fr.mystore.com as separate entries).
3. Get your public and private API keys from the dashboard (see below).

Where to find your API keys

In the Dialog dashboard, go to Account Settings → General. Your public API key is displayed at the bottom of the page — click Copy to copy it.

Your public key is used in your frontend code (Shopify app block, GTM snippet, SDK init, etc.). Your private key stays server-side and is only needed for catalog uploads via the API.

End-to-end workflow

Create account → Create organization → Get API keys
      ↓
Upload catalog (+ optional blog, pages)        [private key, server-side]
      ↓
Install components OR SDK, depending on your framework
      ↓
Wire addToCart and getProduct callbacks against your APIs
      ↓
Wire tracking for side-cart and checkout (events outside the assistant)
      ↓
Customize theme to match your brand

What to read next

• SDK reference — class, methods, callbacks, types.
• React components — drop-in UI for React.
• Vue components — drop-in UI for Vue 3.
• API reference — REST endpoints for catalog upload.
• Catalog schema — the exact JSON shape your catalog must respect.
• Tracking SDK custom — wiring tracking events from your SDK install.

Still stuck?

Mention you’re on the API integration path — it routes your email to the right person.

If you’ve run every check above and the docs can’t answer it, escalate with a complete report so we can solve it in one round-trip. What to include (install path, URL, expected vs actual, screenshots, console errors) is listed in Before you contact support. Then email paul@askdialog.com.