Optimizing Shopify theme development with Vite: deployment challenges & workflow suggestions

[lynthius]

Hey, I previously used Gulp, but it feels outdated and started using Vite. I want to write logic using TypeScript and styles with Tailwind, or just SCSS. Vite handles compilation well and updates even the smallest changes in a fraction of a second using hot-reload.

I work with GitHub branches connected to Shopify:

• Main branch → Published theme
• Staging branch → Connected to Shopify as an unpublished theme
• Release branch → To join it all
• Develop branch → For ongoing work

The workflow is simple:

1. Working on develop.
2. Merging develop to release.
3. Run build on release.
4. Merging release to staging.
5. Preview it with the theme.
6. Merge release to main.

I'm not sure it is the best way. Especially when it comes to actualizing the dev branch. And when the customer did some changes in the main published theme.

Previously, when using Gulp, I would simply merge develop into staging, then into main, and the changes would sync. If there were modifications on the main, I would pull them back.

Do you have any good workflows or ideas on how to handle this? I like keeping things clean, optimized, and secure during deployment. I work mostly alone, sometimes with one person.