In this chapter, we looked at some of the features available in Shopify as well as the difference between private and public applications. Then we briefly discussed the Shopify API and webhook system before finishing up with some thoughts on software development and how to get started planning your own app for fun and profit.

During the course of this book, we will be developing a simple app that will allow storeowners to run contests. The app will pick a winner from the list of customers who have made a purchase at the store within a certain timeframe or for a certain product.

The next chapter will cover setting up your local development environment, installing Ruby on Rails, creating a basic app, and deploying it to Heroku (http://www.heroku.com) for cloud hosting. This application will be iteratively expanded in each chapter as we progress towards our goal of publishing it in the Shopify App Store.