Troubleshooting: "Server IP Address Could Not Be Found" During Shopify App Installation

Decoding the "Server IP Address Could Not Be Found" Error in Shopify App Installs

Ever banged your head against a wall trying to install your Shopify custom app, only to be met with the dreaded "Server IP address could not be found" error? You're not alone! I recently saw a thread in the Shopify Community from @usman18 who was facing this exact issue, and it sparked a really helpful discussion. Let's break down what's going on and how you can fix it.

The Problem: A DNS Hiccup

As @usman18 described, they were building a custom Shopify app with Node.js and Express and kept running into this error during installation. They'd already set up their app in the Shopify Partner dashboard, configured the App URL, Redirect URL, and API scopes, and even got ngrok running. Everything *seemed* right, but Shopify just couldn't find the server.

The most likely culprit, as pointed out by another community member, is a DNS issue. Basically, Shopify is looking in the wrong place for your app. It’s like giving someone the wrong address – they’ll never find your house!

The Solution: Double-Check Your URLs and Tunneling

Here's a step-by-step approach to tackle this, combining the insights from the community discussion:

1. Verify ngrok Configuration: Make sure ngrok is tunneling to the correct port. In @usman18's case, it should be tunneling to localhost:3000 since that's where their Node.js server is running.
2. Update URLs in the Partner Dashboard: This is *crucial*. Go to your custom app settings in the Shopify Partner dashboard and grab the *current* HTTPS forwarding URL directly from your active ngrok terminal. Update both the "App URL" and *all* "Redirect URLs" to match it *exactly*.
3. Ngrok URL Changes: Remember that ngrok generates new URLs every time you restart it (unless you configure it otherwise). So, if you restart ngrok, you *must* update those URLs in the Partner dashboard again.
4. Automated URL Updates: To avoid manually updating URLs every time you restart ngrok, you can add automatically_update_urls_> to your shopify.app.toml file. This is a handy tip to save you some headaches.

Why ngrok (or Similar) is Essential

One of @usman18's questions was whether they could solve this without ngrok, perhaps using Postman. The short answer is no, not for the installation and OAuth flow. Shopify requires a publicly accessible HTTPS URL to initiate the OAuth flow and communicate with your app. Ngrok (or alternatives like Cloudflare Tunnel or localtunnel) provides that temporary public URL that tunnels to your local development environment.

Tools like Postman are fantastic for making API requests *after* your app is installed and authenticated, but they don't replace the need for a tunneling service during development.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Let's recap the key areas to check if you're still seeing the "Server IP address could not be found" error:

• Is your local server running? (e.g., your Node.js server)
• Is ngrok running and correctly tunneling to your local server's port?
• Are the App URL and Redirect URLs in your Shopify Partner dashboard *exactly* matching the ngrok URL? (including the https:// prefix)
• Have you restarted ngrok recently without updating the URLs in the Partner dashboard?

By systematically checking these points, you should be able to pinpoint the source of the problem and get your Shopify app installation back on track. Remember to pay close attention to those URLs – they're often the culprit! It's a common gotcha, so don't feel bad if you stumble on it. The Shopify community is a great place to ask questions and share solutions when you get stuck.