> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.uselayers.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Data lifecycle > What Layers collects, how long each category of data is kept, what happens during the 30-day post-uninstall grace period, and when backups containing your data are rotated out. *Last updated: 2026-09-03.* This page describes how data moves through Layers from collection to deletion. It covers your store's data and your shoppers' data, and it reflects current operating practice. For the legal terms, see the [Terms of Use](/legal/terms-of-use) and [Privacy Statement](/legal/privacy-statement). For what the AI features do with this data, see [AI & your data](/legal/ai-data-use). ## What is collected | Category | What it contains | Where it comes from | | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Catalog | Products, variants, collections, inventory, pricing, metafields, images, and store content such as pages and articles | Mirrored from Shopify through [Catalog Sync](/shopify-integration/catalog-sync) webhooks and scheduled bulk exports | | Configuration | Merchandising rules, sort orders, synonyms, redirects, blocks, search settings, and dashboard user accounts | Created by your team in the Layers dashboard or through the API | | Shopper events | Collection views, product views, clicks, impressions, add to carts, searches, and block views, each tied to a session identifier and, for signed-in shoppers, a Shopify customer ID | Captured by the [Storefront Pixel](/shopify-integration/storefront-pixel) when analytics processing is allowed for the shopper | | Request logs | Search, browse, and block requests made by your storefront, including the query, filters, and the results returned | Recorded by the Layers API as it serves storefront traffic | | Purchases | Order lines with the attribution identifiers needed to connect a purchase to an earlier search or browse session | Shopify order webhooks | | Embeddings | Vector representations of catalog content and of search queries | Generated by Layers from your catalog and from incoming queries | | Aggregated analytics | Click-through, conversion, and popularity metrics per product, collection, search term, and block | Computed by Layers from shopper events and request logs | | Operational logs | Application logs, error reports, and performance traces used to run and troubleshoot the service | Generated by Layers infrastructure | Layers does not store shopper IP addresses. Location on events is resolved at the edge to country, region, and city and the address itself is discarded. ## Retention while your store is active | Category | Retention | Notes | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Catalog | Kept in sync with Shopify for as long as the app is installed | When a product is deleted or unpublished in Shopify, the next sync removes it from Layers | | Configuration | Kept for as long as the app is installed | Rules and sort orders you delete are removed from the active configuration immediately and purged from storage on a rolling basis | | Shopper events | 60 days | Raw events older than the window are deleted on a rolling schedule | | Request logs | 60 days | Same window as shopper events | | Purchases | 60 days | Same window as shopper events | | Embeddings | Lifetime of the catalog item they describe | Regenerated when the product changes and deleted when the product is removed from Layers | | Aggregated analytics | Kept for as long as the app is installed | Derived metrics remain after the underlying raw events have expired | | Operational logs | 14 days for application logs; error reports and performance traces follow the retention of the monitoring vendors listed on the [sub-processors](/legal/sub-processors) page | Operational logs contain request metadata and may contain search queries, but do not contain shopper identifiers beyond the session identifier | Retention windows are applied per store and are not extended by request. If your compliance program needs a shorter window for shopper events, contact [support@uselayers.com](mailto:support@uselayers.com). ## After you uninstall Uninstalling the Layers app starts a **30-day grace period**. During this period your data is retained but sync activity stops, so you can reinstall and pick up where you left off. The process is documented in full under [App uninstallation and data retention](/shopify-integration/catalog-sync#app-uninstallation-and-data-retention). At the end of the grace period: 1. Your store record and all associated data are permanently deleted from Layers' primary databases. This includes the catalog mirror, configuration, embeddings, aggregated analytics, and any shopper events or request logs that have not already expired. 2. Per-store analytics storage is decommissioned. 3. Access tokens issued to your storefront and dashboard users stop working. Deletion from primary storage is not reversible. If you need an export of your configuration before the grace period ends, contact [support@uselayers.com](mailto:support@uselayers.com). ## Backups Layers takes automated backups of its primary databases for disaster recovery. Backups are encrypted at rest and are only restored to recover the service after an infrastructure failure. They are not used to serve traffic or to restore an individual store's data after the grace period has ended. * **Backup rotation window:** 30 days. A backup taken on the day your data is deleted from primary storage is itself deleted no later than 30 days afterwards. * **Combined timeline:** your data is fully gone from Layers systems no later than **60 days after uninstall** (30-day grace period plus the 30-day backup rotation window). * **Shopper events and request logs** live in per-store analytics storage that is decommissioned at the end of the grace period and is not included in long-lived backups. ## Data subject requests Layers processes Shopify's mandatory privacy webhooks automatically: * **Customer data request:** when a shopper asks you for their data through Shopify, Layers compiles the events tied to that customer ID and makes them available to you. * **Customer redact:** when Shopify sends a redaction request for a customer, Layers removes events tied to that customer ID from active storage. * **Shop redact:** when Shopify sends a shop redaction request after uninstall, Layers queues the store for deletion on the same schedule as the grace period above. If a shopper contacts you directly rather than through Shopify, email [support@uselayers.com](mailto:support@uselayers.com) with the Shopify customer ID and Layers will handle the request within the timeframes required by applicable law. ## Next steps * [AI & your data](/legal/ai-data-use) for how model providers fit into this picture. * [Infrastructure & Sub-processors](/legal/sub-processors) for where data is hosted. * [Incident response overview](/legal/incident-response) for how Layers handles a security or availability incident.