About Site Plugin Extensions
With site plugins, you can create interactive and feature-rich components that seamlessly integrate into Wix’s 1st-party business apps (such as Wix Stores and Wix Bookings), extending their functionality and user experience. Site plugins are built using Wix Blocks, which offers powerful layout and design tools, and gives you access to Velo's full-stack development platform.
Wix users can easily place site plugins into predefined slots (UI placeholders) within Wix apps, using the plugin explorer available in all Wix editors.
Terminology
The following are key terms related to site plugins:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Host widget | A widget belonging to a Wix app, which contains one or more slots. |
| Slot | A placeholder within a host widget that users can populate with a plugin. |
| Site plugin | A component that can be added inside a slot, extending the host widget's functionality. |
| Plugin API | An API contract between a site plugin and a slot that both must implement to communicate. |
How site plugins work
A site plugin integrates with its host widget in two ways:
- Visually, by embedding its UI inside one of the host's slots
- Logically, by implementing a communication interface with the host
To enable site plugins to communicate with their hosts, each slot supports an API that provides data about the plugin's context (for example the productId of the current product on the Product page). Use it when you code your plugin's logic in Wix Blocks.
Slots and plugin APIs
Wix offers a range of placeholders – called slots – across app pages, for which you can build plugins.
When developing a plugin, you need to explicitly declare the specific slots in which users are allowed to add it.
Explore the slots available on each host widget, as well as the APIs they support:
| Wix app | Host widget |
|---|---|
| Wix eComm | Checkout page |
| Wix Stores | Product page |
| Wix Stores | Category page |
| Wix Stores | Shop page |
| Wix Stores | Gallery widget |
| Wix Bookings | Service page |
| Wix Events | Event Details page |
Get started with site plugins
Dive into the world of site plugins with these resources:
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Developer guide: Learn how to build a site plugin from scratch with our comprehensive guide.
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Tutorial: Gain practical experience by building a working site plugin through our detailed tutorial.
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App template: Kickstart your plugin development with a template that demonstrates how to build a site plugin for the Wix Stores product page.