The Wix Ecosystem
Before writing code for a site, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the greater Wix ecosystem. Once you understand what each part of the ecosystem does and how they work together, you’ll be ready to start writing code that interacts with the various parts of the ecosystem.
The Wix ecosystem includes a range of tools and services that enable you to build a web presence and manage your business online.
The following diagram shows the main parts of the Wix ecosystem:
Site
Your visitors view and interact with your published site. A site is built using one of the site editors and can contain Wix business solutions, 3rd-party apps, CMS content, and functionality created using Wix APIs.
Site editors
To build a site, use one of the site editors. The editors are where you design your sites, install and customize apps, and write code. You can also write code for your site using other developer environments.
Wix offers the following editors:
- Wix Studio: An advanced web creation platform for agencies, freelancers, and enterprises.
- Wix Editor: Wix’s classic site builder.
Both editors offer a visual, drag-and-drop interface that lets users:
- Add and customize site pages, elements, widgets, and more.
- Customize site functionality with code.
- Manage site content including text and media.
- Add and manage Wix business solutions, such as Wix Stores or Wix Bookings.
- Add and manage apps built by 3rd-party developers.
Here's what Wix Studio looks like:
Site dashboard
The dashboard is the site’s back office. Only you and your collaborators have access to the dashboard. Most dashboard functionality comes out-of-the box and enables you to set up, manage, and operate your site and installed apps. You can also design and code custom dashboard pages.
In the dashboard, you can:
- Configure site settings.
- Manage site content including text and media.
- Manage payments, customers, online marketing, automations, and more.
- Add and manage business solutions, such as Wix Stores or Wix Bookings.
- Add and manage apps built by 3rd-party developers.
- Monitor site metrics, such as SEO performance, sales reports, and site traffic.
Here's what the dashboard looks like:
APIs
Wix APIs give you access to Wix’s services and resources, providing a gateway that enables you to easily integrate with different areas of the Wix ecosystem. APIs include:
- Business solutions: Interact with Wix’s business solutions, such as Stores, Bookings, Events, and Restaurants.
- Payments: Manage payments with Pricing Plans, Payments, and Billing APIs.
- CRM and Members: Interact with and manage site contacts and members.
- Data: Work with data stored in Wix-hosted and external databases.
- Automations: Streamline work processes and send notifications.
CMS
Wix's Content Management System (CMS) is where you manage your site’s content, such as text, media, videos, products, and booking services. The CMS seamlessly integrates with Wix's site-building tools, providing a user-friendly interface for creating and editing content, as well as mechanisms for easily connecting CMS data to site elements.
Apps
When building a site, you can install apps built by Wix or 3rd-party app developers from the Wix App Market to add pre-built functionality to your site.
Wix business solutions
At the heart of Wix’s backend are its native business solutions, which cater to diverse industries with advanced solutions for bookings, online stores, events, payments, eCommerce, loyalty programs, and more. These apps built by Wix are designed to integrate seamlessly with Wix websites, as well as with external clients that take advantage of Wix’s headless infrastructure.
3rd-party apps
Wix apps are packages of reusable functionality, created by 3rd-party vendors, that you can add to your site. They can contain anything from a simple site widget to a complete business solution, with backend logic, user interfaces, and database collections. Wix apps are listed in the Wix App Market.
You can also build your own apps to share functionality across multiple sites or to offer functionality you’ve built to other Wix users.