A context provider is a logical component that shares state and behavior with visual components on a site. It has no UI of its own. Components connect to the values and functions it exposes through editor binding, which lets them stay coordinated without implementing the shared state themselves.
Studio Two calls a context provider extension a Data Source in the editor and the Wix Extension Builder. The generated code uses context provider APIs and React Context.
Use a context provider when several components need shared, stateful behavior. Common cases include:
Use a function library instead when components need the same stateless calculation or transformation. Use ordinary component props when the state belongs to only 1 component and doesn't need editor binding.
A context provider has a manifest and a provider component:
At design time, the editor reads the manifest so a Wix user can configure the provider and connect compatible component props to its exposed items. At runtime, the provider supplies the current values and functions to the connected components. When shared state changes, the connected components receive the updated values.
Wix business solutions provide contexts for coordinated site experiences. For example, a product context can expose product details, selected variants, pricing, inventory, and cart actions to the components on a product page.
You can also author a context provider for site-specific state. In Studio Two, you add it as a Data Source extension. The generated manifest and React component use context provider terminology in code.
Context provider authoring is available for Studio Two sites. For the Studio Two behavior and workflow, see About Data Sources in Studio Two.
For the generated files, manifest fields, and implementation contract, see About Context Provider Extensions in Extension References.
Last updated: 2 November 2026