You can extend a Wix site with custom UI and behavior on the visitor-facing site, in the dashboard where Wix users and collaborators manage day-to-day operations, and in the platform's backend systems. Extensions are typically packaged into apps and contributed to sites when the app is installed, though some development paths support adding them directly. The Wix extensions framework provides extension types for each. Extensions come in various forms, from whole pages to small UI widgets to code that runs in response to platform events.
Extensions fall into 3 categories by where they plug in:
- Site extensions: Custom UI and behavior on the visitor-facing site, including site pages, widgets, plugins, embedded scripts, and Editor React Components.
- Dashboard extensions: Custom UI and behavior in the dashboard, including dashboard pages, modals, plugins, and menu plugins.
- Backend extensions: Code that hooks into platform systems on the backend, including service plugins, event extensions, data collections, schema plugins, notification extensions, and automation extensions.
The development path determines how you add extensions:
- Sites: Can build some of the same capabilities directly without the extensions framework. For example, adding a dashboard page through the Wix Editor or Wix Studio achieves the same outcome as a dashboard page extension. Sites also receive extensions when an installed app contributes them. For extension types that sites don't natively support, you can create a private app, register the extension in it, and install the private app on the site.
- Wix-managed headless projects:
- Full Wix integration (Astro): Can add dashboard and backend extensions directly to the project with the CLI. Site extensions aren't supported.
- Other frameworks: Don't support extensions directly. Follow the same approach as self-managed headless projects.
- Self-managed headless projects: Can add dashboard and backend extensions to the underlying Wix project by creating a private app, registering extensions in it, and installing it in the project. Site extensions aren't supported.
- Wix-managed apps: Can include the full range of extension types and contribute them to sites that install the app. Add extensions with the CLI, or configure some types in the app dashboard. Compatibility varies by site type, so check the per-type articles above for details.
- Self-managed apps: Can include self-managed extension types and contribute them to sites that install the app. Configure extensions in the app dashboard. Compatibility varies by site type, so check the per-type articles above for details.
- Blocks apps: Can include supported Blocks extensions and contribute them to sites that install the app. Compatibility varies by site type, so check the per-type articles above for details.