Wix Data is the data layer of a Studio Two site. It stores the site's structured content, displays that content on pages, and lets site code read and write it.
The Wix Data ecosystem consists of the following components:
@wix/data package, for working with data in site code.The Wix CMS is a document database that Wix optimizes for website content. It's globally replicated to be performant from all regions, secure, and fully managed by Wix.
The CMS stores any data a site needs, from simple content like form submissions to structured data like course materials or property listings. It also stores the data of Wix business solutions, such as Wix Stores and Wix Bookings, in app collections. You work with your own data and business solution data using the same tools and APIs.
Learn more about collections and collection fields.
When a site needs a particular database technology, or data that already lives in another system, you can connect an external database to your site. An adapter translates requests between Wix Data and the database. The database's tables then appear as collections, and you can use them with the same Data API, Data Sources, and dynamic pages as CMS collections.
To decide between the CMS and an external database, see Choose Your Database.
A CMS Data Source shares a collection's items with the elements on a page or section, so you can display collection data without writing code. For each collection, Wix creates CMS Data Sources that you connect elements to with Connect to Data in the Studio Two editor.
Learn more about CMS Data Sources.
A dynamic page displays a collection's items with a layout that you design once. An item page shows one item per URL. For example, a single listing page can show every property in a Listings collection, each on its own URL. A page with a repeater lists several items on one URL. Elements on these pages get their data from a CMS Data Source.
Learn more about dynamic pages.
The Data API gives site code direct access to collections. Use it to query, add, update, and remove items, run aggregations, and manage collections and indexes.
Learn more about the Data API. To compare it with connecting elements, see Connect to Data vs. the Data API.
Data events let backend code respond after an item is created, updated, or deleted in a collection that a Wix user created on the site, for example to notify a team or update a related collection.
Studio Two doesn't support data hooks. Data events are the closest alternative, but they run only after a change is saved, so they can't validate or block it.
Learn more about data events.
The following table shows where you can work with a site's data, and what you'd do in each place:
| Where | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| The CMS dashboard | In the site dashboard, or from the CMS button in the Studio Two editor | Create a collection, edit items by hand, manage fields, permissions, and indexes |
| The Wix Data view, in the Code tab | A view for working with collections and running one-off scripts. See About the Code Tab | Create a collection, copy collection and field IDs, try a query or run a one-off change |
| The Studio Two editor | Where you connect page elements to collection data | Display items on a page with Connect to Data |
| Site code | Code that uses the Data API while the site runs | Read and write data while the site runs |
Wix Data has limits to keep sites fast and reliable. These include limits on storage, request time, API request rates, and the number of collections and items. Some limits depend on the site's plan.
For example, a query returns at most 1000 items per page, and a bulk method accepts up to 1000 items per call. A site can have up to 1,000 collections. For the item size limit and other limits, see About the Wix Data APIs. To check a site's data usage and limits in code, use the Site Data Usage API.
To see how much storage a site's collections use, open Developer Tools > Monitoring in the site dashboard and select CMS collection storage. Learn more about Developer Tools.
If you've worked with data in Wix Studio or the Classic Editor, some features work differently in Studio Two. The following table shows what to use instead:
| In Wix Studio and the Classic Editor | In Studio Two |
|---|---|
| Datasets, which can read and write data | CMS Data Sources, which only display data. To write data, use the Data API. |
$w page code that sets element values | Connect to Data, or code in an Editor React Component (ERC) or a custom Data Source. Studio Two has no $w API. |
Data hooks, such as beforeInsert | Not supported. To validate data, check it in backend code before you call the Data API, and set the collection's permissions so visitors can't write to it directly. To respond after a change, use data events. |
| Routers and router hooks | Not supported. Use dynamic pages. |
The Velo wix-data API | The @wix/data package, which is preinstalled. |
Last updated: 2 November 2026