It’s no surprise that Webflow has become the go-to tool for Web Development.
Among the reasons, we can highlight its features for quickly building intuitive and functional websites.
Yet, some may believe its capabilities end with Webflow front-end Development!
That's why this post will explore how Webflow handles backend operations. Let's go behind the scenes!
What is Webflow?
Let’s start with a summary: what is Webflow?
Well, Webflow is an online suite for users to build websites in a simple, straightforward way.
Its intuitive features allow almost anyone with a basic understanding of Web Development to build stable, stunning sites.
With its own Content Management System (CMS), Webflow blends functionality and customization for rich, user-centered experiences.
Its drag-and-drop approach also works directly with Webflow JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
How Does Webflow Work?
Webflow is tailored to build functional interfaces without extensive knowledge of programming languages or frameworks.
Nonetheless, outstanding User Experiences often require more than just "cutesy" User Interfaces.
It also requires a robust back-end development and structure, including servers, data storage, and logic.
You may already know that Webflow prioritizes low-code development, or even no-code.
Consequently, you may be wondering, “Can you add backend tech to webflow”?
Luckily, there are a few ways for your Webflow-hosted site to thrive on both the front- and back end of a website. Let’s check them out!
Back End Development in Webflow
Before making any changes, make sure to understand Webflow's structure and areas!
Since it’s a visual-based web development platform, it can lead users to be more abstracted from the back end.
First of all, there's Custom Code Embeds for sections, webpages and even the whole site.
These feature allows users to add custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript code snippets.
At a site level, you must access the page settings via Settings > Custom Code.
You’ll find options to customize head and body tag sections with inline CSS style tags and JS script tags.
Remember that Webflow doesn’t validate custom code— be sure to check edges like closing tags!
This feature is useful for adding scripts like Google Analytics, third-party integrations or enhancing page functionality.
Yes, code changes via Custom Code Embeds are still part of the front-end interface.
But they can also influence how your back-end interacts with third-party tools.
Webflow hosts sites on its own servers. As a result, users and teams often can't edit server-side actions like in typical back-end environments.
An option here is to manipulate manually uploaded static files and link them with custom code.
You can do this both Webflow’s asset manager or external hosting services like AWS S3.
To manipulate the structure on a deeper level, Webflow CMS API allows to manage CMS-stored content programmatically.
This feature can be quite useful for users with long CMS inventories of dynamic data, such as blog posts or product listings.
You’ll need API-key authentication to make CRUD operations to manage data without interfering with the visual editor.
Webflow also supports custom webhooks to trigger external services or databases with events like form submissions.
Webhooks and custom APIs can help providing back-end-like functionality for external data sources.
Third-Party Tools for Webflow Back End Development
1. Byteline for Webflow
Byteline is a no-code platform for Webflow’s CMS to trigger flows when creating, updating or deleting items.
To summarize, you can call API Connectors to accesses data via a simple HTTP code with a form.
This external tool is great to enhance the functionality and capabilities of the standard Webflow CMS.
2. back-endless for Webflow
Another no-code development platform, back-endless adds app-like functionality to Webflow sites.
Some of its focuses are on visual databases, APIs and serverless hosting.
back-endless fills the back-end gaps of Webflow projects with pre-built and own-built APIS.
This scope adds dynamism and versatility to websites to handle more complex tasks.
3. Airtable for Webflow
The well-known cloud-based spreadsheet and Database Management System also works wonders with Webflow sites.
Airtable integrates back-end edges to store data and content dynamically referenced on the front end.
4. Dev Acceleration for Webflow
Dev Acceleration is a set of tools, programs, and methodologies to speed up processes while enhancing productivity.
Understanding how users interact with your website is crucial for effective development.
Creating a user journey map can help identify key touch points and improve overall UX.
In this context, Dev Acceleration unlocks back-end engineering and building back-ends to power digital products.
Conclusion
If you thought Webflow was useful only for Front End, you were just looking at the tip of the iceberg!
Want to deliver a more powerful Webflow-based solution? Get in touch with Capicua!
