Webflow custom hosting FAQs

Updated

General questions

What is WCH?

WCH (Webflow custom hosting) is a deployment platform that connects Webflow Enterprise sites with production hosting infrastructure. It allows you to build in Webflow and publish to third-party environments like AWS, Azure, GitHub Pages, or any SFTP server without being limited to Webflow's hosting.

Who can use WCH?

WCH is exclusively available to Webflow Enterprise customers. It's not available for standard Webflow plans.

Why would I use WCH instead of Webflow's built-in hosting?

WCH provides enterprise-level control over deployment, hosting, and integrations that aren't available with standard Webflow hosting. Key reasons include:

  • GDPR and data residency compliance requirements
  • Custom deployment workflows and CI/CD pipelines
  • Integration with enterprise authentication systems (Auth0, Okta)
  • Multi-cloud hosting strategies
  • Version control without requiring Git expertise
  • Server-side code injections and custom functionality

What hosting providers does WCH support?

WCH supports multiple hosting providers including:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS S3) - Best for high-traffic corporate sites
  • Microsoft Azure Blob Storage - Ideal for Microsoft-integrated organizations
  • GitHub Pages - Perfect for developer portfolios and documentation
  • SFTP/FTP - Compatible with any traditional web hosting provider

Getting started

What do I need to start using WCH?

To get started with WCH, you'll need:

  • A Webflow Enterprise account with a published site
  • Hosting credentials for your chosen provider (AWS, Azure, GitHub, or SFTP)
  • Understanding of your compliance requirements (GDPR, data residency, etc.)
  • Basic knowledge of your infrastructure and security needs

How do I connect my Webflow site to WCH?

  1. Create a WCH Project in the platform
  2. Connect your Webflow Enterprise site via OAuth integration
  3. Configure your enterprise settings (compliance, hosting, integrations)
  4. Deploy to staging for testing
  5. Deploy to production when ready

Can I import non-Webflow sites into WCH?

Yes, WCH can import and deploy any publicly accessible website URL, not just Webflow sites. The platform will crawl and download all pages, assets, and resources.

Deployment and publishing

How does WCH detect when my Webflow site has been updated?

WCH uses multiple methods for change detection:

  • Webhook integration: Webflow sites can push notifications when content changes
  • Scheduled monitoring: Regular checks for changes on sites without webhook support
  • Manual triggers: You can manually trigger imports at any time

Can I publish individual pages instead of the entire site?

Yes, WCH supports per-page publishing, allowing you to deploy selected pages without redeploying the entire build.

What happens during the build process?

When WCH builds your site, it:

  1. Downloads all pages, images, CSS, JavaScript, and other assets
  2. Optimizes images by compressing them while maintaining quality
  3. Minifies CSS and JavaScript to reduce file sizes
  4. Updates internal links to work in your hosting environment
  5. Sets appropriate cache headers
  6. Creates a staging version for testing

Can I deploy to multiple hosting providers simultaneously?

Yes, WCH supports multi-hosting strategies where you can deploy the same website to multiple providers for:

  • Primary + backup redundancy
  • Geographic distribution
  • Environment separation (staging vs. production)
  • A/B testing scenarios

Can I schedule deployments for specific times?

Yes, WCH includes managed release scheduling that allows you to coordinate deployments and align them with business and marketing timelines.

Translation and localization

Does WCH support multilingual websites?

Yes, WCH includes comprehensive multi-translation support through integrations with professional translation services like Lokalise and Weglot.

What's the difference between Lokalise and Weglot integration?

  • Lokalise - Professional human translation workflow. WCH uploads content, translators work in Lokalise, translated content is integrated back into separate language versions of your site.
  • Weglot - Automatic machine translation with JavaScript overlay. Visitors see translated content in real-time without separate page versions. Translations can be edited afterward.

How does localization work beyond just translation?

WCH handles comprehensive localization including:

  • Date and number format adjustments for different regions
  • Currency display with appropriate symbols
  • Region-specific image swapping
  • Appropriate URL structures for different languages
  • SEO metadata translation

Version control and rollbacks

Does WCH provide version control?

Yes, WCH automatically creates a complete snapshot every time content is imported or changed, providing:

  • Complete file backups at each version
  • Change detection showing exactly what changed between versions
  • Visual comparison of different versions
  • One-click rollback to any previous version

Do I need to know Git to use version control in WCH?

No, WCH provides version control features without requiring Git expertise. The platform handles versioning automatically in a user-friendly interface.

How do I roll back if something goes wrong after deployment?

WCH provides multiple recovery options:

  • Version rollback: Restore to any previous version of content
  • Hosting rollback: Revert to previous deployment on hosting provider
  • Selective restore: Restore individual files without affecting entire site
  • Emergency procedures: Rapid rollback processes for critical issues

Security

What is Content Security Policy (CSP) and why does WCH use it?

Content Security Policy is a security standard that helps prevent cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, and other code injection attacks. WCH implements CSP to protect deployed websites from malicious scripts and unauthorized content.

How does WCH implement CSP?

WCH provides multiple CSP implementation layers:

  1. Production Host/CDN Level –– Primary implementation via CloudFront response headers or Nginx configuration
  2. HTML Meta Tag –– Fallback method injected during build process
  3. Dynamic Generation –– CSP rules generated based on enabled scripts and project configuration

Can I customize CSP settings for my project?

Yes, WCH provides a CSP Settings interface where you can:

  • Enable/disable CSP
  • Choose between "Report Only" (testing) and "Enforce" (production) modes
  • Add trusted domains
  • Configure inline script permissions
  • Set up violation reporting

What authentication systems does WCH integrate with?

WCH integrates with enterprise authentication systems including:

  • Auth0
  • Okta
  • Single sign-on (SSO) solutions

How does WCH handle data security and compliance?

WCH includes multiple security layers:

  • GDPR-compliant data handling
  • SOC 2 security standards
  • Encrypted storage (data at rest)
  • TLS encryption for all data transmission
  • Complete audit trails of access and changes
  • Role-based access control

Team collaboration

Can multiple people work on the same project?

Yes, WCH supports team collaboration with role-based permissions:

  • Project Owner –– Full control over settings, team, and billing
  • Admin –– Manage content, trigger deployments, invite members
  • Editor –– Import content and review changes (no production deployment)
  • Viewer –– Read-only access to project status and staging

How does my team get notified about deployments and changes?

WCH provides multiple notification methods:

  • Real-time dashboards in the web interface
  • Email alerts for important status changes
  • Slack integration for team channels
  • Mobile push notifications for critical events

Performance and optimization

How does WCH optimize my website for performance?

WCH automatically applies several optimizations:

  • Image compression while maintaining quality
  • CSS and JavaScript minification
  • File bundling when beneficial
  • Appropriate cache header configuration
  • Cache-friendly file naming
  • CDN cache management

What is cache management and why does it matter?

WCH manages both CDN caches and browser caches to ensure:

  • Faster load times (content served from nearby cache servers)
  • Reduced bandwidth usage
  • Server protection during traffic spikes
  • Global consistency
  • Immediate updates when content changes (selective cache invalidation)

Can WCH handle high-traffic enterprise websites?

Yes, WCH is designed for enterprise-scale deployments with support for:

  • Unlimited scalability through cloud hosting
  • Global CDN integration
  • Load balancing
  • Horizontal scaling via Redis adapter
  • Queue-based background processing

Troubleshooting

My deployment is failing. What should I check first?

  1. Verify hosting provider credentials are correct
  2. Check that your hosting service is accessible
  3. Review build logs for specific error messages
  4. Ensure all required environment variables are set
  5. Confirm sufficient storage space on hosting provider

I'm seeing CSP violations in the browser console. What should I do?

CSP violations indicate blocked resources. To resolve:

  1. Check the CSP violation report to identify the blocked domain
  2. Add the domain to your trusted domains list in CSP Settings
  3. Start with "Report Only" mode to identify all violations before enforcing
  4. Review the CSP violation logs in your project

Pricing and Support

How do I get access to WCH?

WCH is available exclusively to Webflow Enterprise customers. Contact our sales team for more information.

What kind of support is available?

For technical support, integration assistance, or questions about WCH capabilities, contact Edgar Allan, the creators of WCH and the largest Webflow Enterprise Partner.

Are there additional costs beyond Webflow Enterprise?

Webflow Custom Hosting – as well as related custom development hours – are an additional cost beyond Webflow Enterprise. You'll also need to account for costs from your chosen hosting provider (AWS, Azure, etc.) and any third-party services you integrate (translation services, authentication providers, etc.).

Best practices

Should I test in staging before deploying to production?

Yes, always deploy to staging first to:

  • Test that all assets imported correctly
  • Verify links and functionality work as expected
  • Share with team members or clients for review
  • Identify any hosting-specific issues

What's the recommended workflow for making updates?

  1. Make changes in Webflow
  2. Publish in Webflow (triggers WCH webhook if configured)
  3. Review changes in WCH dashboard
  4. Deploy to staging
  5. Test staging environment
  6. Deploy to production
  7. Monitor deployment status

How should I configure CSP for the first time?

Follow this progressive approach:

  1. Start with "Report Only" mode
  2. Monitor violation reports for 1-2 weeks
  3. Add all legitimate domains to trusted list
  4. Test thoroughly in staging
  5. Switch to "Enforce" mode for production
  6. Continue monitoring for new violations

What's the best multi-hosting strategy?

Consider these common patterns:

  • Primary + Backup: Main hosting with automatic failover to secondary
  • Geographic Distribution: Different providers for different regions
  • Environment Separation: Staging on one provider, production on another
  • Cost Optimization: Low-cost provider for staging, high-performance for production

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