How do no-code platforms such as Wix, Squarespace and Webflow work?

From an architectural point of view, how to platforms such as Wix, Squarespace and Webflow work when it comes to translating “drag and drop” templates into a fully functioning HTML website.

  • Are designs stored in raw HTML or in a native JSON format in the backend?
  • How do they get transpiled in real-time so quickly when presented to the user?

My initial thoughts are as follows:

  1. The user builds a web page that is transformed into a descriptive JSON file.
  2. The JSON file is uploaded to the NodeJS server, which builds the HTML, CSS and JS.
  3. HTML, CSS and built (minified/concatenated) JS is stored in the database.
  4. When the user visits the URL of the site in question, retrieve the site from the database and transform it to something vieweable by the browser.

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Author: methuselah