Integrating External APIs into Your Wix Website with Velo (Real Examples)

As Wix evolves into a powerful platform for web development, one of the most game-changing features for developers and advanced users is integrating external APIs in Wix using Velo. Whether you're pulling in real-time weather updates or connecting to tools like Google Sheets or Mailchimp, Velo makes it possible to go far beyond standard Wix functionality.

In this post, we’ll explore how to integrate external APIs into your Wix site using Velo by Wix, with real-world examples and best practices for implementation.

What is Velo by Wix?

Velo is Wix’s open development platform that allows you to build advanced web applications on top of your Wix site. It provides access to:

• Custom JavaScript

• Backend functions

• HTTP requests

• API routing

• Secure data storage

🔗 Learn more about Velo

Why Integrate External APIs in Wix?

External APIs allow your website to communicate with other services in real time. With this, you can:

• Fetch or send data to third-party apps

• Automate repetitive tasks

• Display dynamic content from outside sources

• Create integrations with CRMs, email platforms, and databases

Example 1: Connect to Google Sheets API

Want to display live data from a Google Sheet on your site? With Velo, you can use the Google Sheets API to read and write spreadsheet data.

How It Works:

1. Create a Google Service Account and share the spreadsheet with it.

2. Enable the Google Sheets API in Google Cloud.

3. Use Velo’s fetch function to send a request.

Sample Code:

Example 2: Sync with Mailchimp

You can automate email marketing workflows by subscribing users to your Mailchimp list directly from a custom Wix form.

How To Do It:

1. Generate a Mailchimp API key.

2. Create an audience/list ID in Mailchimp.

3. Use Velo’s backend HTTP functions to securely connect.

Sample Code:

Example 3: Show Real-Time Weather

You can create a dynamic weather widget by integrating with the OpenWeatherMap API to display current weather based on the user’s location.

Steps:

1. Sign up at OpenWeatherMap and get your API key.

2. Use frontend code to fetch weather data.

Sample Code:

Best Practices for API Integration in Wix

• Use Backend Code: Always handle API keys and secure logic in backend.js files.

• Throttle API Calls: Prevent excessive calls to free-tier APIs.

• Error Handling: Provide user-friendly error messages and fallback UI.

• Caching: Use Wix Data or session storage to cache data and improve performance.

Final Thoughts

Integrating external APIs in Wix allows you to turn your website into a truly interactive, data-driven experience. Whether you’re syncing subscribers to Mailchimp, pulling data from a Google Sheet, or displaying live weather, the flexibility of Velo makes these integrations seamless and scalable.

For more complex use cases, you can even set up your own HTTP functions in Velo to create custom endpoints.