Do the URLs for inline images in articles on Webflow CMS persist when shutting down a site, or do they need to be migrated?

TL;DR
  • Webflow CMS inline images are hosted on a persistent CDN URL and typically remain accessible even if the site is unpublished.  
  • For long-term reliability or migration, export CMS content, download all inline images, re-upload to your new platform, and update URLs accordingly.

Webflow-hosted image URLs from CMS content generally persist even if the site is unpublished, but there are important considerations if you're shutting down or migrating the site.

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1. How Webflow Stores Inline CMS Images

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  • Inline images added directly into a Rich Text field in a CMS Collection are hosted on Webflow's CDN (usually AWS or Fastly).
  • These images are uploaded to Webflow servers and receive a persistent URL, typically starting with https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com.

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2. Behavior When Unpublishing or Deleting Site

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  • Unpublishing the site (e.g., removing hosting) does not automatically delete image assets from Webflow’s CDN.
  • However, deleting the project entirely or removing assets from the CMS or Asset panel can break image links.
  • Webflow may eventually purge unused assets if they are disconnected and the project is deleted, though this is not immediate.

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3. Migration Considerations

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  • If you're shutting down a site and building elsewhere, do not rely on Webflow’s hosted image URLs long-term.
  • To preserve content integrity:
  • Export CMS content and download all inline images.
  • Re-upload images to your new hosting platform or CMS.
  • Update all image URLs in the exported content to point to the new location.

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4. Using Webflow’s Exported HTML Files

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  • If you export your Webflow site (Static HTML option), inline images in Rich Text fields will still reference Webflow’s CDN-hosted URLs.
  • These will work as long as the assets exist, but they are not guaranteed to be permanent if the project is removed.

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Summary

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Inline images in Webflow CMS are hosted via persistent URLs on their CDN and usually remain accessible even after unpublishing. However, for long-term reliability or site migration, always download and self-host these assets to ensure full control and prevent future link breaks.

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