Is it possible to host an image source list elsewhere and iterate through it from Webflow to avoid overwhelming Webflow with too much code?

You want to offload an external image source list to avoid bloating Webflow’s code—here’s how to accomplish that with Webflow's limitations in mind.

1. Understand Webflow’s Dynamic Content Limitations

• Webflow does not support scripting or data iteration directly on the page using external JSON or APIs, unless you embed custom JavaScript.
• You can use the CMS to handle iterations and collections, but there’s a hard limit (e.g., 10,000 CMS items) and no native ability to sync with external JSON lists.

2. Use Custom JavaScript to Fetch External Image List

• Host your image list externally as JSON (e.g., on a CDN, AWS S3, or GitHub Pages).
• Use custom JavaScript embed to fetch and iterate over the list in Webflow.
• Place a Custom Code Embed in the page footer (via Page Settings > Before tag).
• Your script should:
• Fetch the image list using fetch()
• Loop through the list
• Inject <img> elements into an existing container or target element (use Webflow IDs/classes)

3. Optimize for Webflow Editor and Performance

• Since Webflow won’t recognize externally rendered content inside the Designer, expect that editors cannot see or manipulate the images from within Webflow.
• Use loading="lazy" on images and defer your script to prevent render-blocking.
• Wrap images in a container with a unique ID/class like #external-gallery for easier DOM targeting.

4. Host and Maintain the External Image List

• Example storage options:
• Google Sheets published as JSON (through a third-party connector like SheetDB)
• GitHub raw JSON file
• Firebase or small JSON-hosting APIs
• Example JSON format:
  ```json
  [
  { "src": "https://yourcdn.com/image1.jpg", "alt": "Image 1" },
  { "src": "https://yourcdn.com/image2.jpg", "alt": "Image 2" }
  ]
  ```

5. Consider CMS if Possible

• If you don’t want to rely on custom JS and your image list is relatively small/known in advance, Webflow CMS is the native way to iterate through structured content and bind images.
• Use a Collection List bound to images and alt text without needing external JSON.

Summary

You can iterate over an externally hosted image list in Webflow by using custom JavaScript to fetch and render external JSON, ideally placing script tags in the Page Settings > Custom Code area. While you can’t iterate over external data natively in the Designer, this approach keeps Webflow clean and flexible. Use the CMS if you prefer native iteration without code.