What are some solutions for improving the performance of the CMS Nest feature in Webflow when dealing with a large collection of 100+ items?

The CMS Nest feature in Webflow can become slower or difficult to manage when displaying or referencing large collections (e.g., over 100 items). Here are strategies to improve performance and usability.

1. Optimize Collection Structure and Relationships

• Limit the number of nested items used inside Collection Lists. Webflow has a soft limit on rendering large numbers of nested referenced items.
• Avoid multi-reference fields when possible, especially if the relationships are complex or heavily used in dynamic lists.
• Split large Collections into smaller ones if logical divisions exist (e.g., by category or type) to reduce list size per query.

2. Use Pagination to Limit Output

• Enable Pagination in Collection Lists to load items in batches (e.g., 20 per page).
• This reduces DOM load and improves render speed, especially on page load.

3. Filter and Sort Strategically

• Apply filters to show only relevant items instead of loading the entire collection.
• Use dynamic filtering via CMS filters for category/tag conditions to reduce list size.
• Limit sort order complexity, as sorting large Collections dynamically can slow things down.

4. Offload Some Data to Static Pages or External Tools

• Use static pages with curated or hardcoded content if items don’t change often.
• Connect external data via embeds (e.g., Airtable, Notion databases embedded via third-party scripts) to offload the load from Webflow’s CMS.

5. Leverage Custom JavaScript and APIs When Needed

• Use Webflow's CMS API to fetch data dynamically via JavaScript, which can bypass the on-page CMS load entirely.
• Combine with AJAX loading to progressively show content without overloading the page initially.

6. Use Fewer Nesting Levels

• Avoid nesting more than 1 level deep, especially if nesting inside paginated or filtered lists. Deep nesting increases page complexity and load time.

7. Design for Reduced DOM Complexity

• Simplify layout structures. Avoid excessive wrappers, interactions, or hidden elements within dynamic items.
• Keep each Collection Item's structure minimal: fewer images, animations, or conditional visibility rules.

8. Use Webflow’s Limit Feature

• Use the “Limit items” setting within a Collection List to cap the number of loaded records, especially for slower-loading pages or components.

Summary

To improve CMS Nest performance with over 100 items, limit nested items, use pagination and filters, avoid complex references, reduce DOM complexity, and consider using the CMS API or external tools for large content sets.