Why doesn't the Webflow CMS update API automatically update images without having to manually refresh the page?
TL;DR
- Webflow CMS API updates don't immediately reflect image changes due to CDN caching and lack of automatic site rebuilds.
- Use webhooks to auto-republish the site or apply JavaScript cache-busting (e.g., adding a timestamp) to force image refresh.
Webflow CMS update via API does not automatically reflect image changes in the Designer or live site until the page is manually refreshed because of client-side caching and delayed asset propagation.
1. CMS API Updates Content, But Not the Live Cache
- The Webflow CMS API updates collection items in the database.
- However, the live site rendering relies on Webflow’s internal caching/load-balancing system, which does not always immediately reflect these changes, especially for images.
2. Images Are Referenced by CDN URLs
- When you upload an image via API or manually, Webflow stores it on a CDN (Content Delivery Network).
- Changing the image of a collection item via the API updates the CMS’s data entry, but the CDN copy might still be cached.
- Users visiting the page may continue to see the cached version until they hard refresh or the cache expires.
3. Designer/Published Site Requires Refresh
- Webflow Designer and the published site render content based on a prebuilt configuration.
- After a CMS item is updated via API, Webflow doesn’t auto-trigger a rebuild of the site or CMS pages. This means:
- In the Designer, you’ll need to manually reload the page or re-enter the CMS Collection to see updates.
- On the published site, users may not see the new image unless the page is refreshed or republished.
4. Use Webhooks for Auto-Handling
- Set up a CMS item update webhook (Project Settings > Integrations > Webhooks).
- Use this to trigger a third-party service (like Make or Zapier) to automatically republish the site after updates.
- Republishing clears cache and updates the CDN, allowing image changes to reflect immediately across the site.
5. Live Refresh Requires JavaScript Workaround
- If you’re building a Webflow site with client-side dynamic rendering (e.g., via AJAX or using Webflow’s CMS API externally), use JavaScript to force-refresh remote image sources by appending a timestamp (e.g.,
?v=123456) to bypass cache.
Summary
Webflow's CMS API updates image data, but changes don't appear live without a manual page refresh due to caching and CDN behavior. To show image changes instantly, use webhooks to trigger republishing or apply frontend cache-busting techniques.