What indicators should I search for in the source code to determine if a website was built using the Webflow platform?
TL;DR
- Inspect the source code for Webflow-specific meta tags, comments, or class names like
w-buttonorw-nav. - Check for assets or scripts hosted on
website-files.comor namedwebflow.js, and use tools like Wappalyzer to confirm Webflow usage.
To determine if a website was built using Webflow, you can inspect several code-level indicators that are commonly left in the source code of exported or hosted projects.
1. Look for “Webflow” in Comments or Meta Tags
- Open the browser’s Developer Tools (right-click > Inspect, or press Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Opt+I).
- In the HTML source, check for HTML comments or meta tags in the
<head>such as: <!-- This site was built using Webflow --><meta name="generator" content="Webflow">
2. Check the Class Name Patterns
- Webflow auto-generates utility and layout classes with specific patterns like:
w-container,w-button,w-form,w-nav,w-tab, etc.- These are often seen in elements like navigation bars, form components, sliders, tabs, and lightboxes.
3. Look at Script and Asset URLs
- Webflow-hosted sites often include scripts or assets with URLs like:
https://assets.website-files.com/...- Scripts commonly named
webflow.jsorwebflow.*.jsare usually loaded from:- Example:
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/.../webflow.js
- Example:
- Hosted images may also carry this same domain structure.
4. Confirm Hosting Domains (If Not Custom Domain)
- Some published Webflow sites use the
.webflow.iosubdomain (e.g.,example.webflow.io), clearly indicating it is Webflow-hosted. - Custom domains can still use Webflow, so this method isn't conclusive on its own.
5. Identify Webflow CMS Structures
- CMS-driven sites may load dynamic content wrapped in
w-dyn-list,w-dyn-item, orw-dyn-bindattributes or class names. - These are linked to Webflow’s CMS data rendering engine.
6. Use Online Tools or Extensions
- Browser extensions like Wappalyzer or BuiltWith can detect Webflow as the CMS or the framework in use.
- These tools look for Webflow identifiers in scripts, CSS classes, and meta tags.
Summary
To check if a site was built using Webflow, look for unique class names like w-button, meta tags mentioning Webflow, JavaScript assets such as webflow.js, or the presence of Webflow-hosted asset URLs. Combine these indicators for confirmation, especially on custom domains where visual hints may be minimal.