Wix has a beautiful visual builder. You cannot write server-side code in it.

Vercel lets you write any code you want. You cannot drag and drop a page layout.

Wapka does both — and they work together.

How they coexist

The visual builder generates standard HTML and CSS. Every element you drag onto the canvas produces clean markup that you can inspect, modify, and extend.

A Lua script can run alongside any visual builder page. The visual builder handles the layout. The Lua script handles the logic. If you never write a line of code, you have a functional site. If you do write code, you have a full-stack development environment.

This coexistence is rare because it is technically hard. Most platforms choose one paradigm and optimize for it. Wapka chose to make both work — not as separate modes, but as complementary layers of the same system.

The upgrade path

Community members all over the world follow the same path:

  1. Start with the visual builder. Create pages. Add content.
  2. When you need something dynamic — a contact form, a login system, a database query — add a Lua script. It runs alongside your visual pages.
  3. When you outgrow the visual builder entirely, build your entire frontend via the REST API. Wapka becomes a headless CMS for your custom application.

At no point did you migrate. At no point did you lose your content. The platform expanded to meet your needs.

Continue reading: Pre-built modules: forums, galleries, user systems → The theming engine: how users create and share designs →