Help wanted with this page, add missing subjects:
- Security
- Use case: integration in a software to let users create websites
- Obsolete update to Silex v3
Here are some frequently asked questions to help you along your way. Feel free to add to the FAQ here, or on social media.
You might also be interested in Silex vocabulary.
What can Silex be used for?
Silex can be used for any website really. From landing page to inbound marketing or e-commerce.
Check the showcase section of the official website
How hard is it to create an e-commerce site with Silex?
Silex integrates well with headless e-commerce tool Snipcart and Paypal for example or any eCommerce platforms with GraphQL API.
In the case of Paypal, you can just add an HTML box and paste the code they give you for the "add to cart" button. With BigCommerce or Shopify you will use Silex CMS feature to display the products
With Silex CMS feature you can also integrate any headless e-commerce with a GraphQL API, such as Woocommerce or Prestashop which are open source.
Does Silex offer templates?
No, for now templates are still a feature request
What's included with Silex?
Included: a drag and drop editor, ready to use for production of professional websites. See the features section of Silex website
We offer free quality hosting without ads and with your own domain name through GitLab pages. You can also publish to any web host for free with the push of a button.
You can plugin-in any CMS or GraphQL API for free.
Not included: domain names.
Does Silex offer custom domains?
Silex doesn't but it integrates well with Netlify and Gitlab pages, which offer free custom domains along with quality hosting (and no ads).
I am a small business owner. We want to create basic informational or landing pages for as little cost as possible. I'm not a coder or even much of a designer really, so the limiting factors are actually an advantage in this case.
Silex is the cheapest way to do qualiy websites - i.e fast and customizable and easy to edit for clients. You pay only the domain name, everything else is free. Even for big websites or e-commerce or else.
But in your case I don't think it is a good choice because you don't need a lot of customizations and Silex has a steep learning curve because it is a professional web design/development tool. It is intended for no-code developers who know or want to learn basic HTML/CSS skills
One last thing: beware of non-free/libre software (price changes, version changes, customer lockin)
It is possible to use only the client part of web editor and integrate the other functions into my own code (e.g. Symfony/php project)?
Silex is made to interact with other applications through these ways:
I am interested in a whitelabel drag and drop builder to integrate with my product. My users should be able to create small websites with custom components from inside my product
Silex is made to be integrated and customized so technically it is possible. The licence allows it too. But I don't think Silex is the right tool in the specific use case you describe, because it is more of a Webflow than a Wix, so people need to learn it in order to use it. It is not intended for general public but for makers who are willing to learn new skills, i.e. webdesign.
Please take a look at these tools:
Is it possible to remove this logo and change the links from the editor?
From this issue
Yes it is possible
Here is an example for the logo
Every element of silex is customizable, check Silex Developer Guide for more info
How to get started with Silex?
You probably want to check the tutorials, guides and collaborative documentation. Here are some links:
Try Silex v3: https://v3.silex.me (you will need a free gitlab.com account to store your website files)
Hop on and subscribe to our new newsletter in english here:
https://news.silex.me/forms/nfrm_weLJnLY5
Or in french: https://news.silex.me/forms/nfrm_BzLMaLXv
Let's get in touch with the community on the forums: https://community.silex.me
Or the chat: https://chat.silex.me/signup_user_complete/?id=71f3ebrw7jfyup8at94fdjbaxy&md=link&sbr=su
Read the docs or watch videos in french or english
https://docs.silex.me
https://video.silex.me
Vote and discuss features to be involved in the roadmap
https://roadmap.silex.me
For a detailed overview of what to expect with Silex v3, I invite you to read these articles: https://www.silexlabs.org/tag/v3/
I'm ready to publish my website! How do I do that?
First of all, congratulations, you made a website! Now go celebrate by reading the article on how to publish your website.
Is Silex really free?
We are passionate project contributors and designers who use Silex for personal and professional projects. Silex Labs uses Silex to teach web design to beginners. We work together as a community to develop our tool our way.
There are no hidden costs, no need to monetize Silex users or their websites or visitors. Because Silex is free/libre, no one will prevent you from adding features or doing business with it.
Why do you need my GitLab or an FTP username and password? How will I know that my information will be kept safe?
To connect to Silex you will be asked to provide either your GitLab or FTP user name and password.
In the case of Gitlab, we do not gain access to your credentials. We use the OAuth mechanism they provide, giving you a path to log-in and keep control.
In the case of FTP, we keep your data in a session cookie which lasts one week. After the week ends, it is deleted. FTP access requires us to save your log-in information in a session cookie; you have to trust Silex Labs (we are a non-profit organization well known in France by open source contributors).
Remember Silex is open-source, so you can host it yourself and keep your data to yourself. See the readme for more information about hosting an instance.
Will you sell my personal information or the information of my site visitors?
Never!
We don't have your data anyway, it is stored in your account (ftp, github, dropbox, owncloud...) and served by your hosting company or server. The websites created with silex do not send or receive any data from us, it is easy to make sure it does not as you have all the files and you can host them anywhere.
Why is Silex so "crude" compared to other web page/site building tools?
Silex is developed by its users. We are a team of volunteers, giving our time and energy freely, so the Silex Website Builder has fewer features than commercial web development tools. In addition to its price (FREE), and its customizability, Silex allows you to roll up your sleeves, and start to learn web design standards and understand code.
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Time is not money
I'm new to GitHub, but I want to contribute. How can I get up to speed?
No matter what your background is, you can give back and help Silex.
If you're feeling technical, here is a great video on how to contribute to an open source project with GitHub.
How do I propose a code change or open a bug?
You can open a GitHub issue here and talk with us on the forums.
If you're interested in contributing your time to make Silex a more robust product, we'd love to have your help.
In Silex, these are some useful terms to know
An instance of Silex is a place where users can use it to edit websites. v3.silex.me is a free instance provided by Silex Labs foundation for you to enjoy Silex without needing to install it on your computer or on a server.
Note that the free instance provided by Silex Labs is "basic", you can enhance and customize Silex if you host it yourself.
Silex v2 used to have a "desktop" or "offline" version you could download and install on your computer. It is planned for Silex v3 to have one too, here is the feature request, go vote for it!
Before you host your website somewhere, it is best to publish it. Here is the details: [[Publishing and Releasing Your Website]]
They are listed in the "+" menu, e.g. "interactive map" component
Developers can add components to a Silex instance, read [[Create Silex components]]
This term "storage" designates a cloud service or storage location where Silex can save or load your websites and images, e.g. Gitlab or FTP. Read more about [[Data Storage]].
A hosting provider in Silex is like a "folder" where users can publish the website to make it live on the web. So it is a server or a hosting service.
Hosting providers are presented to the user as an option in the dropdown list when you click "publish", e.g. "Github Pages". Read more about [[Silex for hosting providers]].