Connect Eventbrite to Webflow with embed widgets, Zapier/Make workflows, or server-side API integrations.
Integrating Eventbrite ticketing into a Webflow community event platform requires understanding the architectural constraints of both platforms and choosing the right synchronization pattern for your use case. This guide covers the core concepts, authentication requirements, and implementation approaches you need to make informed decisions.
Key architectural requirement: Direct client-side Eventbrite API calls are not supported for secure production usage, so any custom integration beyond embed widgets should route through a server-side proxy.
Architecture overview
A Webflow-Eventbrite integration involves three potential paths depending on your requirements:
- Embedded Checkout Widget: Simple ticket purchasing without custom development
- Server-side proxy + REST API: Custom event displays and CMS synchronization
- Middleware platforms (Zapier/Make): Automated workflows without custom development
Prerequisites and accounts
At a high level, you need:
- An Eventbrite account with API access via the Developer Portal
- A Webflow site with CMS capabilities and API token access
- For middleware: A Zapier or Make account (Make exposes dozens of Webflow modules across CMS, products, orders, forms, and publishing, significantly more than Zapier's Webflow actions)
Authentication Setup:
Eventbrite requires OAuth 2.0 for all API requests. For single-account integrations, obtain a Private Token from the API Keys page. For multi-user integrations, implement the standard OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow. Include tokens via Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN header. Never expose tokens in client-side code.
Webflow CMS API v2 uses Bearer Token authentication:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_WEBFLOW_TOKEN
Accept: application/json
API tokens expire after 365 days of inactivity.
Rate Limits:
Eventbrite returns HTTP 429 with Retry-After header when limits are exceeded. For bulk imports, implement batching with delays between requests.
See Eventbrite Authentication documentation and Webflow Authentication documentation.
Embed widgets for ticket purchasing
The simplest integration uses Eventbrite's Embedded Checkout Widget, which encapsulates the complete checkout flow without client-side authentication.
At a high level, you need to:
- Copy widget code from Eventbrite's Embedded Checkout documentation
- Add to Webflow using a Code Embed element
- Configure modal or inline display mode
<script src="https://www.eventbrite.com/static/widgets/eb_widgets.js"></script>
window.EBWidgets.createWidget({
widgetType: 'checkout',
eventId: 'YOUR-EVENT-ID',
modal: true,
modalTriggerElementId: 'eventbrite-widget-modal-trigger-YOUR-EVENT-ID',
onOrderComplete: function() { /* Handle success */ }
});
Eventbrite's Embedded Checkout Widget colors and layout cannot be customized — only trigger button styling is controllable through Webflow. Test on your .webflow.io staging subdomain before publishing.
Webflow CMS structure for events
For native Webflow event displays, structure CMS collections to accommodate event data with Reference fields connecting related content.
Recommended Collection Structure:
Events Collection:
├── name (Plain Text)
├── slug (Plain Text)
├── event-date (Date/Time)
├── end-date (Date/Time)
├── description (Rich Text)
├── featured-image (Image)
├── venue (Reference → Venues Collection)
├── speakers (Multi-Reference → Speakers Collection)
├── capacity (Number)
├── registration-url (Link)
├── eventbrite-id (Plain Text) - For sync reference
├── registration-status (Option)
└── featured (Switch)
Venues Collection:
├── name, address, city, state, zip-code (Plain Text)
├── venue-image (Image)
└── google-maps-url (Link)
The eventbrite-id field enables lookup and update operations during synchronization. Webflow CMS lacks native recurring event support—use Reference fields to link related events manually.
Staged Publishing Workflow:
Items are created in staged state by default and require separate publish action to become live. Build publish operations into sync workflows, respecting Webflow's one publish/minute constraint.
Data Mapping from Eventbrite to Webflow:
Understanding the transformation between Eventbrite's API format and Webflow's CMS structure is essential:
Eventbrite Event API Response:
{
"id": "26081133372",
"name": {"text": "Tech Conference 2026"},
"start": {"local": "2026-06-15T09:00:00"},
"end": {"local": "2026-06-15T18:00:00"},
"capacity": "500",
"url": "https://www.eventbrite.com/e/...",
"description": {"text": "Annual technology conference..."}
}
↓ Transformation ↓
Webflow CMS Item:
{
"fieldData": {
"name": "Tech Conference 2026",
"slug": "tech-conference-2026",
"event-date": "2026-06-15T09:00:00Z",
"end-date": "2026-06-15T18:00:00Z",
"capacity": 500,
"eventbrite-id": "26081133372",
"registration-url": "https://www.eventbrite.com/e/..."
}
}
Required Transformations:
- name.text → name (extract nested text property)
- start.local → event-date (ISO 8601 format)
- capacity: string → number (type conversion)
- id → eventbrite-id (for sync reference)
- Generate slug from name for URL-friendly identifier
See Webflow's field types documentation for complete specifications.
Middleware synchronization with Zapier or Make
Middleware platforms handle OAuth authentication and API interactions without custom development.
Zapier offers five instant Eventbrite triggers (new events, attendee registrations, check-ins, orders) and around eight Webflow actions focused on CMS operations. Administrator access to Eventbrite is required.
Make provides dozens of Webflow modules spanning CMS, products, orders, forms, and site publishing, plus granular Eventbrite search by organization, series, and venue. See Make's Webflow integration.
Custom API integration architecture
Custom server-side integration provides full control over data transformation, but server-side architecture is required for secure production usage. Requirements include:
- Server-side token storage
- Error handling with exponential backoff
- Caching layer to reduce API consumption
Eventbrite API patterns
Fetch events using the organization endpoint:
GET https://www.eventbriteapi.com/v3/organizations/{organization_id}/events/
Use the expand parameter (e.g., ?expand=venue,organizer,ticket_classes) to retrieve related data in single requests, reducing API calls.
See Eventbrite Events API documentation for complete endpoint specifications.
Webflow CMS API patterns
Create items via POST /v2/collections/{collection_id}/items with fieldData in request body. Update existing items via PATCH to the same endpoint with an items array containing item IDs.
Requires cms:write scope. See Webflow CMS API documentation.
Webhook synchronization
Configure Eventbrite webhooks for real-time synchronization when events change. Eventbrite supports webhooks for Events, Orders, Attendees, Organizers, Ticket Classes, and Venues. Webflow does not support inbound webhooks, so real-time synchronization requires middleware or a custom server that receives Eventbrite webhooks and pushes updates via Webflow's CMS API.
Expected Webhook Payload Structure:
When Eventbrite sends a webhook notification, it delivers a JSON payload containing the API URL for the changed resource:
{
"api_url": "https://www.eventbriteapi.com/v3/events/26081133372/",
"config": {
"action": "event.published",
"endpoint_url": "http://www.example.com/webhook",
"user_id": "163054428874",
"webhook_id": "147601"
}
}
The api_url points to the resource that triggered the webhook—fetch full data from this URL using your credentials.
Webhook verification implementation:
Verify webhook signatures using the X-Eventbrite-Signature header and your webhook secret, computing an HMAC-SHA256 over the raw JSON payload and comparing the result:
// Webhook handler with signature verification
const crypto = require('crypto');
app.post('/webhooks/eventbrite', express.json(), async (req, res) => {
const signature = req.headers['x-eventbrite-signature'];
const payload = JSON.stringify(req.body);
// Compute HMAC-SHA256 over raw payload
const expectedSignature = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', process.env.EVENTBRITE_WEBHOOK_SECRET)
.update(payload)
.digest('base64');
if (signature !== expectedSignature) {
return res.status(401).send('Invalid signature');
}
// Fetch complete event data
const { api_url } = req.body;
const eventData = await fetch(api_url, {
headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.EVENTBRITE_TOKEN}` }
}).then(r => r.json());
// Transform and update Webflow CMS
await syncToWebflow(eventData);
res.status(200).send('Processed');
});
See Eventbrite's webhook documentation for setup instructions.
Security considerations
All Eventbrite API integrations require server-side proxy architecture. Eventbrite's API is not designed for direct browser-based calls from client-side JavaScript, and exposing API tokens in client code creates security vulnerabilities.
Key requirements:
- Store OAuth tokens server-side only using environment variables or secrets management
- Use embed widgets when full API control isn't required (eliminates token handling)
- Implement HTTPS for all communications
Eventbrite maintains PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance and holds ISO 27001 certification; confirm current attestations in Eventbrite's latest security documentation or trust center. See Webflow's essential security practices guide.
Verification approach
Here is how you can test your integration:
- Embed widget: Test on .webflow.io staging subdomain — custom scripts only render on published sites, not in Designer preview.
- CMS synchronization: Verify Bearer Token authentication returns successful responses, event data creates/updates in Webflow CMS, and items transition from staged to published state.
- Webhooks: Confirm endpoint receives
POSTrequests with structured payload, and Webflow CMS updates trigger correctly through your middleware layer.
Synchronization pattern selection
Choose a synchronization approach based on your latency requirements, infrastructure capabilities, and operational complexity tolerance:
- Webhook-triggered real-time sync: Best when event changes must immediately reflect on your site. Requires server/edge function implementation. See Architecture overview for complete data flow.
- Scheduled batch synchronization: Suits implementations where eventual consistency is acceptable. Simpler but introduces latency.
- Hybrid patterns: Combine real-time webhook processing for priority events with scheduled batch operations for reconciliation — recommended for production systems.
For no-code middleware, Zapier provides instant webhook triggers while Make offers more comprehensive Webflow operations.
Common integration challenges
Error 400 (ARGUMENTS_ERROR): Ensure proper JSON formatting with appropriate content-type headers.
Error 404 on deprecated endpoints: Webflow CMS API v1 reached its deprecation date on March 31, 2025; it is no longer maintained or supported, and v2 should be used for all new integrations. Use v2 endpoints exclusively (base URL: https://api.webflow.com/v2/). For Eventbrite, use organization-based event listing endpoints. Check the Eventbrite changelog.
Items require separate publish action: Remember that Webflow CMS items are created in staged state by default.
Next steps
Start with the Embedded Checkout Widget for straightforward ticket purchasing without server-side infrastructure.
For CMS-integrated event displays, evaluate:
- Middleware platforms: Pre-built workflows for standard event-to-CMS synchronization
- Custom server-side implementation: Maximum flexibility for complex requirements
Review the Eventbrite API documentation and Webflow custom code documentation for complete specifications.
