WES custom hosting

Publishing modes

Where to find it

  1. Open your project.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Find the Publishing mode dropdown.

The three options are Sitemap, API, and Url Rewrite. Your choice is saved with the project and applies every time you publish, to both staging and production.

The three modes at a glance

  • Sitemap: the default. WCH reads your site's sitemap to find every page and publishes them. No Webflow connection needed.
  • API: WCH uses the Webflow API to list your pages and CMS items. Requires a connected Webflow account.
  • Url Rewrite: works like Sitemap, but you mark which paths hold your CMS or template pages. This lets you publish your regular pages and your CMS pages separately.

Sitemap (default)

WCH loads your site's sitemap and publishes every page listed there. This is the simplest mode and works for most sites. It does not connect to Webflow's API or treat CMS pages any differently from normal pages. If you have never changed this setting, your project is already using Sitemap.

Because WCH only sees what the sitemap lists, a new CMS item needs a full Webflow site publish before WCH can find it.

Choose Sitemap when

  • Your site is mostly static pages.
  • You want the simplest setup with nothing to connect.

API

In API mode, WCH talks to the Webflow API to discover your pages and your CMS items, then publishes them. Because it reads directly from Webflow, this mode needs a connected Webflow account.

When you switch the dropdown to API and your project is not connected to Webflow yet, WCH opens a window asking you to connect Webflow first. The mode only switches to API once the connection succeeds. If the Webflow connection is later lost, publishing is blocked until you reconnect. Sitemap and Url Rewrite need no Webflow connection.

Choose API when

  • You want WCH to pull your pages and CMS items straight from Webflow.
  • Your project is connected to Webflow.

Url Rewrite

Url Rewrite works like Sitemap for finding pages, but adds a way to tell WCH which parts of your site are CMS or template pages. You do this by adding base paths. Once WCH knows those paths, you can publish your regular pages and your CMS pages independently.

Base paths

When you select Url Rewrite, a base path field appears under the dropdown. Add the paths where your CMS or template pages live, one at a time, for example /blog or /author. Type a path and click Add. Each one appears in the Base path list, where you can remove it later. Any page whose address starts with one of these paths is treated as a template or CMS page.

Publishing regular pages and CMS pages separately

In Url Rewrite mode, the Publish all pages button on your Dashboard gains a dropdown with two extra options:

  • Publish non-template pages: publishes only the pages that are not under one of your base paths (your regular pages).
  • Publish template pages: publishes only the pages that are under a base path (your CMS pages).

The main button still publishes all pages. These split options only appear in Url Rewrite mode. In Sitemap and API modes, publishing always covers every page.

Choose Url Rewrite when

  • You have CMS or template pages grouped under known paths like /blog.
  • You want to publish regular pages and CMS pages on their own.

CMS webhooks work in every mode

The CMS Webhooks section in Settings is available whichever publishing mode you use. Click Add CMS webhooks to have WCH publish a single collection item automatically when it is created, edited, published, or deleted in Webflow. See Webhooks.

Switching modes safely

Publishing mode changes how a publish behaves, so switch it deliberately. Selecting API without a Webflow connection cannot complete, and moving away from Url Rewrite hides the split publish options.

  • Before choosing API: make sure your project is connected to Webflow, or be ready to connect it in the window that appears.
  • Before relying on split publishing: confirm your base paths are correct in Url Rewrite mode. A missing or misspelled path means those pages get treated as regular pages instead of CMS pages.
  • After switching: publish once and check the result before you depend on the new behavior.

Testing your changes

  1. Set the Publishing mode you want and click Save changes.
  2. Publish to staging first.
  3. Open your staging site and confirm the right pages are there. In Url Rewrite mode, try Publish non-template pages and Publish template pages and check that each publishes the group you expect.
  4. Once staging looks right, promote to production.