WES custom hosting

Publishing modes

Publishing mode controls how WES finds the pages on your site when you publish. Most sites use Sitemap and never need to change it, but two other modes give you more control when you work with Webflow CMS content.

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. WES reads your site's sitemap to find every page and publishes them. No Webflow connection needed.
  • API: WES uses the Webflow API to list your pages and CMS items. Best when you want WES to pull directly from Webflow. 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, and turn on automatic publishing when a CMS item changes.

Sitemap (default)

WES 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.

Choose Sitemap when

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

API

In API mode, WES 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, WES opens a window asking you to connect Webflow first. The mode only switches to API once the connection succeeds. If you choose Sitemap or Url Rewrite, no Webflow connection is required.

Choose API when

  • You want WES 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 WES which parts of your site are CMS or template pages. You do this by adding base paths. Once WES knows those paths, you can publish your regular pages and your CMS pages independently, and you can have CMS changes publish themselves automatically.

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 select Add; each one appears in a 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 staging Publish button on your dashboard gains extra options. Along with publishing everything, you can choose:

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

CMS Item Webhooks

Url Rewrite mode also shows a CMS Item Webhooks section in Settings. Registering these lets WES automatically publish CMS collection item changes when an item is changed, published, or deleted in Webflow, so you do not have to publish by hand each time.

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.
  • You want CMS item changes to publish automatically.

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 and CMS webhooks that depend on it.

To avoid surprises:

  • 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 save.
  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, push to production.