Architectural Overview

The DigitalExperienceConfig metadata type manages architectural configurations for modern Salesforce Digital Experiences, particularly enhanced Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) sites and Salesforce CMS workspaces. As digital experience architectures evolved from Aura Community templates to high-performance micro-frontends on LWR, metadata configuration decoupled content channels from page layout definitions.

Using DigitalExperienceConfig, architects declare workspace properties, channel delivery endpoints, content access boundaries, and site status programmatically across development pipelines, eliminating manual point-and-click publishing steps in target orgs.

DigitalExperienceConfig Enhanced LWR Site Engine Salesforce CMS Channels Custom Domains & CDN Routing Multi-Language Content Delivery High-Concurrency Public Experience

SFDX Directory and File Suffix

Property Value
Metadata Type Name DigitalExperienceConfig
SFDX Directory Path force-app/main/default/digitalExperienceConfigs/
File Suffix .digitalExperienceConfig-meta.xml
API Version 68.0 (Winter ’27)

Key Metadata Fields

Field Type Required Description & Architectural Considerations
label string Yes Human-readable title of the digital experience configuration.
description string No Architectural description of channel routing and site boundaries.
site string Yes API name of the target Experience Cloud CustomSite or LWR container.
status string Yes Deployment and activation status (Active, Draft, UnderMaintenance).
experienceType string No Type of digital experience runtime architecture (e.g., LWR, EnhancedCMS).

Note

Ensure the underlying CustomSite and Network metadata components exist in the target org before deploying dependent DigitalExperienceConfig components.

Declarative XML and Package.xml Examples

DigitalExperienceConfig Metadata File

force-app/main/default/digitalExperienceConfigs/Partner_Portal_Config.digitalExperienceConfig-meta.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DigitalExperienceConfig xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <description>Enterprise partner portal digital experience configuration on enhanced LWR.</description>
    <experienceType>LWR</experienceType>
    <label>Partner Portal Config</label>
    <site>Partner_Portal_Site</site>
    <status>Active</status>
</DigitalExperienceConfig>

package.xml Manifest

manifest/package.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Partner_Portal_Config</members>
        <name>DigitalExperienceConfig</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

SFDX CLI Retrieval and Deployment Commands

Retrieve and deploy digital experience configs across CI/CD stages:

Terminal
# Retrieve all digital experience configs
sf project retrieve start --metadata "DigitalExperienceConfig" --target-org experience-dev

# Deploy the configuration along with its target CustomSite and ExperienceBundle
sf project deploy start \
  --metadata "CustomSite:Partner_Portal_Site,DigitalExperienceConfig:Partner_Portal_Config" \
  --target-org uat-org

# Query existing digital experience configs via Tooling API
sf data query --use-tooling-api --query "SELECT Id, DeveloperName, Site, Status FROM DigitalExperienceConfig" --target-org uat-org

Senior Architect Best Practices and Gotchas

Warning

Network and CustomSite Coupling: DigitalExperienceConfig is tightly coupled with Network and CustomSite metadata. If the associated Experience Cloud site is inactive or missing from the deployment payload, the deployment will fail with reference validation errors.

Tip

Coordinate Content Delivery Security: When deploying new digital experience configurations, review the associated guest user profile and public access settings to avoid exposing internal business objects to unauthenticated public visitors.

  • Automated Staging Promotion: Promote DigitalExperienceConfig in Draft or UnderMaintenance status during deployment maintenance windows, then transition to Active via post-deployment smoke tests.
  • Cache Invalidation: For enhanced LWR sites connected to Salesforce Edge Network or Cloudforce CDN, changing digital experience config flags may require CDN cache purge cycles to take immediate effect for global visitors.

Frequently asked questions

What architectural components are governed by DigitalExperienceConfig?

It coordinates enhanced LWR site behaviors, channel associations, CMS workspace routing, and modern digital experience container definitions.

Where are DigitalExperienceConfig files stored in an SFDX project?

They are stored in force-app/main/default/digitalExperienceConfigs with the file suffix .digitalExperienceConfig-meta.xml.

How does DigitalExperienceConfig interact with ExperienceBundle?

While ExperienceBundle stores layout and component trees, DigitalExperienceConfig governs top-level workspace channel routing and runtime site infrastructure.

Comments

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