SiteDotCom Metadata Type in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

SiteDotCom represents the compiled binary site package and metadata definition for Salesforce Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud) sites, Site.com portals, and Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) applications. When developers build digital experience pages using Experience Builder, the underlying pages, themes, branding sets, page variations, and component bindings are packaged into a binary .site file managed through SiteDotCom.

From an enterprise release management standpoint, SiteDotCom is one of the most critical yet challenging metadata types. Because the .site file is a compiled binary payload rather than readable XML, it cannot be diffed or merged line-by-line in Git. Enterprise teams must pair SiteDotCom with companion metadata—specifically CustomSite, Network, and ExperienceBundle (when using Aura sites) or DigitalExperienceBundle (when using LWR sites)—to establish robust CI/CD pipelines.

Directory and File Conventions#

In SFDX source format, SiteDotCom metadata consists of paired binary and XML files located in the siteDotComSites directory.

Key Metadata Fields#

The XML companion file (.site-meta.xml) contains key operational descriptors:

Sibling Metadata Types in Digital Experiences#

When deploying digital experience sites, SiteDotCom is deployed alongside:

• CustomSite: The public domain, path, guest user profile, and active status.
• Network: Community branding, email settings, member profiles, and tab visibility.
• ExperienceBundle / DigitalExperienceBundle: Granular text-based JSON/XML source representing individual pages, routes, and components.

Declarative XML and Package Manifest Examples#

Below is an example of the metadata definition file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<SiteDotCom xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <label>Partner Portal</label>
    <siteType>ChatterNetwork</siteType>
</SiteDotCom>

The sibling binary file Partner_Portal.site resides in the same directory.

Manifest Definition (package.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Partner_Portal</members>
        <name>SiteDotCom</name>
    </types>
    <types>
        <members>Partner_Portal</members>
        <name>CustomSite</name>
    </types>
    <types>
        <members>Partner_Portal</members>
        <name>Network</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

Retrieval and Deployment#

Use the Salesforce CLI to retrieve and deploy digital experience sites:

# Retrieve SiteDotCom and related site metadata
sf project retrieve start --metadata "SiteDotCom:Partner_Portal,CustomSite:Partner_Portal,Network:Partner_Portal"

# Deploy site assets to target environment
sf project deploy start --metadata "SiteDotCom,CustomSite,Network"

Senior Architect Deployment Best Practices and Gotchas#

1. Git Merge Conflicts on Binaries: Never attempt to resolve merge conflicts on .site binary files manually. Always designate a single developer or sandbox as the authoritative source for site publishing, pull the compiled site, and commit it cleanly.
2. Strict Deployment Ordering: In CI/CD pipelines, ensure the target org has Digital Experiences enabled (experienceBundleSettings or communitiesSettings) before deploying SiteDotCom.
3. ExperienceBundle Preference: Where supported (Aura community templates), enable ExperienceBundle in CommunitiesSettings. This decomposes the site into editable JSON files, minimizing reliance on monolithic .site binary files.
4. Guest Profile Permissions: Deploying a SiteDotCom site does not automatically grant object permissions to guest users. You must deploy the guest user profile (<SiteName>_Profile) or permission sets to allow public visitors access to necessary data.

Frequently asked questions

What does SiteDotCom metadata represent in Experience Cloud?

It contains the binary site package (.site file) and metadata header representing the runtime site pages, branding, and layouts.

Where are SiteDotCom files located in an SFDX project?

Under force-app/main/default/siteDotComSites/ containing pairs of .site binary files and .site-meta.xml definition files.

Can SiteDotCom binary files be diffed directly in Git pull requests?

No, because the .site file is a compiled binary payload; changes should be tracked through CustomSite and Network metadata where possible.

Why should architects deploy CustomSite and Network before SiteDotCom?

SiteDotCom depends on the parent CustomSite and Network containers to exist before the compiled site package can be deployed successfully.