Publishing
Nothing goes live that doesn't build.
Your client works in a draft that only they see. When they choose Publish, Siteshare checks every change and builds your site on a clean copy. Only then does one commit land on main, and your host does the rest.
From draft to live
A draft first. Live when they say so.
Your client · yoursite.com/edit
Every change goes into a draft. Nothing is live yet.
Siteshare
Publish builds exactly what goes live on a clean copy.
Yours, as before
One commit on main. Cloudflare, Netlify, Vercel or any other host deploys it.
When it can't go ahead
The reason in plain words, and nothing breaks.
If a publish can't go ahead, nothing goes live and your client reads why, with what to do next.
The site doesn't work with these changes
They ask the assistant to fix it, and publish again.
You changed something in the meantime
Your change comes into their draft first, then they try again.
You both changed the same text
They choose which version to keep, and you hear which.
A change goes above their access
That part waits for your approval; the rest goes live.
History and Restore
Nothing is ever lost.
History shows the last 10 versions, newest first, with who changed what and when. Your client can look at any of them in the editor and click through it, then Restore it.
- A restore is a new version on top of the others, so you can always go back again.
- Your main branch is never rewritten: no force pushes, no rebase.
- The mail after every publish has a link that opens the version from before, ready to restore.
In your repository
You see exactly what happened.
For builders: what Siteshare does in your repository, and what it never does.
The draft on a branch of its own
While your client works, their changes are saved on a draft branch, marked so most hosts build nothing for them.
One commit per publish
Only what passed the checks and the build reaches main, as one commit that lists the changes in plain words.
Your own work keeps going
Push to main as you always do. Your changes come into the client's draft.
What it never does
Rewrite the history of main, deploy to your host, or put a secret or a script in your repository.
Questions
Does it change how my host deploys?
No. Siteshare puts one commit on main; your host deploys it as it deploys anything else. We don't host anything.
How long until a change is live?
Usually within a few minutes: first the checks and the build, then your host, which usually takes a minute or two. On Cloudflare and Vercel the editor follows it until the site is live.
What if my client and I change the same text?
Push to main as you always do: your change comes into the client's draft. When you both changed the same lines, the client chooses which version stays, and you hear which.
Can a publish be undone?
Yes. Any of the last 10 versions comes back with Restore, as a new version on top. You also get a link to undo in the mail after every publish.
Does Vercel build a preview of every draft change?
Vercel builds every branch unless you tell it not to. One line in vercel.json turns it off for the draft; the docs have it.
In the docs
Step by step.
For your clients
Publish
What happens when you publish, and what to do when it can't go ahead.
For builders
Publishing and your repository
The draft branch, what a publication puts on main, and what never happens.
For your clients
History and Restore
Look at earlier versions and bring one back.
More of the product: The editor · Access and approvals · Security · For clients
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