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Site Management

Overview

wp site commands are the operational core of WordPress multisite. Use them to create, list, update, archive, and delete subsites quickly and safely across a network.

Understanding Site Lifecycle Management​

A multisite network is easiest to run when you treat sites as lifecycle-managed resources:

  • Provision new sites with consistent naming
  • Audit status and activity with structured output
  • Update metadata and visibility settings
  • Archive/Deactivate unused sites before deletion
  • Delete only when retention policies allow it

Creating and Listing Sites​

Create a New Subsite​

# Create subsite (subdirectory or subdomain based on network mode)
wp site create --slug=client1 --title="Client 1 Site" --email=client1@example.com

Example output:

Success: Site 3 created: http://example.com/client1/

Create Site in Specific Network​

# Useful for multi-network installations
wp site create --network_id=2 --slug=projectx --title="Project X" --email=ops@example.com

List All Sites​

# Default table output
wp site list

# Show selected fields
wp site list --fields=blog_id,url,registered,last_updated,public,archived

List Sites in JSON for Automation​

wp site list --format=json

Use this with monitoring jobs, dashboards, or scheduled audits.

Updating Site State​

Mark a Site as Archived or Public​

# Archive site ID 7
wp site archive 7

# Unarchive site ID 7
wp site unarchive 7

# Mark site as public
wp site public 7

# Mark site as private
wp site private 7

Mark a Site as Spam or Deactivate It​

# Deactivate site access
wp site deactivate 9

# Re-activate site access
wp site activate 9

# Mark as spam
wp site spam 10

# Remove spam flag
wp site unspam 10

These states are useful for governance workflows without immediately deleting data.

Deleting Sites Safely​

Delete a Site​

# Permanently delete site by ID
wp site delete 12 --yes
Destructive Action

wp site delete is permanent. Export content and confirm retention requirements first.

Safety Workflow Before Deletion​

# 1) Check site details
wp site list --fields=blog_id,url,registered,last_updated --format=table

# 2) Optional content export from target URL context
wp export --url=client12.example.com --dir=exports/

# 3) Delete site
wp site delete 12 --yes

Query Patterns for Operations Teams​

Get Only URLs​

wp site list --field=url

Count Total Sites​

wp site list --format=count

Batch Action Across Sites​

# Example: list plugin status on every site
for url in $(wp site list --field=url); do
  echo "Checking $url"
  wp plugin list --url="$url" --fields=name,status,update
done

Real-World Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Agency Site Provisioning​

#!/bin/bash
# provision-client-site.sh

CLIENT_SLUG="$1"
CLIENT_TITLE="$2"
CLIENT_EMAIL="$3"

wp site create --slug="$CLIENT_SLUG" --title="$CLIENT_TITLE" --email="$CLIENT_EMAIL"

Scenario 2: Quarterly Network Audit​

wp site list --fields=blog_id,url,registered,last_updated,public,archived --format=csv > multisite-audit.csv

Scenario 3: Archive Dormant Sites Before Cleanup​

# Example manual process for selected site IDs
wp site archive 21
wp site archive 24
wp site archive 30

Best Practices​

1. Use Naming Standards for Slugs​

Prefer predictable patterns such as client-acme, dept-hr, or tenant-001.

2. Prefer Structured Output for Tooling​

wp site list --format=json

3. Archive Before Delete​

Archive and observe for a retention period before permanent deletion.

4. Keep an Audit Trail​

Record who created, archived, or deleted each site in change logs.

5. Automate Repetitive Admin Tasks​

Use cron and scripts for status reports, plugin checks, and governance tasks.

Troubleshooting​

Site Creation Fails​

# Confirm multisite mode is active
wp eval 'echo is_multisite() ? "true" : "false";'

# Check if slug or domain already exists
wp site list --fields=blog_id,url

Cannot Delete Site​

# Verify target site ID
wp site list --fields=blog_id,url

# Retry with confirmation flag
wp site delete <site-id> --yes

Command Works on Main Site but Not Subsites​

Use explicit URL context when running site-level commands:

wp option get blogname --url=client1.example.com

Quick Reference​

Essential Commands​

# Create and list
wp site create --slug=<slug> --title="<title>" --email=<email>
wp site create --network_id=<id> --slug=<slug> --title="<title>" --email=<email>
wp site list
wp site list --format=json
wp site list --field=url

# State management
wp site archive <site-id>
wp site unarchive <site-id>
wp site deactivate <site-id>
wp site activate <site-id>
wp site public <site-id>
wp site private <site-id>
wp site spam <site-id>
wp site unspam <site-id>

# Delete
wp site delete <site-id> --yes

Comparison: Common Site Operations​

OperationCommandBest Use Case
Provision Sitewp site create ...New tenant/client onboarding
Network Inventorywp site listOperational audit and reporting
Soft Retirementwp site archive IDRetention period before removal
Permanent Removalwp site delete ID --yesDecommissioned sites
Automation Exportwp site list --format=jsonDashboards and scripts
Key Takeaway

Use wp site for full site lifecycle management: provision, govern, and decommission with repeatable CLI workflows.

Next Steps​