Publishing in SkyCMS

Publishing is the process of making content live on your website. SkyCMS supports multiple publishing modes and workflows to fit different content strategies and team structures.

When to use this

• You need to choose a publishing mode (Direct, Staged, Static Generation, Git-Based) for your team and hosting model.
• You want a concise view of workflows, approvals, and rollback options before configuring environments.

Why this matters

• Picking the right mode balances speed, safety, and operational overhead.
• Aligns editors, reviewers, and DevOps on environments and promotion paths to avoid production mistakes.

Key takeaways

• Direct is fastest but riskiest; Staged/Git-based add review and rollback; Static suits edge/static hosting.
• CDN purge issues don’t block publication; they only affect cache freshness.
• Keep Editor/Staging/Production URLs distinct to avoid cross-environment confusion.

Prerequisites

• Defined environments (staging/production) and access to storage/CDN where content is deployed.
• Decision on approval requirements and who can publish/promote.

Quick path

1. Pick a mode (Direct, Staged, Static, or Git-Based) based on team/process.
2. Configure targets and approvals as shown in each mode’s section.
3. Validate end-to-end: publish, verify on target, and confirm CDN cache behavior.

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Key facts

• Publishing modes: Direct, Staged, Static Generation, and Git-Based—pick based on review needs and hosting model.
• Staged/Git-based flows support approvals and rollback; Direct is fastest but riskiest.
• CDN purge failures do not block publishing; content lands in storage, CDN may be stale until purged/TTL.
• Keep environments clear: Editor↔Staging↔Production URLs distinct to avoid cross-environment confusion.

Table of Contents

• Publishing Overview
• Publishing Modes
• Publishing Workflows
• Publishing Steps
• Scheduling & Automation
• Unpublishing & Archiving
• Best Practices

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Publishing Overview

Publishing makes content visible to your website visitors. Before publishing, content exists only in the SkyCMS editor.

Content States

State	Visibility	Audience	Can Edit
Draft	Private	Editors only	Yes
Scheduled	Private	Editors only	No
Published	Public	All visitors	Depends
Archived	Private	Editors only	No

Publishing Modes

SkyCMS supports different publishing modes to accommodate various hosting and workflow needs:

1. Direct Publishing - Publish directly to live site immediately
2. Staged Publishing - Publish to staging environment first, then promote to production
3. Static Generation - Generate static files for hosting anywhere
4. Git-Based Publishing - Commit content to Git repository

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Publishing Modes

1. Direct Publishing

How it works: - Content is published directly to live website - Changes appear immediately - No intermediate steps

When to use: - Small teams with trusted editors - Rapid content updates needed - Real-time content (news, breaking announcements) - Development/testing environments

Advantages: - Fast: Changes live in seconds - Simple: No complex workflows - Immediate: No waiting for CI/CD

Disadvantages: - Risky: Mistakes immediately visible - No review process: Can't vet changes before publishing - No rollback: Errors require immediate fixing

Configuration:

{
  "Publishing": {
    "Mode": "Direct",
    "Target": "https://production.example.com"
  }
}

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2. Staged Publishing

How it works: - Content published to staging environment first - Review, test, and verify on staging - Promote to production when ready - Rollback possible if issues found

When to use: - Teams requiring review before publishing - Complex content with dependencies - High-visibility websites - Regulated industries (finance, healthcare)

Advantages: - Safe: Review before going live - Testable: Verify on staging first - Reversible: Rollback if needed - Auditable: Track all changes

Disadvantages: - Slower: Additional approval steps - Complex: Multiple environments to manage - Overhead: More process required

Workflow:

1. Edit in Editor (Draft)
   ↓
2. Request Publication (Pending Review)
   ↓
3. Review on Staging
   ↓
4. Approve/Reject
   ↓
5. If Approved → Promote to Production (Published)
   ↓
6. If Rejected → Return to Draft

Configuration:

{
  "Publishing": {
    "Mode": "Staged",
    "Staging": "https://staging.example.com",
    "Production": "https://example.com",
    "RequireApproval": true
  }
}

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3. Static Generation

How it works: - Content generates static HTML files - Static files hosted on any web server or CDN - Fast, secure, scalable deployment - Typical JAMstack approach

When to use: - High-traffic sites - Security-critical content - CDN distribution needed - Serverless/static hosting (GitHub Pages, Netlify, etc.) - Migrating from JAMstack

Advantages: - Fast: Static files are very fast - Secure: No server-side processing - Scalable: Minimal server resources - Cost-effective: Cheap hosting options - Migrates to existing static host easily

Disadvantages: - Build time: Generation takes seconds/minutes - Complexity: Requires build process - Limitations: Some dynamic features not available - Stale content: Needs regeneration for updates

Workflow:

1. Edit in Editor
   ↓
2. Publish (triggers generation)
   ↓
3. Generate Static Files (HTML, CSS, JS)
   ↓
4. Deploy to Web Server/CDN
   ↓
5. Site is Live

Configuration:

{
  "Publishing": {
    "Mode": "StaticGeneration",
    "Generator": "Jekyll",
    "OutputFolder": "./publish",
    "BuildCommand": "jekyll build",
    "DeployTarget": "GitHub Pages"
  }
}

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4. Git-Based Publishing

How it works: - Content stored as files in Git repository - Publishing commits changes to repository - CI/CD pipeline deploys from repository - Familiar workflow for developers

When to use: - Developer-focused teams - Existing CI/CD pipelines - Migrating from Git-based systems - Version control required - Content in source repository

Advantages: - Version control: Full Git history - CI/CD: Integrate with existing pipelines - Familiar: Git workflows - Auditability: All changes tracked - Reversible: Easy rollback via Git

Disadvantages: - Complexity: Requires Git understanding - Overhead: More process - Limited UI: Less visual preview - Technical: Requires developer involvement

Workflow:

1. Edit in SkyCMS Editor
   ↓
2. Publish → Commit to Git
   ↓
3. Git Webhook → Triggers CI/CD
   ↓
4. CI/CD Pipeline Builds & Deploys
   ↓
5. Site is Updated

Configuration:

{
  "Publishing": {
    "Mode": "GitBased",
    "Repository": "https://github.com/user/site.git",
    "Branch": "main",
    "CommitMessage": "Content: Auto-published from SkyCMS",
    "WebhookSecret": "secure-webhook-key"
  }
}

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Publishing Workflows

Simple Workflow (Small Teams)

For: Single editor, rapid updates, no review needed

1. Edit Page/Post
2. Click "Publish"
3. Content is live

Time: Immediate
Approval: None
Risk: High (mistakes immediately visible)

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Editorial Workflow (Managed Teams)

For: Multiple editors, need review, want quality control

1. Editor creates content (Draft)
2. Editor requests publication
3. Reviewer checks on Staging
4. Reviewer approves or requests changes
5. If approved → Promoted to Production
6. If rejected → Returned to Draft

Time: Minutes to hours
Approval: Required
Risk: Low (reviewed before publishing)

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Complex Workflow (Large Organizations)

For: Large teams, complex dependencies, regulated environments

1. Author writes content (Draft)
2. Editor reviews and requests changes
3. Author updates content
4. Editor approves for publication (Pending)
5. Checker verifies on Staging
6. Compliance reviews metadata/permissions
7. All approvals received → Production deployment
8. Monitoring verifies deployment successful

Time: Hours to days
Approvals: Multiple (editing, review, compliance, deployment)
Risk: Very low (extensive review process)

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Publishing Steps

Step-by-Step: Publishing Page Content

1. Edit Your Content
2. Open page in Visual Editor
3. Make changes to page content
4. Use widgets for media and forms

5. Preview your changes

6. Review Before Publishing

7. Click "Preview" to see live appearance
8. Check on desktop and mobile
9. Verify all links work
10. Check form functionality

11. Verify images display correctly

12. Set Publishing Options

13. Publish Date - Today or schedule for later
14. Visibility - Public, private, password-protected
15. Permissions - Who can access
16. SEO - Meta title, description, keywords

17. Redirect - Set if replacing old URL

18. Request Publication (if using workflow)

19. Click "Request Publication"
20. Add publication message
21. Assign to reviewer

22. Wait for approval

23. Publish

24. Click "Publish" to make live
25. Or wait for approval then promote

26. Content is now visible to visitors

27. Verify

28. Visit live website
29. Check page displays correctly
30. Verify all functionality works
31. Check social media preview (if applicable)

Step-by-Step: Publishing Blog Posts

1. Write Your Post
2. Create new blog post
3. Write content using Visual Editor
4. Add featured image

5. Add categories/tags

6. Set Post Settings

7. Title - Catchy, descriptive
8. Slug - URL-friendly identifier
9. Excerpt - Summary for listings
10. Categories - Classify your post
11. Tags - Topic keywords
12. Author - Who wrote it

13. Featured Image - Thumbnail

14. Schedule Publication

15. Publish Date - When should it go live
16. Schedule - Automatic publication at time
17. Timezone - Correct timezone

18. Notify Subscribers - Email notification

19. Request Review (if using workflow)

20. Submit for editor review
21. Wait for feedback
22. Make requested changes

23. Resubmit if needed

24. Publish Post

25. Click "Publish" or schedule
26. Post appears in blog listings
27. Social media notification sent (if enabled)

28. Subscribers notified

29. Share

30. Share link on social media
31. Email to subscribers
32. Add to newsletter
33. Link from other pages

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Scheduling & Automation

Scheduled Publishing

Publish content at a specific future date and time:

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FAQ

• Which mode is best for fast edits? Direct Publishing is fastest; pair with small teams and low risk content.
• How do I get approvals before go-live? Use Staged Publishing or Git-Based workflows with review on staging before promoting to production.
• What if CDN purge fails? Content is already in storage; retry purge or wait for TTL. Publishing isn’t blocked by purge failures.

1. Set Publish Date - Choose when content should go live
2. Verify Timezone - Ensure correct timezone selected
3. Confirm Scheduling - Double-check date and time
4. Set & Forget - SkyCMS publishes automatically

Use Cases: - Blog posts at specific time - News announcements at launch - Promotional content on schedule - Time-zone appropriate posts - Content drip campaigns

Configuration:

Publishing Date: December 25, 2025
Publishing Time: 10:00 AM
Timezone: Eastern Time (US)

Recurring/Automated Publishing

Automatically republish content on schedule:

Publish: Every Monday at 9:00 AM
Frequency: Weekly
Keep: Previous version archived

Use Cases: - Weekly blog features - Regular newsletter content - Rotating promotions - Scheduled announcements - Content refreshing

Conditional Publishing

Publish based on conditions:

If URL contains "/summer/"
  Then set visibility to public
  And add category "Seasonal"
  And schedule unpublishing for Sept 1

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Unpublishing & Archiving

Unpublishing Content

Remove content from public view but keep for reference:

1. Find Published Content - Locate in content list
2. Click "Unpublish" - Remove from public
3. Choose Archive - Optionally archive
4. Confirm - Content now private

Preservation: Content remains in editor; can be republished

Archiving Content

Move old content to archive:

1. Select Content - Choose to archive
2. Click "Archive" - Move to archive
3. Optional Message - Note reason for archiving
4. Archived - Removed from active list, saved for reference

Preservation: Can search archive and restore if needed

Redirects

When replacing or removing pages, set up redirects:

1. Old URL - https://example.com/old-page
2. New URL - https://example.com/new-page
3. Redirect Type - Permanent (301) or Temporary (302)
4. Save - Redirect now active

Best Practices: - Always redirect old URLs - Use permanent (301) for content moves - Use temporary (302) for short-term changes - Update internal links when possible

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Best Practices

Before Publishing

• Write First, Publish Later - Finish content before publishing
• Review Your Work - Check spelling, grammar, links
• Preview Thoroughly - Check desktop and mobile views
• Test Interactive Elements - Forms, buttons, videos
• Verify Images - All images load and display correctly
• Check SEO - Meta title, description, keywords
• Proofread - Multiple readings catch more errors

Publishing Decisions

• Know Your Audience - Who needs to see this?
• Choose Right Time - When should content go live?
• Set Visibility - Who should see this content?
• Plan Promotion - How will you publicize it?
• Consider Scheduling - Automatic publishing when appropriate

After Publishing

• Verify Live - Visit website and confirm content is live
• Check Links - Test all links work
• Test Forms - Submit test form if applicable
• Social Media - Share if appropriate
• Monitor - Watch for errors or issues
• Respond to Feedback - Answer comments/questions

Publishing Frequency

• Be Consistent - Regular publishing builds audience
• Quality over Quantity - Don't publish just to publish
• Plan Ahead - Schedule content in advance
• Avoid Overload - Don't publish too frequently
• Seasonal - Adjust for seasonal content patterns

Team Communication

• Document Workflow - Make process clear
• Assign Responsibility - Who publishes what?
• Set Deadlines - When should content be ready?
• Review Schedule - When do reviewers check work?
• Communication - Use message/notes feature

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See Also

• Blog Post Lifecycle - Creating and publishing blog posts
• Page Scheduling - Schedule pages for automatic publication
• CDN Configuration - Cache purging on publish
• Authentication & Authorization - Access control and permissions
• Content Editor Guide - Content creation guide
• Quick Start - Getting started with SkyCMS
• Troubleshooting Guide - Publishing issues and solutions
• Main Documentation Hub - Browse all documentation

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Related Documentation (To Be Created)

• Publishing workflows and approval processes
• Git-based publishing setup and automation
• Static site generation deployment
• Publishing performance optimization
• Content versioning and rollback
• Publishing analytics and monitoring
• Promotional content best practices
• International content and scheduling

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Last Updated: December 17, 2025
Owner: @toiyabe