Exporting a bundle

A bundle is a single portable JSON file describing exactly what you chose to sync. Exporting is the first half of the core loop: you tick what to include, and DriftSync writes it into one file you can download, commit to git, attach to a ticket, or hand to another site.

Choose what to sync#

On the Export screen, DriftSync groups everything it can move into selectable sections — options and settings groups, global styles, block patterns and reusable blocks, nav menus, and custom post-type and taxonomy definitions. Tick only what you want in this release; a bundle is a description of a specific change, not a full-site dump.

1. Open DriftSync → Export.
2. Select the sections and individual items to include. The counter shows how many values are in the current selection.
3. Choose a redaction preset — DriftSync detects secrets and environment URLs and holds them back rather than blanking them.
4. Click Export bundle to download a single .json file.

What a bundle looks like#

The file is plain, human-readable JSON. It records the DriftSync format version, when and where it was created, your selection, and which values were held back by redaction:

{
	"driftsync": "1",
	"created": "2026-07-23T10:04:00Z",
	"source": "staging.example.com",
	"select": {
		"options": ["blogname", "blogdescription", "permalink_structure", "timezone_string"],
		"settingsGroups": ["reading", "discussion"],
		"globalStyles": true,
		"patterns": ["cta-banner", "pricing-cards"],
		"menus": ["primary", "footer"],
		"postTypes": ["portfolio"],
		"taxonomies": ["portfolio_category"]
	},
	"redaction": "secrets-urls",
	"held": ["mailchimp_api_key", "smtp_password"]
}

Nothing in a bundle executes. It is a description of desired state, never a script — applying it only ever sets the values it lists, through DriftSync itself.

Why one JSON file#

• Git-friendly — commit bundles to a repo and review changes to your site config in a pull request, the same way you review code.
• Reviewable by eye — diff two bundles in any text tool to see what a release will change before it ever touches a site.
• Portable — email it, attach it to a support ticket, or drop it in shared storage. There is no SFTP, database dump, or code deploy involved.

Applying it elsewhere#

On the target site, open DriftSync → Apply, upload the bundle, and DriftSync produces a dry-run diff so you can review every change before writing anything. With DriftSync Pro you can skip the file entirely and push the same bundle straight to a connected site.