What DriftSync syncs
DriftSync syncs WordPress configuration and content definitions — the settings and structures that make two sites behave the same — and deliberately leaves your posts and media alone. Knowing the boundary is what makes a bundle safe to apply anywhere.
What it syncs
- Options & settings groups — individual options (site title, tagline, permalink structure, timezone) and grouped settings screens like Reading, Discussion, and Media.
- Global styles & theme.json — the site's global styles: colors, typography, spacing, and the block settings a block theme resolves from
theme.json. - Block patterns & reusable blocks — registered patterns and synced (reusable) blocks, so shared layouts travel with the release.
- Navigation menus — both classic menus and block-based navigation, including their structure and assigned locations.
- Post-type & taxonomy definitions — the definitions of custom post types and taxonomies (their labels, supports, and settings), not the entries stored inside them.
What it does not sync
DriftSync is not a content migration tool. It never moves:
- Posts, pages, and other entries — the actual rows in your content tables. A synced custom post type arrives empty; its posts stay where they are.
- Media & uploads — files in the uploads directory and their attachment records.
- Users and their data — accounts, roles assignments, and personal data.
Note
The distinction is definitions vs entries. DriftSync promotes the shape of your site — its settings, styles, patterns, menus, and content types — while your real content and media remain the property of each environment.Why this boundary
Configuration and definitions are what you actually want to keep in step between staging and production, or across a fleet: the same permalink rules, the same design tokens, the same menu structure. Posts and media are environment-specific and large; syncing them would turn a reviewable release into a full-site migration and defeat the point of the loop.
Choosing a subset
You never have to sync all of it. On the export screen you tick exactly which of these to include, and redaction holds back any secrets or environment URLs caught in the selection. The result is a bundle that changes only what you intended.