Site blueprints

Site blueprints: build a site once, then start every new site from it

Save any site you have already got right as a blueprint, with its files, its database, its plugins and its theme, then create new sites that come up exactly like it. Pick a blueprint on the new-site form, use one for many sites at once in bulk site creation, or restore one over an existing site. Each blueprint keeps its own copy, a screenshot and your notes. Included with hosting on our servers, with nothing to switch on.

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Files + databasecaptured in every blueprint
1 stepto create a new site from one
Same type onlyWordPress to WordPress, never Joomla to WordPress
Includedwith hosting on our servers

How site blueprints work

Build the site you want once, on the real platform. Save it, and every new site can start from there instead of from an empty install.

Save a site as a blueprint

Open the site, go to Backups and choose Save as blueprint. Capture it from a new backup taken there and then, or from a backup you already have, and give it a name and notes so you can tell your templates apart.

Everything on the site comes with it

A blueprint is a full copy of the site: its files and its database, so the plugins, the theme, the settings, the pages and the posts are all there. Only wp-config.php is left out, so the new site keeps its own database credentials.

A screenshot of every blueprint

Each blueprint is photographed when it is captured, so the Site blueprints screen shows you what each template looks like, where it came from, when it was taken and how many sites were built from it.

Create a new site from it

Choose the blueprint on the new-site form, or press Create a site from this on the Site blueprints screen. The site is built, the blueprint is restored onto it and its addresses are rewritten to the new domain, so it does not send visitors back to the old one.

Many sites from one blueprint

Bulk site creation takes a blueprint per row, so a pasted list of domains or an uploaded CSV can build every site from the same template. Each site is built on its own, with its own progress and retry.

Restore one over an existing site

Under Restore & migrate on a site, lay a blueprint over it. Everything on that site, its files and its database, is replaced with the blueprint, so you are asked to confirm first: it cannot be undone.

The rules a blueprint follows

A template that can replace a whole site needs firm rules. These are the ones the platform enforces.

Same kind of site only. A WordPress blueprint builds WordPress sites and a Joomla blueprint builds Joomla sites; Joomla to WordPress is refused. The new-site form only offers blueprints that fit, and the server refuses the rest even if they are asked for another way.
Your blueprints are yours. They belong to your account, a blueprint from one account is refused on another account's site, reseller clients included, and a screenshot cannot be opened by guessing its address.
A blueprint keeps its own copy of the archive in offsite storage, so deleting the site it came from, or that site's backups, does not break it.
A blueprint that sites were built from is kept as the record of what they were made from: rename it when it is out of date. One that was never used can be deleted, and deleting it never touches your backups.
A blueprint is a snapshot, not a live link. Update the source site and save a new blueprint, or every new site starts from the plugin versions of the day it was taken.
On Footprint-Free hosting, an identical blueprint across many sites can link them together. Bulk tools warn you when they would install the same thing on many Footprint-Free sites and spread the installs out, and the advice is to keep a few different blueprints rather than one.

FAQ

What is a site blueprint?

A blueprint is one of your own built sites, saved as a template. It holds a full copy of that site, its files and its database, plus a screenshot, a name and your notes. You use it to create new sites that come up exactly like the original instead of starting empty.

How is a blueprint different from a backup or a clone?

A backup is a restore point for the same site. A blueprint is made from a backup but keeps its own copy, so it lasts as long as you keep it and can be used for any number of new sites. A clone is a one-off copy of one site; a blueprint is the template you come back to for the fifth site and the fiftieth.

What does a blueprint include?

Everything on the site: files and database, which means plugins, theme, settings, pages, posts and media. wp-config.php is left out so the new site keeps its own database credentials, and the site's addresses are rewritten to the new domain when it is restored.

Can I use a WordPress blueprint for a Joomla site?

No. A blueprint can only be used for the same kind of site on the same kind of hosting: WordPress to WordPress, Joomla to Joomla. The new-site form only lists blueprints that fit, and the platform refuses an incompatible one however it is asked for. The PHP version is not part of the check, so a blueprint taken on one PHP version can be restored onto a site running a newer one.

Can I build many sites from one blueprint?

Yes. Bulk site creation accepts a blueprint for each row, so you can paste a list of domains or upload a CSV and build every site from the same template. On Footprint-Free hosting we recommend a few different blueprints rather than one, because identical sites can be linked together.

Is it included in my plan?

Yes. Site blueprints come with hosting on our own servers, on every plan, with nothing to buy or switch on. They need a site we host, because a blueprint is made from that site's backup; cloud and compute servers you run yourself do not have it.

Who in my team can make and use blueprints?

Anyone who can see your sites can see the list. Saving, renaming and deleting blueprints, building a new site from one and restoring one over an existing site each need the matching permission in your team roles, so you decide who can do what.

How do I try it?

Start a card-free 14-day trial. It covers Footprint-Free hosting with up to 5 sites, so you can build one site, save it as a blueprint and create the next one from it on the real platform.

Build it once. Start every new site from there.

Site blueprints are included with hosting on our servers. Try Footprint-Free Hosting on a card-free 14-day trial with up to 5 sites, with a 30-day no-quibble money-back guarantee behind every plan.

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