--- url: 'https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/multisite' title: 'Multisite | DXPR' author: name: Jurriaan url: 'https://dxpr.com/users/jurriaan' date: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+00:00' copyright: 'Copyright DXPR. All rights reserved.' type: article summary: 'Multisite is a Drupal feature that runs independent sites, each with its own database, configuration and files, from one shared codebase.' tags: - 'Drupal glossary' image: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/images/dxpr-share-card.jpg' published: true og: site_name: DXPR updated_time: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+0000' 'image:alt': 'DXPR, powered by Drupal: AI-powered Drupal for marketers.' schema: '@context': 'https://schema.org' '@graph': - '@type': FAQPage mainEntity: - '@type': Question name: 'Do I need a sites.php file for multisite?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: '

Yes. Core's INSTALL.txt says the file sites/sites.php must exist, and you create it by copying example.sites.php. In Drupal 11.4.10, DrupalKernel::findSitePath() returns sites/default straight away when that file is missing, so extra site folders are never looked at.

' - '@type': Question name: 'Do multisite sites share a database?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: '

No. The Drupal.org documentation says each site has its own database, configuration and files; only the codebase is shared. Content, users and configuration therefore stay separate unless your developer builds a deliberate connection between them.

' - '@type': Question name: 'How do I run a Drush command against one site of a multisite?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: '

Pass the site address with the --uri option, or -l for short. The Drush documentation describes it as a base URL for building links and selecting a multi-site, with a default of https://default. Example: drush --uri=https://sub.example.com config:export.

' - '@type': Question name: 'Can I map a development host name to a production site folder?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: '

Yes, with an alias in sites/sites.php. Its $sites array maps a key such as dev.drupal.org to a folder name such as example.com, using the format port, domain and path joined by dots. Core's example.sites.php lists several examples.

' - '@type': TechArticle headline: Multisite description: 'Multisite is a Drupal feature that runs independent sites, each with its own database, configuration and files, from one shared codebase.' image: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/images/dxpr-share-card.jpg' width: '1200' height: '630' datePublished: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+0000' dateModified: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+0000' author: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR url: 'https://dxpr.com/' logo: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/dxpr-logo-dark.svg' width: '1348' height: '501' publisher: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR url: 'https://dxpr.com/' logo: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/dxpr-logo-dark.svg' width: '1348' height: '501' mainEntityOfPage: 'https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/multisite' articleSection: 'Drupal glossary' - '@type': WebPage '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/multisite' description: 'Multisite is a Drupal feature that runs independent sites, each with its own database, configuration and files, from one shared codebase.' breadcrumb: '@type': BreadcrumbList itemListElement: - '@type': ListItem position: 1 name: Home item: 'https://dxpr.com/' publisher: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR inLanguage: en --- [Help Center](/hc)/[Documentation](/hc/documentation) /[Learn Drupal](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal) /[Drupal glossary](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary) # Multisite Multisite is a Drupal feature that runs independent sites, each with its own database, configuration and files, from one shared codebase. Learn DrupalDrupal glossary Last updated October 26, 2026 ## In this guide Related terms - [Configuration](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/configuration) - [Drush](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/drush) - [Module](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/module) - [Theme](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/theme) - [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer) - [Install profile](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/install-profile) [All Drupal terms from A to Z](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary) Multisite is a way to host more than one Drupal website from a single Drupal installation. You install core, modules and themes once, then add a folder under `sites` for each extra site. Which folder answers a request depends on the address that was asked for. ## How multisite works in Drupal 11 The Drupal.org multisite documentation, written for Drupal 8 and later, describes the sites as separate and independent, each with its own database, configuration, files and base domain or URL. Three pieces of core 11.4.10 make it work: - **`sites/sites.php`.** The file switches the feature on. Core's `INSTALL.txt` tells you to copy `example.sites.php` to that name. Without it, `DrupalKernel::findSitePath()` always returns `sites/default`. - **One folder per site.** Each extra site gets a subfolder of `sites` with its own `settings.php`. The easiest start, according to `INSTALL.txt`, is to copy `default.settings.php` from `sites/default`. - **Site-specific code.** A site folder can hold its own `modules` and `themes` directories next to the shared [modules](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/module) and [themes](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/theme) in the web root. Code in a site folder is not available to the other sites. Install profiles work the other way round. The README in the web root's `profiles` directory says profiles placed there are available to every site during its first installation, so each site can start from a different [install profile](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/install-profile). Folder names come from the site's address. `INSTALL.txt` says to leave out `www.` if visitors can reach the site without it. A port counts as the deepest subdomain, so `http://www.example.com:8080/` can load from `sites/8080.www.example.com/`. A path becomes a dot-separated suffix, as in `sites/sub.example.com.site3`. ## Example Three sites share one codebase: ``` sites/sites.php sites/default/settings.php sites/example.com/settings.php sites/sub.example.com.site3/settings.php ``` For the request `www.sub.example.com/site3`, `INSTALL.txt` says Drupal checks the folders in this order and uses the first one that has a `settings.php`: ``` sites/www.sub.example.com.site3 sites/sub.example.com.site3 sites/example.com.site3 sites/www.sub.example.com sites/sub.example.com sites/example.com sites/default ``` Here the second entry matches, so the request is served by the `site3` site. ## Common mistakes - **Leaving `trusted_host_patterns` too narrow.** The comments in `default.settings.php` say that on a multisite you should list every host pattern the sites use. - **Running Drush without `--uri`.** The command then runs against the default site, not the one you meant. - **Expecting one configuration export for all sites.** Databases are separate, so each site needs its own [configuration](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/configuration) export and import. ## For marketing and content teams With multisite, brands or country sites can look and behave differently while one development team maintains the code. The trade-off is the shared codebase: when your developer updates a module through [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer), the new code reaches every site in that installation. Ask which sites share a codebase before you request a feature that only one of them needs. ## Sources - [Drupal.org: Multisite Drupal](https://www.drupal.org/docs/getting-started/multisite-drupal) - [Drupal.org: Multisite folder structure in Drupal](https://www.drupal.org/docs/getting-started/multisite-drupal/multisite-folder-structure-in-drupal) - [Drupal core 11.4.10 source: INSTALL.txt, Multisite configuration section (git.drupalcode.org)](https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/blob/11.4.10/core/INSTALL.txt) - [Drupal core 11.4.10 source: DrupalKernel::findSitePath() (git.drupalcode.org)](https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/blob/11.4.10/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DrupalKernel.php) - [Drupal core 11.4.10 source: example.sites.php and default.settings.php (git.drupalcode.org)](https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/tree/11.4.10/sites) - [Drupal core 11.4.10 source: profiles/README.txt (git.drupalcode.org)](https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/blob/11.4.10/profiles/README.txt) - [Drush: config:export command](https://www.drush.org/13.x/commands/config_export/) ## Questions about Drupal multisite ### Do I need a sites.php file for multisite? Yes. Core's INSTALL.txt says the file `sites/sites.php` must exist, and you create it by copying `example.sites.php`. In Drupal 11.4.10, `DrupalKernel::findSitePath()` returns `sites/default` straight away when that file is missing, so extra site folders are never looked at. ### Do multisite sites share a database? No. The Drupal.org documentation says each site has its own database, configuration and files; only the codebase is shared. Content, users and configuration therefore stay separate unless your developer builds a deliberate connection between them. ### How do I run a Drush command against one site of a multisite? Pass the site address with the `--uri` option, or `-l` for short. The Drush documentation describes it as a base URL for building links and selecting a multi-site, with a default of `https://default`. Example: `drush --uri=https://sub.example.com config:export`. ### Can I map a development host name to a production site folder? Yes, with an alias in `sites/sites.php`. Its `$sites` array maps a key such as `dev.drupal.org` to a folder name such as `example.com`, using the format port, domain and path joined by dots. Core's `example.sites.php` lists several examples. ## Cite this definition "Multisite." DXPR Drupal glossary, https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/multisite. Last updated October 26, 2026. Copy ## Related terms - [Configuration](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/configuration) - [Drush](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/drush) - [Module](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/module) - [Theme](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/theme) - [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer) - [Install profile](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/install-profile) [All Drupal terms from A to Z](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary)