Sites
Forja is a multi-site CMS. Each site is an independent space with its own content, media, navigation, settings, and members. You can manage multiple sites from a single Forja installation.
Viewing Your Sites
There is no "Sites" item in the sidebar. Open the site launcher from the site selector at the top of the sidebar (click the switch-site icon next to the current site name), or navigate to /sites.
The launcher -- titled Choose a site -- presents the sites you can access as cards rather than a table. Each card shows:
- Name -- the display name of the site.
- Slug -- the site's URL-safe identifier.
- Status -- an Active badge for the currently selected site.
- Your role -- your permission level on that site (Owner, Admin, Editor, Author, Reviewer, or Viewer).
From the launcher you can also Create Site or open Recently deleted to restore a soft-deleted site.
When the instance runs in demo mode, the launcher shows an Explore the Demo Site banner with a Join Demo Site option. This banner does not appear on a normal (non-demo) installation.
Creating a Site
- Click the Create Site button on the sites listing page.
- Fill in the required fields:
- Name -- a descriptive name for your site (e.g., "My Portfolio", "TechBites Magazine").
- Domain -- the domain where this site will be published (e.g.,
example.com). - Description -- an optional description of the site's purpose.
- Click Save to create the site.
After creating a site, navigate to Site Settings > Overview to set the Site URL (e.g., https://example.com). This canonical URL is used for sitemap generation, SEO meta tags, and preview links. If not set, these features are gracefully omitted.
After creation, you are automatically assigned as the site's Owner. The new site appears in the site selector dropdown.
Editing a Site
- From the sites listing, click on the site you want to edit, or click the edit icon.
- The site detail page opens, showing all editable fields.
- Update the fields as needed:
- Name and description can be changed at any time.
- Domain updates affect how the site is identified.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Danger Zone
Site Settings > Danger Zone groups the destructive, site-wide actions. Every action here is guarded by a type-to-confirm dialog: you must type the site name (or the literal confirmation phrase shown) before the action is enabled.
Export the site
Produces a downloadable ZIP archive of the site: an archive.json snapshot of the site, its settings, locales, content (blogs, pages), taxonomy, and navigation, plus the site's owned media files.
- Click Export in the Danger Zone.
- The export runs asynchronously -- the page shows the job moving through queued → running → ready. You can leave the page; the job continues server-side.
- When the job is ready, the download starts automatically (or click the download link).
The download link is signed and expires 7 days after the export is built. Only one export can be queued or running per site at a time -- start a new one only after the previous finishes. Export is available to the site Owner or a site Admin.
Reset content
Moves all of the site's content and owned media into Trash -- blogs, pages, CV/portfolio, legal documents, documents, social links, and navigation. The site itself stays intact: members, settings, and locales are kept, so the site remains usable (just empty).
Because reset uses the normal Trash, the cleared items follow the 30-day Trash grace window and can be restored from Trash like any other deleted content. The confirmation dialog reports how many items were moved per category.
Transfer ownership
Hands the Owner role to another existing member of the site. Pick the new owner from the member list and confirm. The previous owner is demoted (typically to Admin); only the current Owner can transfer ownership.
Delete the site
Deleting a site removes it from the dashboard and takes all of its content, media, navigation, settings, and member assignments offline.
Deleting a site is a soft delete, not an immediate wipe. The site enters a 30-day grace window during which it can be fully restored (see Restoring a Deleted Site). Only after 30 days does an automatic purge permanently delete the site and everything scoped to it -- that step cannot be undone.
- Click Delete site in the Danger Zone.
- Type the site name to confirm.
- On success you are redirected away from the (now-deleted) site, since it can no longer be opened.
Only the site Owner can delete a site.
Restoring a Deleted Site
Soft-deleted sites remain recoverable for 30 days. Navigate to the Deleted Sites page from the sites area. It lists every site still inside the grace window, each with a countdown showing how many days remain before the automatic purge.
Click Restore on a row to bring the site back -- its content, media, settings, members, and locales return exactly as they were at deletion. Once the 30-day window lapses the site is purged and no longer appears here; restoring it is then impossible.
Restoring a site requires the Owner role (system administrators can restore any site).
Switching Between Sites
Use the site selector at the top of the sidebar to switch between sites. When you switch sites, the entire dashboard context updates to show content and settings for the selected site.
Site Detail Page
The site detail page provides a comprehensive view of a single site:
- General information -- name, domain, description, and status.
- Statistics -- quick counts of blogs, pages, media, and other content.
- Members -- a summary of users with access to this site.
- Settings shortcut -- a link to the site's settings page.
Permissions
| Action | Required Role |
|---|---|
| View sites | Viewer |
| Create a site | Any authenticated user |
| Edit a site | Admin, Owner |
| Export the site | Admin, Owner |
| Reset content | Owner |
| Transfer ownership | Owner |
| Delete a site | Owner |
| Restore a deleted site | Owner (or system admin) |