# Deploying sites with change sets and Metadata API

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Administration, Setup, and Configuration · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/administration-setup-and-configuration/deploying-sites-with-change-sets-and-metadata-api*

How to move an Experience Cloud site between orgs: a full-site change set with the Network component, what it leaves out and overwrites, partial Digital Experience deployments for enhanced LWR sites, and Metadata API with ExperienceBundle or DigitalExperienceBundle.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Administration, Setup, and Configuration
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Describe the capabilities of different Experience deployments and migrations.

## What the exam expects

- Pick the component type for a deployment: Network for a full site, Digital Experience for partial content of an enhanced LWR site.
- List what a full-site change set leaves out (dependencies to add by hand, settings to reconfigure) and what it overwrites.
- Apply the release-version rule, the Members then Login & Registration order, the required permissions, and the publish step after deploying.
- Choose the Metadata API type by framework: ExperienceBundle for Aura and non-enhanced LWR sites, DigitalExperienceBundle with DigitalExperienceConfig for enhanced LWR sites.
- Avoid the first-deploy failure of a non-enhanced LWR site.

Key terms: **Network**, the change set component that represents a whole site; **Digital Experience**, the component for partial enhanced LWR site content; **ExperienceBundle**, readable JSON site metadata for Aura and non-enhanced LWR sites; **DigitalExperienceBundle / DigitalExperienceConfig**, the pair that defines an enhanced LWR site; **deployment connection**, the sandbox-to-production link change sets need.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full-site component | Network, for Experience Builder and Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce sites | [Deploy A Full Site with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_migrate_changesets.htm) |
| Not auto-added | Members profiles and permission sets; custom list views for standard-object menu links | [Deploy A Full Site with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_migrate_changesets.htm) |
| Inbound permissions | Deploy Change Sets and Modify All Data (or Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions) | [Deploy A Full Site with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_migrate_changesets.htm) |
| Outbound permissions | Create and Upload Change Sets, Create AppExchange Packages, Upload AppExchange Packages | [Deploy A Full Site with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_migrate_changesets.htm) |
| Deploying | Overwrites the site in the target org | [Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=networks_migrate_considerations.htm&language=en_US) |
| Release version | Can't deploy to a target org on an earlier release | [Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=networks_migrate_considerations.htm&language=en_US) |
| Members and Login & Registration | Separate change sets, Members first | [Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=networks_migrate_considerations.htm&language=en_US) |
| Partial deployment | Enhanced LWR sites created Winter '23 or later; same-named site must exist in target | [Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=networks_migrate_considerations.htm&language=en_US) |
| Enhanced LWR metadata | DigitalExperienceBundle and DigitalExperienceConfig; non-enhanced uses ExperienceBundle | [Enhanced LWR Deployment Issues](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/communities-dev/guide/communities-dev-migrate-enhanced.html) |
| Aura with Metadata API | Enable ExperienceBundle Metadata API; managed packages not supported | [ExperienceBundle](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/communities-dev/guide/communities-dev-migrate-expbundle.html) |

## Check yourself

- Why must a release manager add a new permission set to a site change set by hand?
- When can you deploy a site from a sandbox already on the next release?
- Which metadata types define an enhanced LWR site?
- Why do members still see old pages after a successful deployment?

## Sources

- [Deploy A Full Experience Cloud Site with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_migrate_changesets.htm)
- [Considerations for Deploying Experience Cloud Sites with Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=networks_migrate_considerations.htm&language=en_US)
- [Deploy Your Experience Cloud Site with Change Sets](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.communities_dev.meta/communities_dev/networks_migrate_changesets_overview.htm)
- [Avoid Deployment Issues When Moving to Enhanced LWR Sites](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/communities-dev/guide/communities-dev-migrate-enhanced.html)
- [ExperienceBundle for Experience Builder Sites](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/communities-dev/guide/communities-dev-migrate-expbundle.html)
- [DigitalExperienceBundle](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_meta.meta/api_meta/meta_digitalexperiencebundle.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams