sitesdependsjson

Sitesdependsjson is the name commonly given to a configuration file used in certain web development workflows to declare dependencies and settings for multiple sites within a single repository or deployment. The file is typically named sitesdepends.json and is read by custom tooling as part of a build or deployment pipeline.

The purpose of sitesdependsjson is to centralize per-site information in multi-site projects, allowing teams to specify dependencies, build steps, and environment details in one place. This can help coordinate versioning across sites, streamline installations, and enable automated builds. The format is flexible and can be adapted to different ecosystems, from static site generators to complex web applications.

A typical file uses a top-level structure that includes a sites array. Each site entry may contain fields such as name, path or route, dependencies (a per-site dependency map), environment settings, buildCommand or buildScript, and optional pre/post build hooks. Some implementations also include source repositories, test commands, or per-site configuration overrides. The exact schema is not standardized and is driven by the needs of a given project or toolchain.

Example

{

"sites": [

{

"name": "blog",

"path": "sites/blog",

"dependencies": {

"node": ">=18",

"gatsby": "^5.0.0"

},

"buildCommand": "npm run build"

},

{

"name": "docs",

"path": "sites/docs",

"dependencies": {

"python": ">=3.11",

"mkdocs": "^1.4"

},

"buildCommand": "mkdocs build"

}

]

}

See also: monorepo configurations, per-site manifests, and tools that manage multi-project builds. The term is most relevant in customized workflows rather than as a universal standard.