Welcome back to the XM Cloud Basics series!

In the last post, we explored how to use Sitecore Pages and build reusable components in XM Cloud. Now, let’s take a closer look at how deployment works in this SaaS-native world.

One of the most exciting aspects of XM Cloud is that it eliminates the need for custom DevOps pipelines—thanks to the XM Cloud Deploy App.

What is the Deploy App in XM Cloud?

The Deploy App is Sitecore’s built-in CI/CD service for XM Cloud projects. It allows you to:

• Connect your GitHub repo
• Trigger automated builds and deployments
• Manage environments (Preview & Production)
• Monitor deployment logs and statuses

With just a few clicks, you can push new code, serialized items, and configurations to the cloud.

How Does Deployment Work in XM Cloud?

At a high level, the deployment flow is:

1. Developer commits code to GitHub
2. GitHub triggers a deployment via XM Cloud Deploy App
3. XM Cloud:
   • Builds the front-end (Next.js)
   • Processes and applies serialized Sitecore items
   • Updates the Preview or Production environment

Connecting GitHub to Deploy App

Step 1: Open Your XM Cloud Project

Navigate to the Deploy App tab in your project.

Step 2: Connect Repository

• Click “Connect Repository”
• Authenticate with GitHub
• Select the repo where your XM Cloud code resides

Sitecore auto-generates a GitHub Actions workflow to handle builds.

Step 3: Set Environment

You can configure deployments for:

• Preview (for testing content & code)
• Production (for live content delivery)

Customizing the Deployment Pipeline

Sitecore provides a default sitecore-xmcloud.yml GitHub Actions workflow. You can extend it to include:

• Linting, unit tests, or build steps
• Notifications (Slack, Teams)
• Branch filters (e.g., deploy only from main or release)

Using Sitecore CLI for Manual Deployment

For local development and quick tests, you can still use the Sitecore CLI to push items or code manually.

Push Items

sitecore push

Pull Items

sitecore pull

Deploy Front-end App (if using Vercel or custom host)

You’ll manage this outside XM Cloud Deploy App—for example via Vercel CLI or your own CI/CD pipeline.

Deployment Environments: Preview vs. Production

• Preview: Used for staging, reviewing content in Pages, and QA
• Production: Connected to your live delivery via Edge

You can control what gets deployed where through:

• Git branch strategies
• Environment configuration in the Deploy App UI

In the next blog, we’ll explore Sitecore Edge and GraphQL, and how they enable fast, headless content delivery for your XM Cloud applications.

Thank you.. Keep Learning.. Keep Sitecoring.. 🙂