Create Site from Template

This recipe guides you through creating a new Wix site from a template, including template selection and optional publishing.

Prerequisites

• Wix account with site creation permissions
• Account-level API access

Required APIs

• Templates Search API: GET https://www.wix.com/_api/template-cms-view-service/view/v2/templates/search
• Create Site API: POST https://www.wixapis.com/msm/v1/meta-site/create-from-template
• Publish Site API: POST https://www.wixapis.com/site-publisher/v1/site/publish

Step 1: Understand User Requirements

Before searching templates, gather information:

1. Ask the user to describe the site they want in a few sentences
2. Ask if they want Wix Editor or Wix Studio
3. Identify main apps needed (Stores, Bookings, Blog, etc.)

Quick Start (Skip Template Search)

If user wants an empty/blank site:

• Wix Studio blank: fe86a14e-ef67-49b4-a409-d086f3abaa1a
• Wix Editor blank: b55bdf43-95e0-4cef-b9bb-92dcc7af2742

Skip to Step 3 with these template IDs.

Step 2: Search for Templates

Endpoint: GET https://www.wix.com/_api/template-cms-view-service/view/v2/templates/search

Query Parameters:

Example Request:

Response includes for each template:

• metaSiteId - Template ID for creation
• templateSlug - For preview URL
• Template name and description
• Color scheme

Present Templates to User

For each relevant template, show:

• Template name
• Description (without "Click Edit" text)
• "Good for" description
• Color scheme
• Preview link: https://www.wix.com/website-template/view/html/{templateSlug}

Step 3: Create the Site

Endpoint: POST https://www.wixapis.com/msm/v1/meta-site/create-from-template

Request Body:

Request:

Site Name Requirements

The siteName must follow these rules:

• 4-20 characters
• Only lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores
• Pattern: [a-z0-9_-]{4,20}
• Must be unique

If siteName is not provided, one is generated automatically.

For Headless Sites

Add "namespace": "HEADLESS" to the request body:

Response includes the new site's metaSiteId.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Only mention headless if user specifically requests it
• If user doesn't ask for headless, do NOT include the namespace field

Step 4: Publish the Site (Optional)

Ask the user if they want to publish their site before proceeding.

Endpoint: POST https://www.wixapis.com/site-publisher/v1/site/publish

This is a site-level API - use the site ID from the creation response.

Request:

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• NEVER publish without asking the user first
• This makes the site publicly accessible

Step 5: For Headless Sites - Create OAuth App

If the site was created as headless, you MUST create an OAuth app for authentication.

See Create OAuth App documentation.

This is a site-level call in the context of the newly created site.

Common Template IDs

For quick access without searching:

Next Steps

After creating the site:

• Install required apps using Install Wix Apps
• Configure site settings
• Add content (products, services, blog posts, etc.)