# About the Templates API

The Templates API lets Wix Studio partners turn their sites into reusable templates, create new sites from those templates, and publish templates so that other Wix accounts can use them.

A template is a reusable starting point for new sites, based on an existing site. When you create a site from a template, the new site is a duplicate of the template's site, so a partner can build a layout once and reuse it across many sites.

With the Templates API, you can:

- Create a template from an existing site.
- Create new sites from a template.
- Publish a template, turning it into a public template that other Wix accounts can clone.
- Retrieve, query, count, update, and delete templates.

## Template lifecycle

A template typically moves through these stages:

- **Creation:** A partner creates a template from one of their existing sites. The most common path duplicates the site first and turns the duplicate into a template, leaving the original site unchanged.
- **Reuse:** A partner creates new sites from the template within their account. Each generated site is a duplicate of the template's site and is tracked in the template's `sites` list.
- **Publishing:** A partner publishes the template, turning it into a public template. Publishing creates a separate, public snapshot of the template's site that other Wix accounts can clone. Republishing replaces the public snapshot with the latest version of the site.

Being a public template is a prerequisite for listing a template on the template marketplace, but the marketplace listing process is separate and isn't handled by this API.

## Before you begin

It's important to note the following points before starting to code:

- A template is always created from an existing site. You can't create an empty template.
- Creating a site from a template duplicates the template's underlying site each time.
- Deleting a template also deletes the site the template is based on.
- A template's `platform`, either Wix Studio or the Wix Editor, is derived automatically from its site and can't be set directly.

## Use cases

- [Build client sites from a reusable template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/sample-flows#build-client-sites-from-a-reusable-template)
- [Publish a template for other accounts to use](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/sample-flows#publish-a-template-for-other-accounts-to-use)

## Terminology

- **Template:** A reusable starting point for new sites, based on an existing site.
- **Public template:** A published template that other Wix accounts can clone, either through a template marketplace order or a shareable link.
- **Template marketplace:** A marketplace where partners can list public templates for other accounts to purchase. Listing is managed separately from this API.
- **Shareable link:** A link, backed by a shareable key, that lets the template owner give other accounts access to clone a public template.

@sdk_package_setup

# Templates API: Sample Flows

This article presents possible use cases and corresponding sample flows that you can support. It provides a useful starting point as you plan your implementation.

## Build client sites from a reusable template

A partner designs a single site, turns it into a template, and then spins up multiple client sites from that template. This lets the partner reuse one layout across many clients instead of rebuilding it each time.

To build client sites from a reusable template:

1. Call [Copy Site as Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/copy-site-as-template) with the ID of the site to base the template on. The original site is left unchanged, and the duplicated site becomes the template.
1. Call [Create Site From Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/create-site-from-template) with the template's ID for each client site you want to create. Each call returns the ID of the new site.
1. Call [Query Templates](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/query-templates) to retrieve the partner's templates, and [Get Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/get-template) to view a template's `sites` list and see the sites created from it.

## Publish a template for other accounts to use

A partner wants other Wix accounts to be able to clone one of their templates. Publishing the template turns it into a public template and is a prerequisite for listing it on the template marketplace.

To publish a template for other accounts to use:

1. Call [Copy Site as Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/copy-site-as-template) with the ID of the site to base the template on, or use an existing template.
1. Call [Publish Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/publish-template) with the template's ID. This creates a public snapshot of the template's site that other accounts can clone.
1. Call [Get Template](fallback::https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/account-level/studio-workspace/template-v1/get-template) to confirm the template's `templateType` is now `PUBLIC`.

Coding Examples

Sled Tests

Go Headless

Develop Websites (SDK)

Build Apps

Client (Deprecated)

API Preview

Wix CLI

Ricos

Develop Websites

API Reference

Velo

Picasso

GraphQL (Alpha)