Use Drupal multisite: one shared Drupal codebase and document root, with a separate site directory, settings.php, database and files for each site. Map every hostname or path in sites/sites.php, point every virtual host to the shared root, configure trusted hosts, and run the installer for each site.
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What Drupal multisite is
Drupal multisite lets one Drupal codebase serve several independent Drupal sites. The code, core libraries and commonly used modules and themes are shared, while each site keeps its own configuration, database and files. Drupal’s documentation describes the model as one installation hosting several Drupal-powered sites, with each site having its own database, configuration, files and base domain or URL.
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This is different from putting several domains into one Drupal site. In a multisite installation, each site has its own administrative configuration and content store. A change made in one site’s content or settings does not automatically appear in another site.
| Layer | Shared across sites | Kept per site |
|---|---|---|
| Drupal code | Core, shared libraries and extensions installed in common locations | Site-local modules or themes when a site needs an exception |
| Configuration | Common code defaults and deployment process | settings.php and Drupal configuration stored for that site |
| Content and users | Nothing by default | Each site’s database, including its content and user records |
| Uploaded files | Filesystem infrastructure can be shared | Each site’s public and private files should be in its own site directory |
| Domains | The same web-server document root | Each hostname, subdomain or path used to select a site |
Drupal core does not publish a universal maximum number of sites for multisite. The practical limit depends on database capacity, storage, traffic, deployment discipline and the resources available to maintain every site.
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When multisite is the right architecture
Choose core multisite when sites should be operationally separate: separate databases, independent content and configuration, separate file trees and potentially different administrators. It is useful for a group of unrelated sites that share a release process or for organizations that want one maintained codebase without combining the sites’ data.
Do not choose it merely because several domains are involved. If the domains should share content types, users, authentication or domain-aware permissions, evaluate a single Drupal site with the Domain Access project instead. Core multisite does not provide shared content or single sign-on between its databases.
Plan the installation before creating sites
Choose one shared document root
Install Drupal once in a document root that every site will use. The web server’s document root is the Drupal codebase; it is not a site-specific directory. A typical layout looks like this:
/var/www/drupal/ shared document root
core/
modules/
themes/
sites/
default/
settings.php root or default site
files/
site1.example.com/
settings.php
files/
site2.example.com/
settings.php
files/
sites.phpThe directory names are examples. They must match the aliases and hostname discovery rules you configure.
Prepare DNS and virtual hosts
Every hostname must resolve in DNS and be routed by Apache, Nginx or another supported web server to the same Drupal document root. A virtual host or server block for site1.example.com must therefore point to the shared Drupal root, not to /var/www/drupal/sites/site1.example.com. The latter is a configuration and files directory, not a separate web root.
Prepare databases and permissions
Create a database and a database account for each independent site. Ensure the web-server user can read the code and write only where Drupal requires it, including that site’s files directory and any settings files that must be updated during installation. Record the database name, host, port, username, password and driver details for each site before starting the installer.
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Multisite can select a site from separate domains, subdomains or subdirectories. Decide the production hostname and any development hostname for every site. If development and production names differ, use an explicit alias in sites/sites.php rather than renaming directories every time a site moves between environments.
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Step-by-step: add a site to the shared Drupal installation
1. Install the supported Drupal version once
Install the supported Drupal release in the shared document root. Complete the first site’s database setup and confirm that its virtual host serves Drupal normally. This establishes the codebase that subsequent sites will reuse.
2. Create the new site directory
For a site whose production hostname is site1.example.com, create:
sites/site1.example.com/The directory name is normally the hostname, but it can be any valid configuration-directory name if you map it with an alias. Keep the directory separate from other sites so settings and uploads cannot be mixed accidentally.
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Create a database for site1.example.com and grant its Drupal database account the permissions required by the database driver. Separate databases provide the clearest isolation: backups, restores, credentials and destructive maintenance can be handled per site.
4. Create the site settings file
Copy sites/default/default.settings.php to the new directory as sites/site1.example.com/settings.php. Set that file’s database connection and any site-specific settings. Each site’s $databases array must define a default connection.
$databases['default']['default'] = [
'database' => 'site1_database',
'username' => 'site1_database_user',
'password' => 'replace-with-the-site-password',
'host' => 'database-host',
'port' => '3306',
'driver' => 'mysql',
];The exact driver options depend on your database engine. Do not copy credentials from another site: the settings file is the boundary that tells Drupal which database belongs to this hostname.
5. Create the sites alias file
Copy sites/example.sites.php to sites/sites.php. Add a host-to-directory alias:
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$sites['site1.example.com'] = 'site1.example.com';The value on the right is the configuration directory under sites/. Add another entry for every development or alternate hostname that should use the same site directory. For example, a development host can be mapped explicitly:
$sites['8080.dev.example.com'] = 'site1.example.com';Drupal’s API describes alias keys as <port>.<domain>.<path> patterns. Use the form that matches the incoming host, port and path in your environment.
6. Point the virtual host at the shared root
Create an Apache virtual host, Nginx server block or equivalent for the new hostname. Set its document root to the shared Drupal installation. Do not point it at the site directory. Add any required server aliases, TLS configuration and normal Drupal rewrite handling in the same way as the first site.
A useful verification at this stage is to request the new hostname and confirm that the request reaches the shared codebase. A wrong document root can expose files or produce a server-level 404 before Drupal has a chance to select a site.
7. Configure trusted hosts
In every relevant settings.php, configure $settings['trusted_host_patterns'] to allow the legitimate domains and reject unexpected Host headers. A site with one exact hostname could use:
$settings['trusted_host_patterns'] = [
'^site1.example.com$',
];Add a separate pattern for each real hostname that should reach that site, including an approved development name when appropriate. Keep the patterns narrow; accepting an arbitrary Host header defeats the protection. Also configure the web server’s default response for requests sent to an unintended host, so an unknown hostname does not accidentally display one of the multisite installations.
8. Run the Drupal installer for the new hostname
Visit site1.example.com in a browser. Drupal should discover the new directory and start installation using its settings file and database. Enter the site name, administrative account and remaining installation values for this site.
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If the wrong site appears, use the official installer path /core/install.php on the intended hostname after checking the alias, directory name and virtual-host document root. Do not continue an installation until the correct database and site directory are selected.
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9. Repeat the pattern for each additional site
For every new site, repeat the directory, database, settings, alias, virtual-host, trusted-host and installer steps. Keep a written inventory of hostname, configuration directory, database, file paths, scheduled jobs and responsible administrators.
How Drupal selects the site configuration
Drupal first consults sites/sites.php for an alias matching the incoming port, domain and path. This is the most predictable method when a development hostname differs from production or when several hostnames intentionally share one site directory.
If no alias matches, Drupal derives candidate configuration-directory names from the incoming hostname and path. It uses the first candidate that contains a settings.php. If no suitable directory is found, Drupal falls back to sites/default.
This fallback explains two common mistakes. A misspelled alias can silently load the default site, and a missing settings.php can make a hostname appear unconfigured. Test every hostname explicitly rather than assuming that the directory name alone controls routing.
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Databases
Use one database per site when the sites are independent. This makes credentials, exports, restores and incident response easier to reason about. Drupal also supports table prefixes when several sites share one database, but that increases operational coupling: a database outage, permission error or maintenance operation can affect all prefixed sites. If you use prefixes, document the mapping and verify backup and restore procedures for each prefix.
Public and private files
Keep each site’s public and private files in that site’s own directory. Configure the paths in that site’s settings so an upload from site1.example.com cannot appear in site2.example.com simply because both sites use a shared filesystem root. Back up these file trees alongside their corresponding databases.
Configuration exports
Drupal configuration belongs to the site that generated it. Store and deploy exports with an unmistakable site identifier, and never apply one site’s configuration export to another site without checking dependencies. Shared code does not mean shared configuration.
Users and authentication
Separate databases mean separate user tables and login sessions by default. A user account created on one multisite installation is not automatically available on another. If common identity or shared permissions are a requirement, treat that as an architecture decision and assess a single site with domain-routing capabilities instead of assuming multisite supplies it.
What remains shared operationally
Core and module updates
Updating shared Drupal core or a common module changes the code used by every site. This reduces duplicated maintenance, but a regression or incompatible dependency can affect the entire portfolio at once. Test updates against every site, schedule a maintenance window that covers the group, and retain a rollback path for both code and databases.
Site-specific extensions
Common modules and themes can live in shared locations. If one site needs a local extension, Drupal allows site-specific modules or themes in that site’s directory. Keep local code under version control and document why it is not shared; otherwise a later deployment can overwrite or omit it.
Backups and restores
Back up each database and its public and private files as a recoverable unit, while also backing up the shared code and deployment metadata. Test restoring one site without replacing another site’s files or database. A code rollback may need to cover all sites because they use the same release, whereas a content restore should normally target only the affected site.
Cron, caches and queues
Each site has its own Drupal state, so scheduled tasks, cache clearing and queue processing must run for every site that needs them. Design the scheduler to identify the site explicitly rather than assuming that running a command once against the shared root processes every database. Record which jobs belong to which hostname and avoid overlapping runs during a portfolio-wide deployment.
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Permissions and deployment
Shared code permissions must allow every site to read the same release while limiting write access to the directories that require it. Deployment automation should update common code once, then apply site-specific settings, files and configuration in a controlled order. Treat a failed deployment as a multisite incident until each site has been checked.
Core multisite versus one site with domain routing
| Decision axis | Drupal core multisite | One Drupal site with domain-routing modules |
|---|---|---|
| Database and content isolation | Normally one database per site; content is isolated by default | One database and one content model; separation is implemented through domain rules |
| Users and authentication | Separate user accounts and sessions unless you build an external integration | Users and authentication can be shared within the single site |
| Configuration | Each site has its own configuration and settings.php |
One site configuration with domain-aware behavior |
| Upgrade independence | Shared code means core and common-module upgrades affect all sites together | One codebase and one site still require coordinated upgrades, but there is no per-database multisite inventory |
| Filesystem and backups | Separate site file trees and database backups are natural boundaries | Files and backups are organized inside one site’s storage model |
| Domain and URL requirements | Each hostname or path must resolve to the shared root and select a configuration directory | Domains route inside one Drupal site after the application receives the request |
| Failure and deployment impact | A shared code or dependency failure can take every site offline | A single-site failure also affects all domains, while data and configuration are centrally coupled |
The deciding question is whether the sites are independent products that merely share infrastructure, or one product presented through several domains. Use multisite for the former and domain routing for the latter.
Troubleshooting common multisite failures
The new hostname shows the default site
- Confirm the request reaches the shared Drupal document root, not a different web root.
- Check the exact spelling and punctuation of the key in
sites/sites.php. - Verify that the target directory exists and contains
settings.php. - Check whether an unintended alias or hostname candidate is being selected first.
- Inspect the virtual host’s
ServerName, aliases and DNS record.
Drupal reports an untrusted host
- Add the legitimate hostname to that site’s
trusted_host_patterns. - Escape literal dots in regular-expression patterns and use an exact pattern where possible.
- Make sure the pattern is present in the settings file actually loaded for that hostname.
- Do not solve the error by allowing every host; correct the DNS and virtual-host mapping instead.
The installer cannot connect to the database
- Verify the database name, account, password, host, port and driver in the new site’s
settings.php. - Confirm that the account has permissions on the intended database and not only on another site’s database.
- Check that the database server is reachable from the web server and that the selected driver is available in PHP.
Uploads appear under the wrong site
- Inspect public and private file path settings for both sites.
- Ensure each site has its own files directory and that deployment scripts do not merge those directories.
- Check filesystem ownership and permissions after moving or restoring a site.
An update breaks several sites
- Stop further deployments and identify the shared code or dependency change.
- Restore the shared code to the last known-good release if your rollback process supports it.
- Restore databases only when the update changed schema or data and the rollback plan requires it; do not overwrite unaffected sites automatically.
- Test every hostname, installer state, login and critical content path before reopening traffic.
A development hostname selects the wrong configuration
- Add an explicit port-domain-path alias in
sites/sites.php. - Confirm the browser is sending the hostname and port you used in the alias key.
- Keep development aliases separate from production names and include only approved development hosts in trusted-host patterns.
Pre-launch checklist for each additional site
- The hostname resolves in DNS and its virtual host points to the shared Drupal root.
- The site directory exists under
sites/and contains the intendedsettings.php. - The database and account are unique to the site, unless a documented table-prefix design is intentional.
- The
sites/sites.phpalias matches the incoming host, port and path. - Trusted-host patterns allow every legitimate hostname and no unintended hosts.
- Public and private file paths are inside the site’s own storage boundary.
- The installer completes on the intended hostname, and
/core/install.phpdoes not select another site. - Backups, cron, cache clearing, deployment and rollback procedures identify this site explicitly.
- A shared-code update has been tested against every site that uses the release.
Bottom line for operating a Drupal multisite portfolio
Drupal multisite is a filesystem, database and web-server arrangement as much as it is a Drupal setting. Keep one codebase, give every site its own directory, database and files, map hosts deliberately, and route every virtual host to the shared root. The arrangement is efficient when sites can share release management, but that efficiency creates a common failure boundary: code, dependency and deployment mistakes can reach every site. Build backups, testing, trusted-host rules and rollback procedures around that fact from the first site onward.
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