workspaces

Drupal Workspaces

The Workspaces module provides content staging — make changes in a workspace without affecting the live site, then publish everything at once.

Enable Workspaces

drush en workspaces -y

Core Concepts

• Live workspace — The default workspace. Content here is visible on the live site.
• Custom workspaces — Staging areas where content can be drafted, reviewed, and published as a batch.
• Publishing — Moves all workspace changes to the Live workspace.

Setup

Create a Workspace

1. Go to Admin > Content > Workspaces
2. Click "Add workspace"
3. Set name, parent (optional), and permissions

Via Drush

drush ev "\Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('workspace')->create(['id' => 'staging', 'label' => 'Staging'])->save();"

Switch Workspaces

Use the workspace switcher toolbar or:

drush ev "\Drupal::service('workspaces.manager')->setActiveWorkspace(\Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('workspace')->load('staging'));"

Publishing Workflow

1. Switch to workspace (e.g., "Staging")
2. Create/edit content — changes only visible in the workspace
3. Review changes in the workspace
4. Click "Publish" to push all changes to Live

Workspace-Aware Code

Check Active Workspace

$workspaceManager = \Drupal::service('workspaces.manager');
if ($workspaceManager->hasActiveWorkspace()) {
  $workspace = $workspaceManager->getActiveWorkspace();
  $workspace_id = $workspace->id();
}

Execute Outside Workspace Context

$workspaceManager->executeOutsideWorkspace(function () {
  // Code here runs in the Live workspace context
});

Permissions

• administer workspaces — Full workspace administration
• create workspace — Create new workspaces
• edit own workspace — Edit workspaces you created
• edit any workspace — Edit all workspaces
• delete own workspace — Delete workspaces you created
• delete any workspace — Delete all workspaces
• view own workspace — View workspaces you created
• view any workspace — View all workspaces

Limitations

• Not all entity types support workspaces (nodes, taxonomy terms, and menu links do)
• Custom entity types need workspace entity key to support workspaces
• Config changes are NOT workspace-aware — they apply globally
• Some contrib modules may not be workspace-compatible

Key Rules

• Use workspaces for content staging, not config changes
• Always test workspace publishing on a staging environment first
• Check workspace compatibility of contrib modules before relying on them
• Use executeOutsideWorkspace() when you need to read/write live content from workspace context
• Plan your editorial workflow before setting up workspaces (who creates, who reviews, who publishes)