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Multi-site setup

The Propeller WordPress Plugin supports WordPress Multisite. This page explains how to install, activate and configure the plugin across a network of WordPress sites.

Network-level installation​

In a Multisite network, install the plugin at the network level:

  1. Go to Network Admin > Plugins
  2. Upload and install the Propeller plugin
  3. Choose whether to Network Activate (activates for all sites) or leave it for per-site activation

Network Activate vs per-site activation​

  • Network Activate — The plugin is active on every site in the network. Each site still needs its own configuration (API key, Channel ID, etc.) but the plugin code is loaded everywhere.
  • Per-site activation — Only sites where an admin explicitly activates the plugin will load it. Use this when only some sites in the network need commerce functionality.

Per-site configuration​

Even when the plugin is installed at the network level, each site has its own configuration. Go to Propeller > General on each individual site to set:

  • API key and Orders API key
  • Channel ID
  • Catalog root ID
  • Anonymous user ID

See Install and Configure for setup steps and General settings for field descriptions.

This means each site in the network can connect to a different Propeller channel, show a different catalog and serve different audiences.

Common multi-site scenarios​

One catalog, multiple languages​

All sites share the same Propeller environment and catalog root. Each site serves a different language. Products, categories and prices come from the same source but are displayed in the site's language.

Configuration:

  • Same API keys on all sites
  • Same Channel ID on all sites
  • Same Catalog root ID on all sites
  • Set the website language on each site via WordPress Settings > General > Site Language. When you change the site language, product and catalog data is also fetched in that language from Propeller
  • For sites that support multiple languages, use TranslatePress (see Translations and valuesets)

Separate catalogs per site​

Each site shows a different subset of products. This is useful when you run multiple brands or business units from a single WordPress Multisite network. Each site uses a different Catalog root ID to show a different branch of the category tree in Propeller.

Configuration:

  • Different Catalog root IDs per site (each site starts from a different branch of the category tree)
  • Same or different Channel IDs depending on your setup (different channels can also provide different anonymous user pricing)
  • Same or different API keys depending on your Propeller setup
  • Language and currency configured per site

Shared network, selective commerce​

Only some sites in the network need commerce functionality. The rest are regular WordPress sites (blogs, marketing pages, documentation).

Configuration:

  • Install the plugin at network level but do not Network Activate
  • Activate the plugin only on sites that need commerce
  • Non-commerce sites are unaffected by the plugin

Considerations​

  • Performance — Each site makes its own GraphQL API calls. A network with many active sites generates more API traffic. Consider Propeller's rate limits and caching when planning a large network.
  • Caching — Only cache pages for anonymous (non-logged-in) visitors. Do not cache content for logged-in users because B2B storefronts show customer-specific catalogs, pricing and order data that varies per user.
  • Updates — Updating the plugin at the network level updates it for all sites. Test updates on a staging environment before applying to production.

Next steps​