You can now set custom webroots for your WordPress sites at Kinsta using our public API. This gives developers and agencies greater flexibility when managing deployments, version control, or customized site structures, without needing to contact support.

Previously, if you wanted to change a site’s webroot (for example, to support structures like Bedrock, where the public-facing folder is /public/web), you had to open a support ticket. Now, you can handle it programmatically, saving time for teams managing multiple environments or complex workflows.

How to change your WordPress site’s webroot

To change a site’s webroot, send a POST request to the Kinsta API’s /change-webroot-subfolder endpoint for a specific environment.

Here’s an example POST request:

curl -i -X POST \
  'https://api.kinsta.com/v2/sites/environments/{env_id}/change-webroot-subfolder' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer ' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "web_root_subfolder": "your_subfolder_name",
    "clear_all_cache": true,
    "refresh_plugins_and_themes": true
  }'

In this request:

  • env_id is the ID of the WordPress environment you want to update.
  • web_root_subfolder sets the new subfolder you want to use as the webroot (for example, release_v2 or web).
  • clear_all_cache (optional) determines whether the site’s cache should be cleared during the change. Defaults to true.
  • refresh_plugins_and_themes (optional) refreshes plugin and theme files to avoid conflicts after switching. Defaults to true.

Once you send the request, Kinsta updates the server configuration to point to the new subfolder. Additionally, it can clear the cache and refresh plugin and theme files if you have those options enabled.

After the process completes, the updated webroot path appears in your MyKinsta Environment details, as shown below.

Updated webroot path displayed in the Environment details
Updated webroot path displayed in the Environment details.

WordPress management that fits your workflow

With the Kinsta API, you can do more than just set a custom webroot. Automate updates across multiple sites, integrate webroot changes into your deployment process, or even build tools like Slackbots to manage your environments on the fly.

It’s all about giving you more control — and making it easier to run WordPress sites the way you want.

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