Previews
Understand draft (workspace) previews, shared draft links, and deployment preview URLs for YWT static sites.
Previews
YWT has two preview flows for static sites:
- Workspace previews show your current draft before publishing. You can open one yourself or share a link to it that expires.
- Deployment previews show one published deployment version.
They are useful for different jobs and have different privacy and lifetime rules.
Workspace previews
Workspace previews are opened with the Preview button on the site's Edit tab. They show your draft files, including changes that have not been published yet.
Use a workspace preview when you want to:
- check local edits before publishing
- test uploaded files before creating a deployment
- view your current draft in a full browser tab
Workspace preview URLs use the form:
https://{siteId}--workspace.ywt.app/?token=...The token is created by YWT for the site owner and carries an expiry date. A link opened with the Preview button works for one hour. When the router accepts the token, it sets a short-lived preview cookie so additional paths of your draft can be loaded during that preview session.
Anyone who has a workspace preview link can view your draft until the link expires or you stop sharing. They see the draft as it is when they open it, including changes you save later. Do not paste workspace preview links into public channels.
Workspace previews:
- serve files from your draft, not from the active deployment
- are marked
noindex - use
no-storecaching - stop working when the link expires, when you click Stop sharing, or when the site is deleted
- may differ from the live site until you publish
Share a draft
To show your draft to someone before you publish, for example a client or a friend, send them a draft link. This works on every plan, including Free. The recipient does not need a YWT account.
Open the Edit tab
Go to Account > Website hosting, open the site, and select the Edit tab. Save any open changes first.
Create the link
Click Share draft and choose how long the link should work: 1, 7, or 30 days. YWT creates the link and shows when it expires.
Send the link
Copy the link and send it to the people who should see the draft.
Creating another link does not end the links you created before. Each link keeps working until its own expiry date.
Stop sharing
Click Stop sharing on the Edit tab to make every draft link created so far stop working at once, including links opened with Preview. Use it when a link went to the wrong person or when the review is over. You can share the draft again afterwards; links you create from then on work as usual.
How preview URLs work
Every time you deploy your site, YWT also generates a deployment preview URL. Deployment preview URLs let you test a specific version of your site and share it with others without changing which version is live.
When you publish a deployment, two things happen:
- Your live URL (e.g.,
https://mysite.ywt.appor your custom domain) is updated to serve the new version. - A preview URL is created for that specific deployment.
The key difference is:
- The live URL shows the currently active deployment.
- A preview URL is permanent and always shows the exact version it was created for, even after you publish newer versions.
This makes preview URLs useful for reviewing, testing, and sharing specific versions of your work.
Finding your preview URL
After publishing, you can find the preview URL from the deployment details:
- History page — Open the site, then click History on the Overview to see deployment history.
- Version detail page — Open a deployment to view its permanent preview URL and preview button.
Use cases
Reviewing current draft edits
Use the editor's Preview button before publishing. This is the safest way to check files that are still in your draft.
Testing a deployed version
After publishing, use the deployment preview URL to review the exact version that was created. If something is wrong, restore a previous version while you fix your draft.
- Make your changes in the editor.
- Use a workspace preview to check your current draft.
- Publish to create a deployment.
- Review the deployment preview URL.
- If needed, restore a previous version while you fix the issue.
Sharing with collaborators
To share work you have not published yet, share a draft. To share a version you have published, send a deployment preview URL to a client, colleague, or friend so they can review a specific version of your site. The deployment preview URL works for anyone - no YWT account is required.
Deployment preview URLs are publicly accessible. Anyone with the link can view the site. Do not use deployment previews for content that must remain private. While the URLs contain random characters that make them hard to guess, they are not a security boundary.
Comparing versions
Since every deployment has its own preview URL, you can open two preview URLs side by side in your browser to compare how your site has changed between versions.
Preview lifetime
Deployment preview URLs stay available as long as the version exists. They are not deleted when you create new deployments. If you delete a version, its preview URL stops working, and if you delete the site entirely, all of its preview URLs stop working.
Workspace preview links expire. A link opened with Preview works for one hour; a link created with Share draft works for the 1, 7, or 30 days you chose. Stop sharing ends every link before its expiry. Open a new one from the Edit tab when needed.
Preview types compared
| Live URL | Workspace preview | Deployment preview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | mysite.ywt.app or custom domain | {siteId}--workspace.ywt.app with token | {siteId}--{deploymentId}.ywt.app |
| Content | Current active deployment | Your current draft files | Locked deployment version |
| Updates when you edit | No | Yes, after draft files are saved | No |
| Updates when you publish | Yes | Not directly | No |
| Indexable by search engines | Yes, unless your site blocks indexing | No | No |
| Best for | Production visitors | Reviewing or sharing a draft | Sharing a fixed version |
| Public | Yes | Anyone with the link, until it expires or you stop sharing | Yes |
Next steps
- Deploy your site to generate your first preview URL.
- Connect a custom domain for a professional live URL.
- Use the editor to save changes and open or share a workspace preview before publishing.