Managing Multiple StellarSites

Introduction

Managing multiple StellarSites involves two complementary tools: the StellarSites Dashboard for site discovery and quick access and Solid Central for cross-site administration of critical tasks such as updates, backups, security, and performance monitoring. This guide explains how new sites are registered, how to navigate both interfaces, and best practices for minimizing downtime and administrative overhead.

Adding Additional StellarSites

When a new StellarSite is purchased or migrated, it appears automatically in your StellarSites Dashboard—no manual configuration required.

Dashboard of Stellar Sites showing a list of active websites with URLs, plans, and options to manage or view the sites.

Automatic Site Registration

  • Immediate visibility: New sites will appear in the dashboard within seconds of activation.
  • Essential details displayed:
    • Site Name (clickable label)
    • Primary Domain (current URL)
    • Plan Level (e.g., Starter, Pro, Agency)
    • Current Health Status (green/yellow/red indicator)
A screenshot shows the details of an active events service plan on a website management dashboard. The URL is https://doubleholiday.stellarwp.site, using the StellarSites Events Plan labeled as 'ESSENTIAL'. Options to change the plan or choose add-ons are provided, along with buttons to 'View Site' and 'Log In.'

Quick Actions

Next to each site entry, a “Action” items, that give you the ability to:

  • Manage Settings: Access site-specific domains, billing info, and staging environment controls.
  • View Live Site: Open the public URL in a new tab without additional logins.
  • WordPress Admin: Log directly into the site’s dashboard for content or plugin edits.
Screenshot of a web management dashboard for an active site. It shows the site name "Events," URL with a hyperlink, the plan "StellarSites Events Plan Essential," and options to manage, view, and log in to the site. There is a section to choose add-ons.

Trade-Offs and Considerations

  • Grouping vs. individual focus: If you manage dozens of sites, use consistent naming conventions (e.g., “ClientA-Site1”) or tagging to reduce visual clutter.
  • Onboarding verification: Automatic registration speeds are set up, but allocate a few minutes per site to confirm that DNS and SSL certificates are correct.

Centralized Management with Solid Central

Solid Central connects to every StellarSite automatically, enabling bulk operations across your entire network.

Screenshot of the Solid Central dashboard displaying site management features. The sidebar includes options like Sites, Updates, Vulnerabilities, and others. The main section shows update statistics with 0 Core Updates, 9 Plugin Updates, and 6 Theme Updates. A list of sites with names like yeojvfz.a2hosted.com is shown, each with uptime status and update information.

Bulk Updates

  • Plugins, themes, core: Review and apply pending updates in one batch to save time
A dashboard titled 'Solid Central' is displayed, showing a list of software updates for various plugins and themes. The software names are listed alongside their current update versions, type (plugin or theme), count of available updates, and action buttons on the right. The sidebar includes navigation options such as Sites, Updates, Vulnerabilities, Install, Stash, Uptime, Reports, Timeline, and Licensing. The top bar includes options to filter updates by site and upgrade the plan.

Backup Administration

  • Overview: See last backup timestamps and statuses for all sites.
  • Manual backups: Trigger on-demand backups before major deployments.
  • Restores: Select a restore point and target site without logging into individual dashboards.
A dashboard from SolidCentral showing an activity timeline of site backups dated May 22 and May 23. The details include backup creation times, expiration dates, and the number of posts, pages, uploads, and users per backup. Options to restore the site or create an archive are available. The menu on the left lists options like Sites, Updates, and Timeline, with "Welcome to SolidWP" at the bottom.

Security Monitoring

  • Vulnerability alerts: Identify outdated software or known exploits across multiple sites.
  • Global fixes: Push security patches network-wide in a single operation.
Screenshot of the Solid Central dashboard displaying the 'Vulnerabilities' section, showing no results for vulnerable software. The sidebar menu includes options like Sites, Updates, Install, Stash, Uptime, Reports, Timeline, and Licensing.

Performance Tracking

  • Uptime checks: Monitor availability over time to spot downtime patterns.
  • Speed metrics: Track page-load times and flag sites exceeding performance thresholds.
A dashboard view of SolidCentral's Uptime Monitoring, showing three websites listed with their uptime status, response times, and last downtime periods. Each site has options for 'Visit Site' and 'Site Admin' with an 'Unmonitor' button. The sidebar includes various menu options such as Sites, Updates, Vulnerabilities, and more.

Best Practices for Multiple Sites

These are some best practices when you have multiple sites.

Use Tagging or Grouping Features

Use Tagging or Grouping Features
 Assign meaningful tags (e.g., “eCommerce,” “Blog”) to filter by function quickly.

A screenshot of the SolidCentral dashboard showing the Account Settings page under the 'Tags' tab. It displays a list of tags including E-Commerce, Blogs, and B2B, each linked to one website. There are options to add, edit, or delete tags, with a search bar for tags at the top.

Backup Before Major Changes

Even with automated daily backups, run a manual backup before significant upgrades.

Screenshot of the Solid Central dashboard for the site 'latekittentest.stellarwp.site' showing backup management features. It indicates the estimated site size is 24 B, space used is 378 MB, total space available is 345 GB, and backups will be saved for 30 days. Options to run a backup and view backup history are provided.

Configure Proactive Alerts

Set downtime monitoring alerts to be notified if your site goes offline. Use scheduled reports to stay informed about security activity, backup status, and update history.

Dashboard interface of SolidCentral showing the 'Report Schedules' section with two schedules named 'Schedule 6.5', both set to repeat monthly. The left sidebar includes navigation options like Sites, Updates, Vulnerabilities, Install, Stash, Uptime, Reports, Timeline, and Licensing. The top right features a user profile icon and a purple 'Add New' button.

Centralized Credential Management

Maintain a secure, centralized record of SSH/SFTP and database credentials for rapid incident response.

Conclusion

Scaling from a single site to a network of StellarSites relies on three pillars: instant visibility, streamlined workflows, and proactive safeguards.

  1. Instant visibility: Locate and access any site within seconds using the StellarSites Dashboard.
  2. Streamlined workflows: Eliminate repetitive tasks by running bulk updates, backups, security patches, and performance checks in Solid Central.
  3. Proactive safeguards: Apply consistent naming conventions or tags, validate changes in staging environments, and configure downtime and performance alerts.

Together, these practices keep administration efficient, reduce manual overhead, and ensure every site performs at its best, no matter how many are under management.