Export Content Using the CLI

To migrate content from one stack to another, begin by exporting content from the source stack, then import it into the destination stack.

This guide explains how to use the cm:stacks:export command by logging in to CLI (or with a management token), using configuration files or direct CLI parameters.

Prerequisites

Before exporting content, ensure you have:

Contentstack account
Contentstack CLI installed
CLI authenticated
Configured management token (optional, but recommended for CI/CD)

Quick Start

Export all modules from a stack:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a <alias> --data-dir ./export

Export specific module:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a <alias> --data-dir ./export --module content-types

Export from specific branch:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a <alias> --data-dir ./export --branch develop

Supported Modules

The export command supports the following modules:

Assets - All assets in the stack
Locales - Language configurations
Environments - Environment settings
Stacks - Stack settings (supported from CLI v1.42.0)
Extensions - UI Extensions
Marketplace Apps - Installed marketplace applications
Webhooks - Webhook configurations
Global Fields - Global field definitions (including Nested Global Fields from v1.42.0)
Content Types - Content type schemas
Entries - Content entries
Labels - Content labels
Workflow - Workflow configurations
Custom Role - Custom role definitions
Taxonomy - Taxonomy structures
Personalize - Personalize project configurations
CS Assets - Space-based asset export when cs-assets is enabled for the region

Not Supported:

❌ Users
❌ Releases

Export Command

The cm:stacks:export command lets you export content from one stack to your local file system.

Usage

csdx cm:stacks:export [OPTIONS]

csdx cm:export [OPTIONS]

Options

Option	Description	Required
-k, --stack-api-key=<stack-api-key>	API key of the source stack.	No*
-a, --alias=<alias>	Management token alias of the source stack.	No*
-d, --data-dir=<data-dir>	Absolute path to the folder to store the exported content. Example: -d "/Users/Name/Desktop/cli/content" or -d "C:\\Users\\Name\\Desktop\\cli\\content". If using branches, include the branch folder in the path: -d "/path/to/export/branch_name".	No
--branch=<branch>	Name of the branch where you want to export content. Default: main. If not specified, exports from all branches.	No
--branch-alias=<branch-alias>	Alias of the branch where you want to export content. Cannot be used with --branch.	No
--module=<module>	Export a specific module from the source stack. If not specified, all modules are exported. Available modules: assets, content-types, entries, environments, stacks, extensions, marketplace-apps, global-fields, labels, locales, webhooks, workflows, custom-roles, taxonomies, personalize.	No
--content-types=<content-types>	The UID of the content type(s) whose content you want to export. For multiple content types, specify the IDs separated by spaces. Example: --content-types blog_post article.	No
--secured-assets	Use this flag to export content if the secured assets feature is enabled for your stack.	No
-y, --yes	Force override all Marketplace prompts.	No
-c, --config=<config>	Path to the configuration JSON file containing all the options for a single run.	No

Note: Either -k (stack-api-key) or -a (alias) is required. If using -k, you must be logged in or have a management token configured.

Examples

Export All Modules

Using Stack API Key:

csdx cm:stacks:export -k blt1234567890abcdef --data-dir ./export

Using Management Token Alias (Recommended):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export

Using Relative Path:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export-data

Using Absolute Path (macOS/Linux):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir /Users/username/Desktop/export

Using Absolute Path (Windows):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir "C:\Users\Username\Desktop\export"

Export from Specific Branch

Using Branch Name:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --branch develop

Using Branch Alias:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --branch-alias developAlias

Export Structure with Branch:

./export/
  └── develop/
      ├── assets/
      ├── content-types/
      ├── entries/
      └── ...

Export Specific Module

Export Only Content Types:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module content-types

Export Only Assets:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module assets

Export Only Entries:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module entries

Export Multiple Modules (Sequential):

# Export assets first
csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module assets

# Then export content types
csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module content-types

# Finally export entries
csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module entries

When exporting modules individually, follow this module sequence for best results:

assets
environments
stacks
locales
extensions
marketplace-apps
webhooks
taxonomies
global-fields
content-types
workflows
entries
labels
custom-roles

Export Specific Content Types

Export Entries from Specific Content Types:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --content-types blog_post article

Export Multiple Content Types:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --content-types blog_post article product_page

Note: This exports only entries from the specified content types. Content types themselves are still exported if using --module content-types.

Export Secured Assets

Export with Secured Assets Flag:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --secured-assets

Note: Ensure to add the --secured-assets flag to avoid errors while exporting content for stacks where the secured assets feature is enabled.

Export Marketplace Apps

Export Marketplace Apps (Interactive):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module marketplace-apps

Export Marketplace Apps (Skip Prompts):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --module marketplace-apps -y

Note: If the --yes flag is not passed, you are prompted to enter an encryption key while exporting Marketplace apps for app configurations.

Using Configuration File

You can also export content using a configuration file. This is useful for:

Reproducible exports
CI/CD automation
Complex export configurations
Performance tuning

Step 1: Download Configuration File

Download the example configuration file:

Step 2: Configure Your Values

Edit the configuration file with your values:

Example Configuration (auth_config.json):

{
  "contentVersion": 2,
  "master_locale": {
    "name": "English - United States",
    "code": "en-us"
  },
  "source_stack": "blt1234567890abcdef",
  "data": "/path/to/export/directory",
  "branchName": "develop",
  "moduleName": "content-types",
  "fetchConcurrency": 5,
  "writeConcurrency": 5,
  "securedAssets": false,
  "maxContentLength": 100000000,
  "maxBodyLength": 100000000,
  "delayMs": 1000
}

Example Configuration (management_config.json):

{
  "contentVersion": 2,
  "master_locale": {
    "name": "English - United States",
    "code": "en-us"
  },
  "data": "/path/to/export/directory",
  "branchName": "develop",
  "moduleName": "content-types",
  "fetchConcurrency": 5,
  "writeConcurrency": 5,
  "securedAssets": false,
  "createBackupDir": "./temp",
  "maxContentLength": 100000000,
  "maxBodyLength": 100000000,
  "delayMs": 1000
}

Step 3: Run Export with Config File

Using Authentication:

csdx cm:stacks:export -c /path/to/auth_config.json

Using Management Token Alias:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c /path/to/management_config.json

Example (macOS/Linux):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c "/Users/username/Desktop/config.json"

Example (Windows):

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c "C:\Users\Username\Desktop\config.json"

Note:

macOS/Linux users must use / for paths in a JSON file.
Windows users must use \\ (double backslashes) for paths in a JSON file.

Configuration File Options

Option	Description	Type	Default
contentVersion	Content version format.	number	2
master_locale	Master locale configuration.	object	-
source_stack	UID of the stack from which data must be exported. Required for auth-based config.	string	-
data	File path where the data must be stored.	string	-
branchName	Name of the branch from which data must be exported.	string	main
branchAlias	Alias of the branch from which data must be exported.	string	-
moduleName	Module name to be exported. Options: stack, assets, locales, environments, extensions, webhooks, global-fields, content-types, custom-roles, workflows, entries, labels, marketplace-apps, taxonomies, personalize.	string	-
fetchConcurrency	Number of files that must be fetched in one request.	number	5
writeConcurrency	Number of files that must be written in one request.	number	5
securedAssets	Fetch only secured assets.	boolean	false
maxContentLength	Maximum content length in bytes. Default: 100 MB (100000000).	number	100000000
maxBodyLength	Maximum body length in bytes. Default: 100 MB (100000000).	number	100000000
delayMs	Delay in milliseconds between API requests to prevent concurrency issues.	number	1000
createBackupDir	Path for backup directory (management token config only).	string	-
versioning	Export versioned entries.	boolean	false
preserveStackVersion	Preserve stack version while exporting the data.	boolean	false
host	Set the host for export operation. Any valid base URL from Content Management API.	string	-

Export Content Using Management Token

You can export content from your stack using a management token. This is the recommended approach for CI/CD environments.

Basic Usage

Export with Alias Only:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production

Export with Alias and Data Directory:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export

Export with Alias and Configuration File:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c /path/to/config.json

Developer Example - CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions:

- name: Export Contentstack Stack
  run: |
    csdx cm:stacks:export \
      -a ${{ secrets.MANAGEMENT_TOKEN_ALIAS }} \
      --data-dir ./export \
      --module entries \
      -y

GitLab CI:

export_stack:
  script:
    - csdx cm:stacks:export -a $MANAGEMENT_TOKEN_ALIAS --data-dir ./export -y
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - export/

Toggle Between Console Logs and Progress Manager View

Contentstack CLI lets you toggle between the raw console logs and the visual Progress Manager UI during export workflows.

Default Mode (Progress Manager UI)

By default, the Progress Manager UI displays when you run the export command:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export

Example Output:

STACK:
   ├─ Settings             |████████████████████████████████████████| 100% | 1/1 | ✓ Complete (1/1)
   ├─ Locale               |████████████████████████████████████████| 100% | 1/1 | ✓ Complete (1/1)

LOCALES:
    └─ Locales             |████████████████████████████████████████| 100% | 2/2 | ✓ Complete (2/2)

CONTENT TYPES:
    └─ Content types       |████████████████████████████████████████| 100% | 6/6 | ✓ Complete (6/6)

ENTRIES:
   ├─ Entries              |████████████████████████████████████████| 100% | 12/12 | ✓ Complete (12/12)

Console Log Mode

Step 1: Enable Console Logs

csdx config:set:log --show-console-logs

Step 2: Run Export Command

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export

Example Output:

[2025-08-22 16:12:23] INFO: Exporting content from branch main
[2025-08-22 16:12:23] INFO: Started to export content, version is 2
[2025-08-22 16:12:23] INFO: Exporting module: stack
[2025-08-22 16:12:24] INFO: Exporting stack settings
[2025-08-22 16:12:25] SUCCESS: Exported stack settings successfully!

Step 3: Switch Back to Default Mode

csdx config:set:log --no-show-console-logs

Tip: Use --show-console-logs for detailed debugging when troubleshooting export issues.

Common Export Scenarios

Scenario 1: Full Stack Export

Export all modules from a stack for backup or migration:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./full-export

Scenario 2: Selective Content Export

Export only specific content types:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --content-types blog_post article

Scenario 3: Branch-Specific Export

Export content from a development branch:

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production --data-dir ./export --branch develop

Scenario 4: High-Performance Export

Use configuration file with optimized concurrency settings:

{
  "fetchConcurrency": 10,
  "writeConcurrency": 10,
  "delayMs": 500,
  "data": "/path/to/export"
}

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c ./high-performance-config.json

Scenario 5: Large Stack Export

For large stacks, use configuration file with increased limits:

{
  "maxContentLength": 200000000,
  "maxBodyLength": 200000000,
  "fetchConcurrency": 3,
  "writeConcurrency": 3,
  "delayMs": 2000,
  "data": "/path/to/export"
}

csdx cm:stacks:export -a production -c ./large-stack-config.json

Export Directory Structure

After export, your directory structure will look like this:

./export/
├── assets/
│   ├── assets.json
│   └── files/
│       └── [asset files]
├── content-types/
│   └── content_types.json
├── entries/
│   └── [content-type-uid]/
│       └── [locale]/
│           └── entries.json
├── environments/
│   └── environments.json
├── locales/
│   └── locales.json
├── global-fields/
│   └── global_fields.json
├── webhooks/
│   └── webhooks.json
├── extensions/
│   └── extensions.json
├── workflows/
│   └── workflows.json
├── labels/
│   └── labels.json
├── custom-roles/
│   └── custom_roles.json
├── taxonomies/
│   └── taxonomies.json
└── stack.json

With Branch:

./export/
└── develop/
    ├── assets/
    ├── entries/
    └── ...

Limitations

For comprehensive information about export limitations, see the CLI Limitations Guide.

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Supported Modules

Export Command

Usage

Options

Examples

Export All Modules

Export from Specific Branch

Export Specific Module

Export Specific Content Types

Export Secured Assets

Export Marketplace Apps

Using Configuration File

Step 1: Download Configuration File

Step 2: Configure Your Values

Step 3: Run Export with Config File

Configuration File Options

Export Content Using Management Token

Basic Usage

Developer Example - CI/CD Integration

Toggle Between Console Logs and Progress Manager View

Default Mode (Progress Manager UI)

Console Log Mode

Common Export Scenarios

Scenario 1: Full Stack Export

Scenario 2: Selective Content Export

Scenario 3: Branch-Specific Export

Scenario 4: High-Performance Export

Scenario 5: Large Stack Export

Export Directory Structure

Limitations

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Next Steps

More articles in "Contentstack CLI Core Commands"

Import Content Using the CLI

CLI-Supported Features for Export, Import, and Clone Operations

Overwrite Existing Content using CLI Import

Cloning a Stack

Bulk Publish and Unpublish Content

CLI for Launch

Compare and Merge Branches Using the CLI

Configure Early Access in the CLI

Configure Rate Limits in the CLI

Configure CLI Logging Preferences

Configure Proxy Settings in CLI

Audit Plugin

Query-based Export

Bulk Operations in CLI