The Squarespace Developer Platform enables advanced site customization beyond standard Site Styles tools. This guide explains key aspects of this premium feature designed for experienced developers.

What is the Developer Platform? The Developer Platform lets developers create custom site templates and modify existing 7.0 templates through direct access to markup, style sheets, scripts, and design assets. It requires advanced knowledge of HTML, LESS CSS, JSON-T, and GitHub.

Key Capabilities:

• Create custom 7.0 site templates
• Modify existing 7.0 templates
• Access and edit template files

Limitations:

• Cannot create or modify 7.1 sites
• No server-side code modifications
• Cannot customize blocks or Landing Pages
• No access to CMS content

Effects of Enabling Developer Mode:

• Demo content will be removed
• Template switching becomes unavailable
• No template updates from Squarespace
• Live site remains unchanged until code updates

Disabling Developer Mode Effects:

• Custom code is disabled
• Site returns to default styles and settings
• Custom layouts and integrations stop working
• Navigation reverts to original structure
• Custom blog post types revert to standard
• Sidebars, headers, and footers content disappears

Platform Requirements:

• Business plan or higher required
• Two-factor authentication users need app password
• Social login users must switch to email/password

Trial and Plan Changes:

• Full access during trial (no expiration)
• Must maintain Business plan or higher
• Downgrading limits further modifications

Support:

• Basic platform activation support available
• No custom code troubleshooting support
• Developer community forum available for help
• Comprehensive documentation provided

Remember to backup all custom code locally before making changes, as some customizations may not be recoverable after disabling Developer Mode.

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