---
title: "Sitecore Content Serialization configuration reference"
slug: "sitecore-content-serialization-configuration-reference"
abstract: "Configuration reference for the Sitecore Content Serialization (SCS) system."
---
# Sitecore Content Serialization configuration reference

The Sitecore Content Serialization (SCS) system uses a set of properties to determine what and how content items in a Sitecore instance are influenced by the serialization commands.

## Include properties

The include properties:

| Property | Required | Valid values | Default value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | Yes | String | None |
| `path` | Yes | String | None |
| `scope` | No | `SingleItem`, `ItemAndChildren`, `ItemAndDescendants`, and `DescendantsOnly`. | `ItemAndDescendants` |
| `database` | No | `master` or `core` | `master` |
| `maxRelativePathLength` | No | Number | `130` |
| `allowedPushOperations` | No | `CreateOnly`, `CreateAndUpdate`, and `CreateUpdateAndDelete` | `CreateUpdateAndDelete` |

> [!note]
> Duplicate item names on the same level are not supported by the CLI, even if such items are under ignored nodes.

## Scope

The `scope` property configures *what* content items are influenced:

| Scope | Content items influenced |
| --- | --- |
| `SingleItem` | Only the content item. |
| `ItemAndChildren` | The content item and its immediate children. |
| `ItemAndDescendants` | The content item and all its descendants. |
| `DescendantsOnly` | Only the descendants of the content item. |
| `Ignored` | All children and descendants are ignored except those previously matched.<br><br>> [!important]<br>> Only valid in rules. Not valid in includes. |

## Allowed push operations

The `allowedPushOperations` property configures *how* content items can be influenced when pushed to your Sitecore instance:

| Content item in file system? | Content item in instance? | `CreateOnly` | `CreateAndUpdate` | `CreateUpdateAndDelete` |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Yes | No | **Create item** | **Create item** | **Create item** |
| Yes | Yes | Ignore item | **Update item** | **Update item** |
| No | Yes | Ignore item | Ignore item | **Delete item** |

## Rules

The rule properties:

| Property | Required | Allowed values | Default value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `path` | Yes | String | None |
| `scope` | Yes | `Ignored`, `SingleItem`, `ItemAndChildren`, and `ItemAndDescendants` | None |
| `alias` | No | String | None |
| `allowedPushOperations` | No | `CreateOnly`, `CreateAndUpdate`, and `CreateUpdateAndDelete` | Inherited from parent |