acquia MEO (Multi-site Enterprise Operations) Overview
Use when:
- Determining whether a subscription uses ACE or MEO
- Starting work on a MEO multi-site subscription
- Choosing between
acli api:*(ACE) andacli api:v3:*(MEO) commands - Discovering which MEO commands are available
ACE vs MEO — Choosing the Right Commands
Acquia Cloud Platform has two subscription types, each with its own API and CLI command prefix:
| ACE (Acquia Cloud Enterprise) | MEO (Multi-site Enterprise Operations) | |
|---|---|---|
| CLI prefix | acli api:* |
acli api:v3:* |
| API version | V2 (cloud.acquia.com/api) |
V3 (api.acquia.com/v3) |
| Model | One application → multiple environments, one Drupal site per environment | Subscription → Codebases + Environments → Sites → Site Instances (many Drupal sites per environment) |
| Use case | Single-site per environment | Multiple Drupal sites sharing an environment |
How to tell which type a subscription is: Look at the available commands. If acli api:v3:sites:list returns results, it is MEO. If acli api:applications:list is the primary entry point, it is ACE.
MEO Resource Model
Subscription
├── Codebases (shared git repos)
│ └── References (branches / tags)
└── Environments (runtime containers)
├── Site Instances (one per Site per Environment)
│ ├── Domains
│ └── Database + Backups
└── Deployments (code deploy operations)
Sites (logical Drupal sites, linked to a Codebase)
└── Site Instances (a Site deployed into an Environment)
Key relationships:
- A Codebase holds the shared git repository
- A Site is the logical definition of a Drupal site, referencing a Codebase
- An Environment is where code runs (prod, staging, dev, etc.)
- A Site Instance is a Site running inside an Environment (has its own database and domain)
Authentication
MEO uses the same Acquia Cloud credentials as ACE:
acli auth:login
acli auth:me
No separate login is needed. The api:v3:* commands automatically use the V3 API endpoint (https://api.acquia.com/v3).
For scripts and CI/CD:
export ACQUIA_KEY="your-api-key"
export ACQUIA_SECRET="your-api-secret"
acli api:v3:sites:list
Discovering MEO Commands
MEO commands are generated dynamically from the V3 API spec. To see all currently available commands:
# List all V3 namespaces
acli list api:v3
# List commands for a specific resource
acli list api:v3:sites
acli list api:v3:codebases
acli list api:v3:environments
acli list api:v3:site-instances
acli list api:v3:deployments
acli list api:v3:subscriptions
acli list api:v3:failover-groups
acli list api:v3:identity-providers
acli list api:v3:sso-domains
# Get full help for any command (parameters, examples)
acli api:v3:sites:list --help
acli api:v3:sites:create --help
As new endpoints are added to the V3 API spec, they appear automatically in acli list api:v3 — no skill update required.
Command Stability
| Stability | Meaning |
|---|---|
| production | Stable, fully supported |
| development | Available but may change; use with awareness |
Current production-stable namespaces: sites, codebases, core subscription commands.
Development-stability namespaces: environments, site-instances, deployments, failover-groups, subscriptions (security/CDN), identity-providers, sso-domains.
Quick Start: Find Your Resources
# Find sites you have access to
acli api:v3:sites:list
# Find codebases for a subscription
acli api:v3:subscriptions:list-codebases <subscriptionId>
# Find environments for a codebase
acli api:v3:codebases:list-environments <codebaseId>
# Find site instances in an environment
acli api:v3:environments:list-site-instances <environmentId>
Related MEO Skills
- MEO Sites — Create, update, duplicate, delete sites
- MEO Codebases — Manage codebases and git references
- MEO Environments — Environment operations, protection mode, deployments
- MEO Site Instances — Site instance lifecycle, domains, databases
- MEO Deployments — Monitor and control deployments
- MEO CDN & Security — CDN, IP rules, custom rules, rate limiting
- MEO Identity & Access — SSO domains, identity providers
ACE Skills (V2 only)
- Application Management — ACE applications
- Environment Management — ACE environments
- Pull & Push — ACE code/DB/file sync