Using Markdown with Sitecore XP and XM

Markdown isn’t new, but it keeps earning its place. It’s fast to write, easy to read, and plays well with modern development workflows. If you’re working with Sitecore XP or XM, Markdown can be a practical alternative to rich text fields, especially for developer-friendly teams or content that lives close to code.

This post looks at how Markdown fits into Sitecore XP/XM, where it works well, and what to watch out for.

Why Markdown in Sitecore?

Most Sitecore projects start with rich text fields. That makes sense. Marketers know them, and they’re easy to drop into templates. But rich text comes with tradeoffs:

• Messy HTML in the database
• Inconsistent formatting
• Hard-to-review content in source control
• Painful merges in serialized items

Markdown flips that around.

With Markdown, content looks like content. Headings are headings. Lists are lists. You can scan it, diff it, and review it without opening an editor.

Markdown works especially well when:

• Content is maintained by developers or technical writers
• Items are serialized (Helix, Unicorn, SCS)
• Content is reused across channels
• You want clean, predictable HTML output

Where Markdown Fits Best in XP/XM

Markdown is not a replacement for everything. It shines in specific areas.

Good fits

• Documentation-style pages
• Blog posts or articles
• Release notes
• FAQs
• Developer-facing content
• Headless or API-driven sites

Less ideal

• Highly visual landing pages
• Drag-and-drop authoring experiences
• Content managed by non-technical editors

A common pattern is to mix approaches. Use rich text for marketing pages and Markdown for long-form or technical content.

How Markdown Works in Sitecore

At a high level, you store Markdown as plain text and convert it to HTML at render time.

There are three main parts:

1. A field to store Markdown
   Usually a multi-line text field. Nothing fancy.
2. A Markdown parser
   In .NET, libraries like Markdig are common. They’re fast, flexible, and well-supported.
3. A rendering step
   Convert Markdown to HTML before sending it to the view or API response.

In XP or XM, this typically happens:

• In a controller rendering
• In a view model mapper
• In a headless rendering pipeline

The content stays clean in the database. HTML is generated only when needed.

Editor Experience: Keep It Simple

The default Sitecore Content Editor isn’t a Markdown editor. That’s fine.

Most teams do one of the following:

• Use a plain text field with Markdown guidelines
• Add a custom field with a basic Markdown editor
• Rely on external editing (VS Code, GitHub) with serialization

If your editors are technical, plain text is usually enough. A short help text with examples goes a long way:

## Heading
**Bold text**
- List item
[Link text](https://example.com)

For less technical users, a lightweight Markdown editor can be added without turning the UI into a full WYSIWYG again.

Rendering Markdown Safely

One important point: security.

When converting Markdown to HTML:

• Disable raw HTML if editors shouldn’t inject it
• Sanitize output if content comes from multiple sources
• Be explicit about allowed elements

Most Markdown libraries let you control this. Use those options. Don’t rely on defaults.

Markdown and Headless Sitecore

Markdown really shines in headless setups.

Instead of storing HTML in Sitecore and stripping it later, you store Markdown and:

• Convert to HTML for websites
• Convert to plain text for search
• Render differently for mobile or apps

Your content becomes portable. The same field can serve multiple channels without fighting markup decisions made months earlier.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Pros

• Clean, readable content
• Easy diffs and merges
• Friendly to serialization and CI/CD
• Predictable output

Cons

• Less friendly for non-technical authors
• No visual preview by default
• Requires custom rendering logic

Neither side is a deal-breaker. It’s about choosing the right tool for the job.

Final Thoughts

Markdown isn’t about replacing Sitecore’s editing tools. It’s about using the simplest format that does the job well.

In Sitecore XP and XM, Markdown works best when:

• Content structure matters
• Code and content live close together
• Teams care about long-term maintainability

If your project checks those boxes, Markdown is worth a serious look.

Ramiro Batallas

Principal Backend Engineer at Oshyn Inc.
I’m a Sitecore and .NET engineer with more than 15 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise content platforms. My work focuses on building maintainable Sitecore XP/XM and composable DXP solutions, with an emphasis on performance, clean architecture, and a strong developer experience. I’ve led implementations across MVC, headless, and hybrid models, integrating Sitecore with search, CDP, commerce, and marketing automation ecosystems.
I enjoy translating complex business requirements into practical content models, pipelines, and APIs that empower editors and marketers without sacrificing technical quality. My background includes .NET, SQL, Sitecore, Optimizely/Episerver, cloud infrastructure, and modern delivery practices based on Scrum and DevOps. I’m recognized for clear technical communication, pragmatic problem-solving, and helping teams deliver solutions that are robust, scalable, and genuinely useful.