Fix: Qwik makes empty sitemap.xml

Source: Dev.to

Problem

When deploying a Qwik (or Qwik City) application with the Node.js adapter (nodeServerAdapter), the sitemap.xml works locally but is empty in production:

<!-- empty sitemap -->

• Local build: ✅ works
• Dev server: ✅ serves the sitemap correctly
• Production build: ❌ empty sitemap, no warnings

The Node.js adapter runs Static Site Generation (SSG) during the build, even for SSR builds. During this step it:

1. Scans routes for static‑exportable pages
2. Generates a sitemap from the found routes
3. Overwrites any public/sitemap.xml you placed manually

If the SSG step cannot find any exportable routes (e.g., dynamic routes, SSR‑only routes, or when using the Node.js adapter), it produces an empty sitemap.

---

Quick Fix – Disable SSG

For a pure SSR application you can completely turn off SSG in the adapter configuration.

adapters/node-server/vite.config.ts

import { nodeServerAdapter } from "@builder.io/qwik-city/adapters/node-server/vite";
import { extendConfig } from "@builder.io/qwik-city/vite";
import baseConfig from "../../vite.config";

export default extendConfig(baseConfig, () => ({
  build: {
    ssr: true,
    rollupOptions: {
      input: ["src/entry.express.tsx", "@qwik-city-plan"],
    },
  },
  plugins: [
    nodeServerAdapter({
      name: "express",
      // ⚠️ CRITICAL: Completely disable SSG – use a static sitemap.xml
      ssg: null,
    }),
  ],
}));

Key change: ssg: null stops the automatic sitemap generation, so the file you place in public/ is served unchanged.

---

Provide a Static Sitemap

Create public/sitemap.xml with the URLs you want indexed.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-12-01</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/about/</loc>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

Multi‑language example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/</loc>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/es/</loc>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/de/</loc>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

---

Adjust Build Scripts

If your package.json runs qwik city collect, remove it—otherwise SSG will be forced again.

{
  "scripts": {
    // Before
    // "build:deploy": "npm run build.production && qwik city collect"

    // After
    "build:deploy": "npm run build.production"
  }
}

Run the build and verify:

npm run build:deploy
ls -lh dist/sitemap.xml
cat dist/sitemap.xml

You should see the full sitemap content (not an empty file).

The Node.js server will now serve dist/sitemap.xml as a static asset:

node server.js
curl http://localhost:3000/sitemap.xml

---

Dynamic Sitemap (SSR Route)

If the sitemap must be generated on‑the‑fly (e.g., from a CMS), create an SSR route.

src/routes/sitemap.xml/index.ts

import type { RequestHandler } from '@builder.io/qwik-city';

const SUPPORTED_LOCALES = ['en-US', 'es', 'ru', 'de', 'fr', 'ja'];

export const onGet: RequestHandler = async ({ url }) => {
  const origin = url.origin;

  const urls = [
    // Root URL
    `  
    ${origin}/
    ${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}
    weekly
    1.0
  `,
    // Language‑specific URLs
    ...SUPPORTED_LOCALES
      .filter(l => l !== 'en-US')
      .map(l => `  
    ${origin}/${l}/
    weekly
    0.8
  `),
  ].join('\n');

  const sitemap = `

${urls}
`;

  return new Response(sitemap, {
    status: 200,
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/xml; charset=utf-8',
      'Cache-Control': 'public, max-age=86400', // 1 day
    },
  });
};

Note: Keep ssg: null in the adapter config to avoid the static‑generation step overwriting this dynamic route.

---

Why SSG Runs with the Node.js Adapter

• Static Site Generation (SSG) – pre‑renders pages at build time, generates a sitemap, and writes static files.
• Server‑Side Rendering (SSR) – renders pages on demand at runtime.

The Node.js adapter is intended for SSR, but it still triggers SSG by default to produce a sitemap and pre‑render any pages that have onStaticGenerate. When routes are dynamic or lack onStaticGenerate, SSG finds zero exportable routes and writes an empty sitemap.

---

Common Pitfalls

---

Checklist After Applying the Fix

• Build finishes without “Starting Qwik City SSG…” (when ssg: null).
• dist/sitemap.xml exists and is larger than the empty 109‑byte file.
• cat dist/sitemap.xml shows the expected URLs.
• Production server returns the full sitemap (curl https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
• No SSG‑related warnings or errors appear in the build logs.

---

Optional: Redirect /sitemap.xml/ to /sitemap.xml

If a trailing slash is requested, add a simple redirect in your server entry:

import { createServer } from "http";

createServer((req, res) => {
  if (req.url === "/sitemap.xml/") {
    res.writeHead(301, { Location: "/sitemap.xml" });
    res.end();
    return;
  }

  // ...rest of server logic
}).listen(3000);

The redirect is harmless for search engines but can tidy up URLs.

---

Choosing Between a Static Sitemap and an SSR Route

Implement the approach that matches your project’s needs, and the empty‑sitemap issue will be resolved.