---
title: "Group folder"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/reference/glossary/group_folder.html
last_updated: 2026-08-07T17:09:54+10:00
tokens: ~567
---

# Group folder

Is an object that acts as a container for [URIs](uri.md) in a [group](group.md). All documents and folders belong to at least one group folder. Each group folder contains its own tree of documents and folders. 

The main attributes of a group folder are:

| Name | Definition | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scheme | Usually `http` or `https` | `websiteScheme` |
| Host | For example “localhost” or “example.org” | `websiteAddress` |
| Port | The port for the URI | `websitePort` |
| Path | The path prefix common to all URIs under the group folder. It ends with a wildcard ‘\*’. For example: `/ps/acme/test/*` |  (no default) |

 The default values are defined in the [global properties](../../guide/configuration/properties/global_properties.md).

## Role

A group folder is bound to its own scheme, host and port, but documents can belong to multiple group folders. Because of this, group folders act as the primary mechanism for [sharing documents](../../guide/documents/shared_documents.md) or providing [public access](group_public.md) to documents within a group.

## Default group folders

Every group is created with two predefined group folders. These inherit the scheme, host and port from the host server. 

| Document root | The default top level folder for the documents, for example if group is acme-specs: `[psaddress]/ps/acme/specs/*` |
| --- | --- |
| Comment root | The container to attach all general comments, for example if group ID is 123: `[psaddress]/ps/servlet/com.pageseeder.general/123/*` |

## Public group folders

A public group folder can provide public access to a set of documents within a group even if that group is “private”. 

## Group folders vs folders

Both group folders and regular folders are used to organize documents.

Group folders are explicitly associated to every document: every document (and folder) belongs to a group folder. 

A regular folder shares the same scheme, host and port as its ancestor group folder. The documents within a regular folder share the same group folder, but the relationship between documents and folders is implied by the shared subpath. 

## Group folder administration

Group folders can only be configured by project managers or [administrators](administrator.md).