What is the difference between "publish" and "sync" in Sitecore XM Cloud?

The distinction between "publish" and "sync" in Sitecore XM Cloud is essential for managing content effectively across different environments. Publishing is the process that makes specific content or items live to the end-users, ensuring that the latest updates are available on the web or front-end side. It implies that the content has been finalized and is ready for public access.

On the other hand, syncing is about maintaining consistency across different environments, such as development, staging, and production. When you sync, you're ensuring that all environments reflect the same content and configurations, but this does not necessarily mean that the content is live. Sync actions typically occur behind the scenes to keep all instances of the site in alignment, without affecting the user experience directly.

This understanding highlights why publishing is about making content live and visible to users, while syncing focuses on the technical aspect of updating and aligning content across various environments.