wordpress-acf-json-setup

You version-control ACF field groups by saving them as JSON files in an acf-json folder within your theme, which allows Git to track clean diffs and reproduce builds across environments.

ACF JSON synchronization works by wiring save_json and load_json filters to automatically persist custom post types, taxonomies, and field groups to disk and load them on theme initialization.

Yes, you can export ACF fields from the database to JSON by adding a custom Tools admin page that re-saves all DB content to the acf-json folder in one click.

The best way to bootstrap a WordPress theme with ACF PRO is to create an acf-json folder tree for field groups, post types, and taxonomies, and wire the necessary save and load filters for automatic synchronization.

You need ACF PRO to use this JSON export setup, because synchronizing custom post types and taxonomies via the acf-json folder requires the PRO version's features.

Migrate your existing theme's ACF setup to version control to eliminate manual database exports, ensure reproducible builds, and maintain clean Git diffs for all field group changes.