A system and methods for creating derivative websites based on base website and derivative site content. A content management system contains files representing multiple websites, i.e., a base website and one or more derivative versions of the base website. Each derivative version of the website consists of one of more files stored in a hierarchal chain of derivative folders that represent changes from the base website. A developer may thereby track which changes have been implemented and changes made by other developers higher in the chain of derivative workspaces than the current developer will be propagated to the current developer's derivative version of the production website.