Howdy!
We added the /sitemap_index.xml endpoint to support misconfigured hosts that cater to Yoast SEO. If you can access /sitemap.xml, your website is configured correctly in this regard, and you can ignore the “index” one.
Both endpoints are virtual; no actual sitemap file exists on your server on either location. In fact, TSF generates a sitemap on a near-infinite number of locations to support translation plugins: https://theseoframework.com/sitemap.xml/example-language-123.
TSF maintains a cache of each unique sitemap in the database (togglable at “SEO Settings > General > Performance”). The cache key of this sitemap remains the same until the blog ID (multisite) or site language setting (translation plugin) changes. Both /sitemap.xml and /sitemap_index.xml share the base key, thus sharing the same database store. Consequently, you need not worry about it filling up your database.
Thanks. That answers my question. And I think it answers the other question I had: Is it safe to delete the second sitemap from Google Search Console?
Presumably the answer is yes?
Cheers 🙂 Yes, that’s correct — I recommend keeping /sitemap.xml for best support.
