What task is NOT performed by the publishing pipeline in Sitecore?

The task that is not performed by the publishing pipeline in Sitecore is archiving expired content. The publishing pipeline is designed specifically to handle the process of moving content from the authoring environment to the live site, and it includes steps for validating content, generating previews, and managing workflow states.

Archiving expired content, on the other hand, is related to content management rather than the publishing process itself. This task typically involves moving content that is no longer relevant or has reached its expiration date to an archive location or state, which takes place outside of the publishing actions. This distinction is crucial, as it clarifies the functions that are central to the publishing pipeline and those that pertain to overall content lifecycle management.