When performing an in-place upgrade to the latest version of AEM, there are several potential

disadvantages to consider:

Long and Arduous Process:

The complexity and duration of the upgrade process can be significant, especially if there is a

considerable version difference between the old and new AEM instances. This is because the

upgrade process must account for all the changes and improvements made over multiple versions,

including content structures, APIs, and underlying technologies.

Reference: AEM Upgrade Best Practices

Complex Developer Setup and Automation:

Upgrading AEM involves setting up and configuring the environment, updating custom code, and

ensuring that all integrations work seamlessly. Automating these tasks can be complex and time-

consuming, requiring significant developer effort to script and validate the upgrade process.

Reference: Automating AEM Upgrades

These disadvantages highlight the potential challenges and resource investments needed for an in-

place upgrade.

When installing a package in AEM and you want to ensure that existing content in the repository is

not overwritten while ensuring that content not present in the repository is not removed, you should

use the update import mode.

The update import mode performs the following actions:

It updates existing content nodes in the repository with the nodes from the package being installed.

It does not remove any existing nodes or properties in the repository that are not present in the

package.

It adds any new nodes or properties from the package to the repository.

This mode is particularly useful when you want to preserve any manual changes or additions that

might have been made to the repository content outside of the package installations.

Here’s how you can specify the import mode during package installation:

Access Package Manager: Log into your AEM instance and navigate to the CRX Package Manager

(e.g., http://localhost:4502/crx/packmgr/index.jsp).

Upload the Package: If the package is not already uploaded, click on "Upload Package" and select the

package file from your local system.

Install the Package: Click on "Install" for the package you wish to install.

Choose the Import Mode: During the installation process, you will have the option to choose the

import mode. Select update from the available options.

Complete Installation: Proceed with the installation. The content will be updated according to the

rules defined by the update import mode.

By using the update mode, you ensure that your repository content is updated without losing any

existing nodes or properties that are not part of the package.

Reference:

Adobe Experience Manager Package Manager Documentation

AEM Import Modes

These steps ensure that you manage content updates in a controlled manner, preserving existing

repository content while incorporating updates from the installed package.

In AEM as a Cloud Service environment, the repository areas /apps and /libs are considered as

immutable, meaning that they cannot be modified at runtime by any means. These areas contain

application code and configuration that are deployed via Cloud Manager and are read-only for

security and performance reasons. Any changes to these areas require a new deployment via Cloud

Manager. Reference: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloudservice/implementing/deploying/overview.html?lang=en#repository-restrictions

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloudservice/implementing/developing/aem-project-content-package-

structure.html?lang=en#repository-restrictions

Sling Content Distribution is a feature that allows synchronizing user data across publish servers in a

publish farm. Sling Content Distribution uses agents to distribute content from one instance to

another using a publish-publish topology. Sling Content Distribution can be configured to synchronize

user data under /home/users and /home/groups paths, as well as their ACLs. Reference:

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager65/administering/security/sync.html?lang=en

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-learn/sites/deploying/slingcontent-distribution.html?lang=en

To debug a CQ HTML client library in the AEM author instance, you need to add the query parameter

debugClientLibs set to true. This parameter instructs AEM to include additional debugging

information for client libraries, making it easier to troubleshoot issues with JavaScript, CSS, and other

assets.

Steps to enable client library debugging:

Open the AEM Page: Navigate to the AEM page where you want to debug the client libraries.

Append the Query Parameter: Add ?debugClientLibs=true to the URL. For example:

http://localhost:4502/content/we-retail/us/en.html?debugClientLibs=true

Reload the Page: Refresh the browser page. AEM will now include debugging information for client

libraries.

This parameter helps in identifying issues with client library loading, dependencies, and other client-

side resources.

Reference:

Debugging Client Libraries in AEM

The includeCommerce property is a boolean flag that indicates whether to include Commerce Core

Components in the project or not. If set to y, the command will generate a commerce module that

contains specific Commerce Core Components and their dependencies. These components can be

used to integrate AEM with Adobe Commerce platform or other commerce solutions. Reference:

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-corecomponents/using/developing/archetype/using.html?lang=en#properties

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-corecomponents/using/components/commerce.html?lang=en

In AEM as a Cloud Service, one notable change that developers should be aware of is the removal of

replication agents. Instead of the traditional replication agents used in on-premise or AEM Managed

Services environments, AEM as a Cloud Service uses a different mechanism to distribute content.

Key points about this change:

Content Distribution:

In AEM as a Cloud Service, content distribution is managed through automated processes that do not

rely on manually configured replication agents.

The cloud infrastructure handles the replication and distribution of content to publish instances.

Publishing Model:

The publishing process is designed to be more seamless and integrated within the cloud

environment, leveraging the underlying cloud services for scalability and efficiency.

Developers and administrators do not need to manually manage replication agents, simplifying the

content deployment process.

Benefits:

This change reduces the complexity of content distribution in AEM projects.

It ensures higher reliability and performance by leveraging the capabilities of the cloud

infrastructure.

Reference:

AEM as a Cloud Service Documentation

Content Distribution in AEM as a Cloud Service

By understanding this change, developers can effectively manage content distribution in AEM as a

Cloud Service and leverage the new mechanisms provided by the cloud platform.

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The recommended way to make the secret key available in the AEM application is to use an

environment variable which is then consumed by an OSGi configuration. This way, the secret key is

not stored in the code base or in the repository, but rather in a secure and encrypted way in the

Cloud Manager environment variables. The OSGi configuration can use a placeholder to reference

the environment variable and inject its value at runtime. Reference:

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloudservice/implementing/deploying/configuring-osgi.html?lang=en#environment-variables

https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-cloudservice/implementing/deploying/environment-variables.html?lang=en

The com.day.cq.workflow.exec.ParticipantStepChooser interface is intended for implementations

that will define the participant dynamically. This interface replaces the deprecated

com.day.cq.workflow.exec.ParticipantChooser interface. The method getDynamicParticipant returns

the dynamically resolved Principal id based on the work item, workflow session and metadata map

parameters. Reference: https://developer.adobe.com/experience-manager/referencematerials/cloud-service/javadoc/com/day/cq/workflow/exec/ParticipantStepChooser.html

The Apache Jackrabbit Oak External Login Module and Apache Jackrabbit Oak Default Sync Handler

are the two OSGi configurations that are required for LDAP integration in AEM. The External Login

Module defines how AEM connects to the LDAP server and authenticates users against it. The Default

Sync Handler defines how AEM synchronizes users and groups from the LDAP server to the

repository. Reference: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager65/administering/security/ldap-config.html?lang=en#ldap-integration