Adobe’s recent AEM version 18311 release (October 28-30, 2024) brings valuable updates for URL redirection management in AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS). This release introduces Pipeline-Free URL Redirects and, importantly, full support for ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager. These changes allow AEM developers to manage URL redirects directly within the AEM Cloud environment, with improved performance, scalability, and flexibility.
Background: Redirect Map Manager vs. Redirect Manager in AEMaaCS
Previously, ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager was unsupported on AEMaaCS, limiting options for handling redirects. As a workaround, customers needed to use ACS Commons Redirect Manager, which came with several challenges:
- Reliance on Dispatcher Rules: Redirect Manager required that all redirect requests pass through the Dispatcher’s rules to reach the AEM publishers, where Redirect Manager rules could then be executed. This dependency on Dispatcher configurations often led to complications. Only requests meeting specific Dispatcher criteria reached the publisher, and requests blocked by earlier Dispatcher rules (e.g., rules for file types or specific paths) would bypass the publisher entirely, causing some redirects to fail.
- Potential for Conflicting Rules: Dispatcher has its own rewrite rules, which can sometimes interfere with redirects set in Redirect Manager. If a Dispatcher rewrite rule processes a request before it reaches Redirect Manager, it can override the redirect, leading to unexpected behaviors or even redirect loops. This makes troubleshooting and coordinating rules more challenging.
- Increased Maintenance and Complexity: Coordinating Dispatcher rules with Redirect Manager required ongoing adjustments to ensure consistency across both levels. This setup added maintenance overhead, as new rules or configurations in the Dispatcher required verification to avoid interfering with existing redirects.
With AEM version 18311 and the support for ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager, these limitations are greatly reduced. Redirect Map Manager now allows redirect processing to be handled entirely at the edge by the Dispatcher, minimizing reliance on AEM publishers and aligning with Adobe’s best practices for cloud environments.
Key Benefits of the New Setup
1. Offloading Redirects to the Dispatcher
With ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager, redirect processing is managed at the Dispatcher level, reducing the need for requests to be handled by publishers. This shift improves performance and scalability:
- Previous Configuration with Redirect Manager: The first request for a redirect had to be processed by the AEM publisher, placing load on the AEM instance until CDN caching took effect. For high-traffic sites, this dependency on the publisher created potential performance bottlenecks.
- New Configuration with Redirect Map Manager: Redirects are processed directly by the Dispatcher, with CDN caching supporting subsequent requests. This reduces publisher load and improves response times, allowing for smoother handling of large-scale redirects.
2. Simplified Management with Fewer Conflicts
Redirect Map Manager reduces the likelihood of conflicts with Apache’s Dispatcher rewrite rules:
- Better Coordination with Dispatcher Rules: With redirect processing fully managed at the Dispatcher, Redirect Map Manager rules are less likely to conflict with existing rewrite rules, eliminating the need to pass through complex Dispatcher configurations to reach the publisher.
- Reduced Complexity: Redirect Map Manager’s edge-based handling simplifies redirect rule management, enabling more consistent behavior and reducing the need for Dispatcher-publisher coordination.
3. Greater Flexibility for Business Users
This update provides a more accessible and flexible redirection setup for business users who need to control redirects but may lack access to development pipelines:
- User-Friendly Management Interface: ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager offers an intuitive interface within AEM for managing redirects. Business users can easily create, edit, and organize large numbers of redirects without requiring deployments or extensive pipeline configurations.
- Scalability for Large-Scale Operations: Redirect Map Manager supports thousands of redirects directly within AEM, making it ideal for business-driven redirect management at scale.
How to Configure Pipeline-Free URL Redirects with Redirect Map Manager
Setting up pipeline-free redirects with the ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager in AEMaaCS is straightforward:
- Define Redirect Maps: In the managed-rewrite-maps.yaml file, specify paths to redirect files stored in the publish repository.
- Manage Redirects in Redirect Map Manager: Use the Redirect Map Manager’s user interface to set up and organize redirect mappings. The tool’s UI allows direct integration with Dispatcher for a streamlined process.
- Configure Apache RewriteMap:
- Set up the RewriteMap directive in Apache to ensure optimal redirect caching and performance at the Dispatcher level. Here’s a sample configuration:
1
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3RewriteMap map.foo dbm=sdbm:/tmp/rewrites/my.map
RewriteCond ${map.foo:$1} !""
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ ${map.foo:$1|/} [L,R=301]
For a deeper dive into this feature, visit Adobe’s full article: Pipeline-Free URL Redirects.
Visit the official ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager Page.
Conclusion
The introduction of ACS Commons Redirect Map Manager support in AEMaaCS marks a significant improvement in URL redirection management. By handling redirects at the Dispatcher, this feature enhances performance, reduces complexity, and minimizes publisher load, all while aligning with Adobe’s best practices for AEM Cloud environments.
With these changes, managing large-scale redirects in AEMaaCS becomes more efficient, flexible, and scalable, making it easier for teams to maintain high performance and consistency across their AEM implementations.
