AEM Dispatcher: What It Is and How to Configure It

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a powerful content management system that enables enterprise-level website development and digital experience delivery. To maximize performance and ensure security, Adobe recommends using the AEM Dispatcher—a vital but often overlooked component in the AEM ecosystem.

In this blog, we’ll break down what the AEM Dispatcher is, why it matters, and how to configure it properly to optimize your AEM infrastructure.


🚀 What is AEM Dispatcher?

The AEM Dispatcher is Adobe’s caching and load balancing tool for AEM. It sits between your AEM Publish instances and the end user, acting as the first line of defense for HTTP requests. It serves two primary purposes:

Caching (Performance): It stores static content like HTML, images, and scripts, reducing load on AEM instances and improving response time.

Load Balancing (Scalability): It distributes incoming requests across multiple AEM Publish servers, ensuring availability and load distribution.

Dispatcher is typically installed as a module on a web server such as Apache HTTP Server (mod_dispatcher.so) or Microsoft IIS.


🧱 Why Use AEM Dispatcher?

🧠 Improves Speed: Caches pages at the edge, reducing response time.

🔒 Enhances Security: Acts as a filter between public internet and AEM.

⚖️ Load Distribution: Handles large volumes of traffic by balancing requests.

🎯 SEO Benefits: Faster-loading pages improve user experience and search rankings.

🔄 Smart Invalidation: Automatically removes outdated cache after content changes.


🛠️ How to Configure AEM Dispatcher

Setting up Dispatcher involves a few essential steps:


✅ 1. Install Dispatcher Module

For Apache HTTP Server:

Download the correct Dispatcher module (mod_dispatcher.so) from Adobe Software Distribution.

Add it to the Apache modules folder.

Enable the module in your Apache config:

apache


LoadModule dispatcher_module modules/mod_dispatcher.so


✅ 2. Set Up Dispatcher Configuration Files

Dispatcher uses a configuration file, usually named dispatcher.any. It defines how requests are cached and routed.

Key sections:

/farms: List of publish instances

/cache: Rules for caching

/filters: Whitelist of request types allowed through

/rules: URL patterns for cache invalidation

Example:

any


/cache {

    /docroot "/var/www/html"

    /rules {

        /0000 { /glob "*" /type "allow" }

    }

    /invalidate {

        /0000 { /glob "/content/*" /type "invalidate" }

    }

}


✅ 3. Configure Caching and Invalidation Rules

Fine-tune what gets cached and when it should be refreshed. For example:

Cache only .html and image files

Invalidate content automatically after page activation in AEM

Avoid caching secure or dynamic pages like /bin, /admin, or login pages


✅ 4. Secure Your Dispatcher

Block unnecessary HTTP methods (e.g., POST, PUT) from anonymous users

Restrict access to internal paths like /libs, /apps, /etc

Enable header sanitation to avoid header injection attacks


✅ 5. Test and Monitor

Use tools like curl, logs, and Dispatcher Flush Agents to test if caching is working as expected. Monitor cache hit/miss ratios and set alerts for high miss rates or failed invalidations.


📌 Conclusion

The AEM Dispatcher is a crucial component for ensuring the speed, scalability, and security of your AEM-based website. While setting it up requires careful configuration, the benefits—faster load times, reduced server strain, and better user experience—are well worth it. By understanding how Dispatcher works and tailoring its rules to your specific content and infrastructure, you can fully leverage the power of Adobe Experience Manager.


Learn AEM(Adobe Experience Manager) Training

Read More:  How to Implement Personalization in AEM

Read More:  How to Use the AEM Content Fragment Model
Read More:  AEM Workflows Explained with Real-Life Examples

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