Content Delivery service-based setup

As of SDL Web 8, the Content Delivery architecture has been transformed into a RESTful, service-based setup. You can choose to migrate your current architecture to this service-based setup, either in one go or gradually. The legacy in-process setup continues to be supported in this release.

The legacy in-process setup required you to add SDL software, along with a sizable amount of third-party libraries, to your existing Web application. If you had a .NET Web application server, the product required that you had Java installed in addition to .NET, and used an interop system that was not free of issues. Not only could SDL's libraries conflict with your own, the "thick client" also constrained your own technology choices: Java was always required, and your Web application server and operating system needed to meet SDL's requirements.

The new microservice-based setup makes a clear separation of client-side components (Content Interaction Libraries) and server-side components (microservices or Content Interaction Services), and minimizes the impact on your Web application. The only requirement on your side is that you have either Java 8 or .NET 4.5.2 installed (and never both). There are no client-side requirements in terms of Web application servers or operating systems.

The microservices themselves are installed as standalone software components. Running your microservices in Java/JSP Web applications is possibly, but this is a deprecated and actively discouraged setup, which exists only to accommodate users who do not yet want to transition to the newest setup, and is not included on the product deliverable, instead requiring you to contact SDL Customer Support.

An added benefit of the new setup is a separation of concerns: your Web application teams can focus on Web applications, and your core IT team, or SDL itself, can maintain the microservices and databases.