Top 5 talks of adaptTo() 2019
Intro
Last month, several colleagues and I went to adaptTo() 2019 at KOSMOS in Berlin. AdaptTo() is a 3 day conference with a single track of presentations on a wide range of topics related to the Apache Sling, Felix & Jackrabbit stack. Topics such as low level frameworks changes, new usages in commercial implementations like Adobe Experience Manager, but also options for deployment to the cloud.
As an AEM developer, I was a bit skeptical regarding the single speaker format, as quite a few talks did not seem applicable for what I do on a daily basis. But I must admit: some presentations gave me more insights about what actually happens under the hood of Adobe Experience Manager.
So here are my top 5 talks of adaptTo() 2019. Keep in mind this list is based solely on my personal experiences and interests.
Enjoy!
1. Securing AEM webapps by hacking them
Speaker: Mikhail Egorov
I was not quite sure what to expect from this talk, but I was pleasantly surprised. Since AEM applications are complex, with a lot of modules that need proper configuration to be secure, it is easy to overlook a thing or two. Mikhail is a full-time bug hunter and he showed us a bunch of common/dangerous vulnerabilities. By the end of the session, my colleagues and I were actively testing our production setups on the presented cases, which was a fun twist. This is a must watch for every AEM developer.
2. Assets and Links in AEM Projects
Speaker: Stefan Seifert, pro!vision GmbH
Handling Assets, links and externalising URL’s properly and consistent is detrimental to any AEM project. Stefan explains how wcm.io Handler handles these concerns. Afterwards, we took a deep dive into the WCM Core components, which are built on the handler. Overall, this talk was easy to follow and very educational. From an AEM developer’s perspective, this also is a must-watch.
3. AEM Template Editor in practice
Speaker: Stefan Seifert, pro!vision GmbH
Editable templates and content policies are powerful tools. They shift the responsibility of template management from developers to content authors. This talk is a great introduction to this topic. Stefan shares his experiences and gives a heads up on possible issues you might encounter.
4. Using React to enable Web Developers to work with AEM
Speaker: Tony Schumacher, Teclead
Since AEM is a complex system with specific technologies, the learning curve is pretty steep. Integrating Javascript libraries, such as React, properly in AEM is a challenge we tackled at iDA Mediafoundry. However, it’s always nice to see someone else’s perspective on this. Tony discusses the use of his AEM generator tool, which speeds up and simplifies the development process in AEM tremendously.
5. S̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ Felix Health Checks
Speaker: Georg Henzler, Netcentric
This talk focuses on the importance of Felix Health Checks and why you should consider migrating from the old Sling Health Checks. It offers a great introduction to this whole topic, which to me was a bit vague up until this point.
Final note
I hope you enjoyed my Top Talks at adaptTo()list! If you are looking for more information on other topics discussed at adaptTo() 2019, a complete list of all talks and their videos/presentations can be found on the schedule page of the adaptTo() website. Hope to see you there next year!
