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jakej40603950
Level 5
August 22, 2018
Solved

Overlay vs Extend

  • August 22, 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 5871 views

Is there any advantage to overlaying components than just extending them using sling:resourceSuperType?

Overlay allows you to copy over libs components to apps and changing them without affecting the original component. Doesn't extending the component also allow the same - you can just overwrite the script where changes are required? In addition, extending can make it future-proof, that is, if you happen to upgrade AEM in the future, extending components will allow you to use the latest available components in /libs.

Or is there anything that can only be achieved using overlay that I'm missing here?

Thanks for any inputs here.

Best answer by Ratna_Kumar

Hi,

I basically prefer extending a component in AEM because, if you extend the component and setting the property sling:resourceSuperType to the particular path of the component and you can modify the component according to your project requirements.

Also - Once you upgrade your AEM to higher version, you can inherit the features of existing component from OOTB and you no need to manually make the changes.

'

And Overlays - Here you can copy the component from OOTB to your apps and make changes according to your project requirements. Here when you upgrade to higher version of AEM, you need to manually apply the changes(No inheritance from OOTB).

Here is the nice explanation as Scott provided: cq5 - overlay/overriding v/s extending of components in AEM - Stack Overflow

Hope this helps!!

Thanks,

Ratna Kumar.

4 replies

smacdonald2008
smacdonald2008
Level 10
August 22, 2018

That is a good question. When you want to modify a component - the typical way is to use Overlay - as described here: Overlays

Also a very good answer here too: cq5 - overlay/overriding v/s extending of components in AEM - Stack Overflow

Ratna_Kumar
Ratna_KumarAccepted solution
Level 10
August 22, 2018

Hi,

I basically prefer extending a component in AEM because, if you extend the component and setting the property sling:resourceSuperType to the particular path of the component and you can modify the component according to your project requirements.

Also - Once you upgrade your AEM to higher version, you can inherit the features of existing component from OOTB and you no need to manually make the changes.

'

And Overlays - Here you can copy the component from OOTB to your apps and make changes according to your project requirements. Here when you upgrade to higher version of AEM, you need to manually apply the changes(No inheritance from OOTB).

Here is the nice explanation as Scott provided: cq5 - overlay/overriding v/s extending of components in AEM - Stack Overflow

Hope this helps!!

Thanks,

Ratna Kumar.

    J
    jakej40603950Author
    Level 5
    August 23, 2018

    Thanks Ratna and Scott!

    M
    marksarmiento
    Level 2
    March 12, 2025

    Hi I guess we are doing overlay on the components that is already authored...

    For example in the currently authored pages we have components with
    resourceType:cq/sample-component

    One way for us to override the currently authored cq/sample-components is by overlaying.

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