How to integrate AEM (for content management only) with Java Web App (EJB/Servlet//JSP)

[chanpip]

Hi there,

We have a existing Java Web App (JSP/Servlet/EJB) and we'd like to integrate content management (only) using our AEM.  We are not building/moving our app to AEM.

Can someone shed some lights on the approach & the practice?

Thanks

[smacdonald2008]

Best practice would be building your site on AEM and using the available tooling.

So if you have a Spring J2EE app for example - and you want to interact with AEM.

You can integrate with AEM in several ways. You can send AEM HTTP requests to get back data for example.  You can display assets located in AEM in your Spring app using the URL to the AEM DAM.

However, what you cannot do is build an AEM site using all the tools - like Editable Templates, policies, etc using a Spring J2EE app.

[chanpip]

Thanks for the instant response.

Unfortunately, due to time & budget constraints, our Java app has to stay on WebSphere platform with no major makeover.  We wondered whether integrating with AEM for content management with the current state of our app may benefit when the time comes to migrate to cloud.

[smacdonald2008 · Accepted solution]

If you are not fully using AEM to build your site, there is only so much you can do. Your WebSphere app can send HTTP Requests to AEM, retrieve data, post data, display assets, etc. However - you cannot take advantage of AEM features that are meant to help you build web sites.