What You Need to Know About CRX2 and CRX3

CRX2 and CRX3 are two different versions of the Content Repository Experience (CRX), which is the underlying content repository for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). CRX2 is based on the Jackrabbit content repository, while CRX3 is based on the Jackrabbit Oak content repository.

Key differences between CRX2 and CRX3:

• Architecture: CRX2 is a monolithic architecture, while CRX3 is a microservices architecture. This means that CRX3 is more scalable and easier to manage than CRX2.
• Performance: CRX3 is significantly faster than CRX2.
• Security: CRX3 has a more robust security model than CRX2.
• Flexibility: CRX3 is more flexible than CRX2, allowing for more customization and extensions.
• Scalability: CRX3 is more scalable than CRX2, allowing for larger and more complex applications.

Overall, CRX3 is a more modern and feature-rich content repository than CRX2. If you are looking for a content repository that is scalable, secure, flexible, and performant, then CRX3 is the better choice.

How do I know which CRX my AEM is running on?

Option 1

Go to CRXDE Lite (http://localhost:4502/crx/de/index.jsp) and check the repository information on the right side of the page. It should look something like this –

If it shows Apache Jackrabbit Oak x.x.x it means it is the new oak version that is CRX3.

Option 2

Go to the Web Console -> Bundles (http://localhost:4502/system/console/bundles) and search for oak. If you see something like this, then you are on the latest version of Oak which is CRX3.

What’s new in Jackrabbit Oak or CRX3?

Jackrabbit Oak provides backward compatibility. There are some design changes by carefully considering the benefits. Some of the notable changes are as below –

• Session state and refresh behavior
• Binary streams
• Locking
• Same name siblings
• XML imports
• Identifiers
• Versioning
• Security
• Workspace
• Node name length limit

It works on the Node-State model which has been described nicely on Jackrabbit Oak website

Further Readings on CRX2 and CRX3

• To learn more about Jackrabbit check out this link
• Here is the documentation of Jackrabbit Oak (The next generation content repository)
• Here are the differences between Jackrabbit & Jackrabbit Oak

Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below 👇 We would be happy to hear and discuss the same 🙂