The Ultimate AEM Dispatcher Playbook

The dispatcher facilitates data caching and load balancing. As per Adobe, Apache dispatcher version 4.2.3 marked the final release compatible with Apache 2.2. Following December 2017, Adobe ceased support for Apache 2.2 and advised users to consider upgrading to Apache 2.4.

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The dispatcher offers two primary benefits:

1. Caching: It enables data caching on the dispatcher, leading to decreased overall response times. Each incoming request is initially directed to the dispatcher. The dispatcher checks its cache, and if the required data is present, it promptly returns the response. In cases where the data isn’t cached on the dispatcher, the request is sent to the publish instance to fetch the data.

2. Load Balancing: The dispatcher effectively reduces the load on the AEM instance (server). Particularly useful during unexpected spikes in website traffic, the dispatcher evenly distributes the volume of requests across multiple publish instances. This distribution mechanism ensures that the server’s load is effectively managed when the site experiences higher-than-anticipated traffic levels.

Dispatcher Flow:
The general sequence of actions in the AEM dispatcher flow is as follows: