Requirements for AEM CMS Plugin Installation

Summary

Before installing the AEM CMS plugin, confirm Java compatibility, arrange Account Owner access to the Siteimprove platform and admin-level access to AEM, and ensure Siteimprove is scanning the site’s published pages. If using Prepublish, create an API key. Optionally, check network and browser restrictions before installation.

There are several things you need to and can do ahead of installing the plugin to ensure that the plugin is installed and configured more easily.

Installation requirements checklist

• Ensure you have Java 11+ with your AEM authoring environment to install version 3.0.3+ of the plugin
• Ensure that you have the proper resources to set up the plugin
• Ensure you are scanning the site you are installing the plugin on in the Siteimprove Platform
• Ensure that the plugin is not blocked (optional)
• If using the Prepublish feature, create an API key (optional if not using Prepublish)

Java 11+ required for plugin 3.0.3+

After version 3.0.3 of the AEM CMS plugin, Java 11+ is required on the AEM authoring environment on which the plugin is installed. This aligns with Adobe’s recommended runtime environments and current security standards. Our ongoing development and support efforts are focused on Java 11+ to ensure optimal performance, compatibility, and security.

If you are running Java 8 on the 6.5 On-Prem version of the plugin, we do provide version 3.0.14 of the plugin, which provides the same functionality as version 3.0.13. This version is provided for legacy compatibility purposes and is not expected to receive further updates unless critical issues arise.

Ensure that you have the proper resources to set up the plugin

You will need to ensure that someone has Account Owner level access to the Siteimprove platform. They will need to be the first to login to the plugin via the overlay once installed to approve the terms and conditions of the plugin.

Admin-level access to the AEM authoring environment and related resources is needed to install and configure the plugin. It is recommended that you have resources on your end that have expertise or training with the Siteimprove Platform and, more importantly, expertise with the AEM platform at the Admin level. Siteimprove doesn’t have the resources to walk you through the steps of installation and configuration of the plugin.

Scan the plugin’s site in Siteimprove

Make sure that the CMS site you are installing the plugin on is set up as a site being scanned in the Siteimprove platform (not a local environment), even if you are just testing the plugin out.

You will need to scan the publisher (live) pages and not the authoring (editing) pages. If the site is not being scanned, you can add the site to be scanned by following Adding a Site (Tips & Tricks). Even if you plan to use the plugin mainly for Prepublish checks, you still need to install the standard plugin that checks against published content in the Siteimprove platform as well.

If you want to test the plugin on a test environment first, reference How to test the Siteimprove CMS Plugins. For testing the plugin, it is best practice to scan published pages for a non-production site. Do not test on a local environment for which the live published version cannot be crawled. Options for non-public sites include allowing Siteimprove crawler IPs and user agents or setting up a login site.

Ensure that the plugin is not blocked (optional)

This is marked as optional, as you may want to install the plugin first and then, if you run into issues, ensure that the plugin is not blocked by the things mentioned below. If you want to head things off and ensure no issues arise ahead of installation, though, it may be good to take this into consideration ahead of time.

If you have network firewalls, Content Security Policies (CSP), Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) policies, or other programs used with the site/browser that could block network requests made by the plugin, it is a good idea to ensure that the domains used by the plugin are not blocked.

Incognito browser windows, browser extensions that block ads or pop-ups, and third-party cookie blocking in your browsers are all things that can block the plugin from working as expected as well. The plugin requires third-party cookies for the login, and it could be seen as an ad-like pop-up, so it is best to ensure these things are not used with the plugin, or you may encounter issues with the plugin.

Domains allow for the CMS Plugin:

• Overall (if wildcards are allowed): *.siteimprove.com; *.siteimproveanalytics.com; *.siteimprove.net; *.siteimproveanalytics.io
• More Specific: id.siteimprove.com; identity.siteimprove.com; sso2.siteimprove.com; my2.siteimprove.com; help.siteimprove.com; cdn.siteimprove.net
• EU Datacenter only: api.siteimprove.com; contentassistant.eu.siteimprove.com; id.eu.siteimprove.com; ap.eu.siteimprove.com
• US Datacenter only: api.us.siteimprove.com; contentassistant.us.siteimprove.com; id.us.siteimprove.com; ap.us.siteimprove.com

If using the Prepublish feature, create an API key (optional if not using Prepublish)

Follow How to connect to the Siteimprove API to set up an API key. This API key will be used in the installation process to set up the Prepublish feature.

NOTE: It is best practice to set up a user account that is generic and not user-specific, like one called “Siteimprove User,” for example, so that specific user changes don’t impact the connection. A user like this can be helpful with other integrations as well. It is up to your organization to create and manage this user within your CMS or organization.