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Jason Smith
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7 Benefits of a Java CMS (and How to

Choose Your Own)
Aug 28, 2019

W hen building your best-of-breed digital experience platform (DXP), choosing a CMS that lays a
solid foundation is crucial. The enterprise CMS market, however, is vast and overwhelming.
That’s why you need to narrow the options down to speciPc technologies that are well-suited to content
management today, as well as in the future.

In 2019, Java is still the second most popular programming language, second only to JavaScript, and
that means a large talent pool of developers, a wealth of community knowledge, and a multitude of
quality tooling. A Java based CMS, therefore, is ideal for enterprises seeking scalability at lower costs
and familiar technologies. Let’s look at what a Java CMS is, the primary benePts to a Java-based CMS,
and how to choose the best Java CMS.

What is a Java CMS?

A Java CMS is a content management system that’s built using the Java language and its vast
ecosystem of libraries and tooling. Most Java-based CMS platforms take advantage of open source
frameworks like Spring to deliver high quality software.

When it comes to enterprises in particular, a Java-based CMS is ideal because the Java language has a
long history of being used for enterprise-grade software due to its reliability and stability.

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7 Benefits of a Java-based CMS

There are many benePts to choosing a Java-based CMS for organizations building out their digital
experience platform (DXP). Here are the 7 main advantages we see:

1. Java Technology Stack

A signiPcant benePt with a Java CMS is the underlying technologies. Java has been used at the
enterprise level for a long time, so the development platform is stable. There’s also a large community
and ecosystem with many libraries, frameworks, and tools that make Java development faster and
more affordable. This means Java CMSs are ready to Pt into an enterprise tech stack.

2. Familiarity
At the enterprise level, companies are likely using some Java-based software already. That means their
development teams will already be familiar with the language and its tooling. Even if your company
isn’t using Java, there’s a larger availability of developers to hire than other, less popular programming
languages. The familiarity of Java, therefore, can reduce the time to market and overall total cost of
ownership for implementing a Java-based CMS.

3. Integrations
For most companies, integrating their CMS with other applications like CRMs, ERPs, and marketing
automation tools is critical. Luckily, the Java community has speciPed a standard for modularized
software called the Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi). A Java-based CMS, therefore, can take
advantage of standards within the Java ecosystem to make integrations with other enterprise software
more straightforward for developers.

4. Security
Java - with its Java Virtual Machine (JVM) - is generally more secure than other programming
environments. That’s because Java code is compiled into bytecode and runs on the JVM in a sandbox-
like environment instead of directly on the server. Java also handles memory management for
developers and other low-level tasks. These factors reduce the opportunities for exploitation when
Java software is deployed into production.

5. Platform Independence
The Java language, and in turn, a Java-based CMS has the cexibility of being compatible with any
server that can run the JVM. This means a Java-based CMS can be deployed on Linux or Windows
machines - both of which are commonly used for enterprise infrastructure. The cross-platform nature
of Java, therefore, saves the cost of investing in speciPc hardware to run a particular CMS.

6. Easy Deployment
Along with platform independence from a hardware and operating system standpoint, most Java-
based CMSs can run on a variety of application servers. That’s because most Java CMSs can be
deployed as a WAR Ple that’s compatible with application servers that most enterprises use like
Tomcat, WebLogic, and JBoss. This lets companies deploy the software within their existing Java
environments.

7. Scalability
Scalability is critical at the enterprise level, and that’s why many Java-based CMSs leverage J2EE stack.
The J2EE architecture makes scaling horizontally and distributing workloads across clusters of servers
easier. The cexible deployment options for Java-based CMSs also means they can be deployed in the
cloud for even greater scaling capabilities. With cloud services like Amazon EC2, new CMS instances
can quickly and automatically be deployed when necessary.

How to Choose a Java CMS

When it comes to choosing a Java CMS as the foundation for your DXP, you need to consider the
platform’s interoperability, cexibility, and marketer-friendly features.

Look for Interoperability

At an enterprise level, connecting many business systems is crucial for building an effective digital
experience platform. That’s why you need to choose a CMS with high interoperability. This
means robust integration features available out of the box.

At dotCMS, we have an “everything as service” philosophy that means the out of the box REST APIs are
highly robust. Using these REST APIs - or the latest GraphQL API - it’s easier than ever to connect and
interact with other applications. Developers and even non-technical users can even create additional
endpoints using lightweight Velocity scripting. If there are deeper integrations necessary, or the third-
party system doesn't expose APIs, then developers can use OSGi plugins.

Don’t Budge on Flexibility

A DXP is only effective if it’s highly customized to meet your speciPc business requirements. That
means it should have features and tools that your marketers need to deliver exceptional digital
experiences to your customers. For most enterprises, that means developing additional functionality.

With dotCMS, developers can use OSGi plugins to build new functionality. OSGi plugins run in isolation,
so there’s a reduced risk at impacting the dotCMS core when they’re deployed. Furthermore, if there are
highly speciPc business requirements, then the dotCMS source code can be modiPed because it’s
open-source.

Ensure Marketer-friendliness
While choosing a Java-based CMS from a technical standpoint is essential, it’s also crucial to consider
the end-users of the software - digital marketing teams. The CMS needs to have features that make it
straightforward for marketers to create, manage, and publish content across a variety of digital
channels. The CMS should enable business users to work e6ciently without technical knowledge or
coding experience. Content publishers should have complete cexibility to create customized content
that adheres to any/all branding options, move content and adjust page layouts for targeted device
types, audiences, languages, etc. - all without having to know a single line of code. Moreover, in a truly
hybrid CMS platform, the content publisher should be able to do these things in the CMS, or in any app
they create that communicates with the CMS via APIs.

At dotCMS, we’ve embraced this sentiment under our NoCode philosophy and provide a variety of
features like Edit Mode Anywhere and Advanced Workcows that are marketer-friendly.

Java and Enterprise Web Content Management: The

Perfect Match
Java has been the language of choice for enterprise software for a long time - and with good reason.
It’s more reliable, secure, and has an excellent ecosystem of tools and libraries that Java developers
are familiar with. For these reasons, we at dotCMS believe enterprises looking for a foundation to build
their DXP foundation should look to a Java-based CMS.

Filed Under:

Edit Mode Anywhere Java Osgi

REPORT

Choosing an Enterprise CMS: A 43-Point

Checklist
An enterprise CMS is designed to meet the surmounting requirements of these
large multinationals, especially when so many people are using the systems.
However, and more importantly, they are designed to meet the ever-changing
needs of the digital age and enable an enterprise to become more cexible and
adaptable.

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