AEM Dispatcher: Website changes not reflecting due to stale /etc.clientlibs cache
This article explains how to resolve an issue where recent website changes do not appear because cached content under /etc.clientlibs has not been cleared in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Dispatcher.
Description description
Environment
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) with Dispatcher (all versions)
Issue/Symptoms
In Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) environments using Dispatcher, recent website changes, such as updates to banners, scripts, or other client-side resources, are not visible to end users. This issue occurs when cached content under /etc.clientlibs is not updated, causing Dispatcher to serve outdated resources.
- Updated content, such as cookie banners or scripts, appears when accessing the page with a query parameter, such as
?v=123, but does not appear when accessing the page directly. - The issue is resolved when the relevant cache under
/etc.clientlibsis cleared.
Cause
Stale cached content in Dispatcher prevents updated website resources and scripts from being served, causing recent changes not to appear for end users.
Resolution resolution
Follow these steps to resolve the issue:
-
Identify the affected cache paths:
- Determine which Dispatcher cache directories correspond to the affected site resources. Common paths include
/etc.clientlibsand the content path for the affected page, for example,/content/<site>/en.html.
- Determine which Dispatcher cache directories correspond to the affected site resources. Common paths include
-
Access the Dispatcher server(s):
- Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access and modify the Dispatcher cache directories.
-
Clear the relevant Dispatcher cache:
- On each Dispatcher server, remove the cached content for the affected paths. For example, remove the
/etc.clientlibsdirectory and any session-specific cache entries if present. - If the issue involves a specific page, clear the cache for that page as well, for example,
/content/<site>/en.html.
- On each Dispatcher server, remove the cached content for the affected paths. For example, remove the
-
Validate the changes:
- Access the affected URLs without query parameters and verify that the latest changes are visible.
- Test with and without query parameters to confirm consistent behavior.
A full cache purge is not required. Use targeted cache invalidation unless broader issues are observed.