Sitecore Headless Development User Group #11

- Unleashing the Power to Build with Sitecore XM Cloud and Netlify (by Varun Nehra)

- Using Your Own Head! (by Rich Seal)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Q3LbjeYzkFs

Angular JSS starter kit for XM Cloud

Sitecore released a new template, currently a public beta, that includes the new Node XM Cloud Proxy. It lets you implement most core XM Cloud functionality, including:

- XM Cloud Forms
- Localization / internationalization.
- Personalized page variants and component A/B/n testing
- Content editing with Pages, using the recently added metadata architecture

In a future update, the Angular starter kit will support additional JSS functionality, including the XM Cloud Component Builder and meta-framework SSG/SSR.

However, this starter kit will not support the following:

- Content editing with Experience Editor or Pages using the older chromes-based architecture
- SXA redirects and error pages
- Multisite applications.

Link: https://tinyurl.com/24hw5fel

Headless SDK 22.4.0 released

- Axios removed and replaced with NativeData
- Bug Fixes

Release notes: https://github.com/Sitecore/jss/releases

UPDATE: there is a newer release 22.4.1 that features some bugfixes

Headless SDK 22.5.1 released

- support for the "prefetch on hover"
- refactor RedirectsMiddleware for better extensibility
- link component supports prefetch
- more ...

Release notes: https://tinyurl.com/27nu6xm4

Vercel has dug into Next.js and Sitecore JSS optimization while collaborating with some of Vercel's customers on how to get the most out.

That resulted in an optimization guide that walks through how to maximize the content editing capabilities of Sitecore alongside the performance, security, and developer experience of Next.js and Vercel, below:

Link: https://vercel.com/guides/how-to-optimize-next.js-sitecore-jss

JSS 22.5.4 is there for you!

JSS 22.5.4 includes additional field type validation to prevent 500 errors that contain Cannot use ‘in’ operator to search for ‘editable’....

22.5.5 is out:

- Experience Editor and Preview render 500 when using Vercel Editing Host

- Fix for case sensitive redirects (make all redirects case-insensitive)

- Handle trailing slash in sitecoreEdgeUrl to prevent request failures

- Fix React warning from Link component when using custom emptyFieldEditingComponent prop

- Fix nextjs(xmcloud) app initialization

- Suspense in ErrorBoundary component is not rendered when it is wrapping a BYOCWrapper to prevent client side hydration errors

22.6.0 released

- XM Cloud Forms support without BYOC (a new Form component in the sitecore-jss-react package)
- It must be registered to enable non-BYOC forms support
- Added shared Form functionality via the sitecore-jss package
- SitecoreContext now supports an api property for passing XM Cloud Edge endpoint settings, enabling the Form component to access the configured endpoint

The table of differences of JSS SDK and Content SDK for XM Cloud

Sitecore Cloud SDK v0.5.2 got updates for search

It improves search capabilities with the new sources attribute, which lets you add a list of source IDs when you request content from Sitecore Search. If you do this, results will only be retrieved from the sources you listed, which is especially useful when filtering search results in a multi-site setup.

To get started, locate the IDs of the Sitecore Search sources you want to return results from, and add them to the source attribute for the relevant widget items, such as those used to request search results, recommendation content, or suggestions.

References:
- https://tinyurl.com/32ww4whk
- https://tinyurl.com/4jds94z3
- https://tinyurl.com/ycy89u8h
- https://tinyurl.com/2hujazh4

JSS SDK 22.7 released with support for React 19 and Next.js 15, featuring updated framework support and removal of automatic GraphQL code generation.

This version of JSS uses the latest version (0.5) of the Sitecore Cloud SDK by default, meaning you can integrate your Next.js and Angular apps for XM Cloud with Sitecore Search capabilities.

Automatic generation of code (such as TypeScript types) based on GraphQL data was removed. This improvement reduces the complexity of JSS apps that do not require automatic code generation. It also removes a dependency on the graphql-let package, which is no longer maintained.

Upgrade guides:
- XM Cloud: https://tinyurl.com/3d48wyck
- XP/XM: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hc5r8

Hooray!
Content SDK released its version 1.0.0.
We can use it now commercially and honestly, SHOULD use it!
https://github.com/Sitecore/content-sdk
Migration guide: https://tinyurl.com/7unfjyub

JSS SDK 22.8 released, including the Design Library and various other improvements

With the latest release of the JSS SDK 22.8.0, users with early access to the Design Library can start using it in their Next.js apps for XM Cloud. This feature was previously only available in the beta version of JSS. The Design library is a centralized interface designed to help teams visualize and test components across their organization. Added support for Component Library in XM Cloud.

This release also brings various middleware improvements and bug fixes:
- RedirectsMiddleware extensibility with new getRedirects method
- PersonalizeMiddleware got better extensibility

Sitecore Headless Development User Group #12

- Learn how to optimize performance in your Sitecore JSS Headless development by leveraging the Next.js Image component (by John Matthew Flores)

- From Data to Decisions: going beyond tracking in a headless Sitecore with Cloud SDK and CDP/Personalize (by Boris Brodsky)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Au5uNo7Cm_o

Sitecore Headless Development User Group #13

- Elevating Developer Experience: Modernizing the JSS SDK and Starter Kits for XM Cloud (by Liz Nelson)

- Attestation-Driven Frontend: Crafting Personalized Experiences in Sitecore (by David Austin)

- You can never have too much linting (by Sohrab Saboori)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y-3UnTUl0qI

Sitecore Headless Development User Group #14

- XP to XM Cloud in 2025: What We Learned from Real-World Implementation (by Kautilya Prasad)

- Getting Started with Content SDK for XM Cloud (by Jaya Jha)

- XM Cloud Rule Engine: A custom module for running Sitecore rules in NextJs (by Jack Spektor)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/CPZFOqpJ4AY

Sitecore Headless Development User Group #15

- Lean, Fast, and Fresh: Sitecore XM Cloud on Vercel (by Luke Pace)

- XP to XM Cloud in less than an hour? That's totally possible! (by Martin Miles)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/IPy-8hok2ao

More info about released Content SDK 1.0.0 for XM Cloud

A clean, modern Starter Kit includes three new templates and a minimal head app built to Next.js standards. It’s designed to help teams get up and running quickly and build with confidence.

Starter Kit: https://github.com/Sitecore/xmcloud-starter-js

Content SDK: https://github.com/Sitecore/content-sdk

Release Notes: https://tinyurl.com/3xefmc6d

Content SDK key features

- Unified Sitecore client - the new SitecoreClient acts as a single entry point for all Sitecore service interactions, including layout, dictionary, personalization, and editing. No more scattered utilities; just one consistent interface.

- Modern component model - components like SitecoreProvider offer a clean, SDK-native identity with improved clarity and usability.

- CLI-driven setup - the npx create-content-sdk-app command enables fast, opinionated project bootstrapping with minimal configuration.

- Unified configuration - centralized config files (sitecore.config.ts and sitecore.cli.config.ts) streamline both build-time and runtime behaviour.

- Composable middleware - the new defineMiddleware utility introduces a modular, transparent approach to request handling.

- Environment variable standardization - variables have been renamed for clarity and consistency.

- Cloud-optimized architecture - tailored to deliver a scalable and performant experience.

- Lightweight head application - removed default components and styling artifacts (like standard or unused .scss, .css, and .tsx files) for a clean, minimal head application that aligns closely with Next.js standards. Example components and advanced use cases are now provided in the xmcloud-starter-js repository, keeping the core app focused and easy to understand.

- A new starter repo - containing the well-known Skatepark site template along with three brand new site templates. The new repo aligns with common naming convention across all our starter repos.

- Broad compatibility - fully compatible with Next.js 15, React 19, and Node 22

Sitecore Headless Development User Group #16

- Composable Content Filtering: Tag-Based Listings with SXA, GraphQL, and XM Cloud (by Robert Watson)

- Content-driven approach for content-driven websites: Sitecore Astro Verticals Demo (by Anton Tishchenko)

YouTube: https://youtu.be/sRi6EfJyHoo