Running Sitecore without the xDB

Current version: 10.3

There are two ways to run Sitecore without the xDB:

  • Disable the xDB and (optionally) the tracker on Content Delivery and Content Management servers. This puts both server roles into CMS-Only mode with support for some Sitecore XP features, such as in-session personalization.

  • In 9.1 and later, you can deploy CMS-specific versions of the Content Delivery and Content Management roles that have been optimized for running the Experience Manager only. Sitecore XP binaries and configuration files are not included, which means that only a limited set of Sitecore XP features are supported.

The way you choose to deploy Sitecore without the xDB depends on what features you want to use and if you plan to use the xDB in the future. The following table lists the packages you can use to deploy the Content Delivery and Content Management roles, and the effect each option has on features, performance, and steps to upgrade to Sitecore XP.

Packages used

License

Version

Features and files

Steps to upgrade to Sitecore XP

Content Delivery and Content Management roles installed using the XM Scaled packages.

Experience Management

9.0

  • Some marketing features available.

  • Binaries and configuration files used by Sitecore XP are present.

Manually enable the xDB and the tracker in configuration.

Content Delivery and Content Management roles installed using the XM Scaled packages.

Experience Management

9.1+

  • Limited number of marketing features available.

  • Binaries and configuration files used by Sitecore XP are not present.

  • Improved performance.

Re-deploy Content Delivery and Content Management roles using the XP Scaled packages.

Content Delivery and Content Management roles installed using the XP Scaled packages.

Experience Management

9.0

  • Some marketing features available.

  • Binaries and configuration files used by Sitecore XP are present.

Manually enable the xDB and the tracker in configuration.

Content Delivery and Content Management roles installed using the XP Scaled packages.

Experience Management

9.1+

  • Some marketing features available.

  • Binaries and configuration files used by Sitecore XP are present.

Manually enable the xDB and the tracker in configuration.

If you have a Sitecore Experience Platform license, you can still choose to disable the xDB and the tracker temporarily - for example, during an unexpected traffic spike or while upgrading from Sitecore 8.X to Sitecore 9.X.

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