A few months ago, I attended Sitecore Symposium 2024, so I was curious to see what could have changed in such a short time. With SUGCON Europe 2025 taking place in Antwerp this year, it was much closer to home and easier to get to. I arrived on Thursday morning, and after lunch the sessions kicked off right away.

Keynote – Powering the Future of Sitecore Together

SUGCON Europe 2025 opened with a clear message: AI is now central to Sitecore’s platform strategy. Sitecore Stream was introduced as the capability that brings intelligence across the full product range, including XM Cloud, XP and XM, Content Hub, and CDP.

Rather than being a standalone product, Stream is designed to enhance the tools already in use. It supports content creation, optimization, and personalization in a way that adapts to both cloud-native and traditional environments. The goal is to improve workflows with smart suggestions and automation, while maintaining flexibility across different implementations.

There was also a strong focus on continuity. Customers using XP and XM are not being left behind. Stream is already available for version 10.2 and higher, with more functionality planned. This allows projects that are not yet in the cloud to start benefiting from AI without a major migration.

The keynote showed that Sitecore is investing in platform-wide improvements that are both forward-looking and practical. With a consistent focus on AI and usability, it set the tone for the rest of the event and gave the community a clear view of where things are headed.

Building the Future: Extending XM Cloud with Marketplace Apps

This session introduced the new Sitecore Marketplace for XM Cloud, designed to make the platform more extensible through standalone apps. Instead of customizing the core product, developers can build apps that integrate with XM Cloud through defined extension points.

The Marketplace supports both public and custom apps. Public apps are available to all users, while custom apps can be limited to a single tenant or shared across multiple environments. Developers can control where apps appear, such as in the Page Builder, custom fields, or dashboard views.

A dedicated SDK is available with APIs for working with content, tools for setup and deployment, and a developer portal that handles registration and configuration. Apps can be tailored to specific use cases, whether they enhance the editing experience or add new business logic.

One featured example was an AI-powered page optimizer. It analyzed page content and structure, then returned technical and content feedback directly into the editing environment. This showed how apps can pull context from XM Cloud and deliver real-time insights.

The session made it clear that the Marketplace is not just a new feature, but a shift in how Sitecore can be extended. It opens up new ways for developers and partners to deliver solutions faster, with more flexibility and less overhead.

Lessons learned: 2 years after building our first XM Cloud platform

This session shared lessons from nearly three years of working with XM Cloud in a real-world, high-traffic setup. It covered technical decisions, growing pains, and how the team adapted as the platform evolved.

They migrated to a monorepo using Turborepo, which helped manage separate apps and improved development speed. JSS upgrades were more difficult, often involving manual steps and unclear versioning.

Performance was a recurring theme. Cache misses and slow responses led to higher Vercel usage and a drop in Core Web Vitals. Improvements included better cache invalidation, fewer redirects, middleware cleanup, and enhanced monitoring.

The team also faced unexpected platform changes. Webhooks, UI behavior, and tool deprecations shifted without much notice, requiring fast adaptations in the front end. Publishing delays and limited visibility into queues created friction, though platform updates are expected to improve this.

They also shared how switching to Sitecore Search gave marketers more control and improved relevance for related content and smart listings.

Overall, it was a practical and honest session that will resonate with teams already running XM Cloud at scale.

OpenTelemetry with JSS head and .NET Core

This session explored how to improve observability across a Sitecore stack using OpenTelemetry. The architecture shown combined a Next.js head, a .NET Core API, and telemetry flowing through OpenTelemetry’s SDK and collector components.

The flow began with requests coming into Traefik, which routed them to the Next.js front end. That front end called a .NET API, which then made calls to external services. Using OpenTelemetry, the entire flow was instrumented, with each hop captured and visualized in trace dashboards. A live example from the Aspire dashboard showed a complete trace from entry point to external API, including spans and duration per service.

The session explained the use of the OpenTelemetry Collector, which can be set up as either an agent (running alongside an app) or a gateway (centralized in the infrastructure). Telemetry data can be sent to different backends such as New Relic, Application Insights, or locally via tools like Grafana.

On the Sitecore side, enabling observability required some configuration. This included installing OpenTelemetry packages, setting up instrumented endpoints, and customizing middleware for .NET Core apps. The presenters also referenced using custom middleware and configuration files inside Sitecore projects, based on service setup examples.

This session offered a practical walkthrough for teams working with modern, headless Sitecore builds who want better visibility into application behavior and performance across services.

Sitecore Stream in Platform DXP

This session provided an in-depth look at how Sitecore Stream is being integrated into the Platform DXP (XP and XM 10.2 and higher). It covered installation, current functionality, and what’s planned for the near future.

Stream is supported on both on-prem and PaaS environments. Getting started requires access to the Sitecore Cloud Portal, a Stream subscription, and an XM or XP license. Configuration is handled through the Sitecore.AiClient.config file, where values like the connection string, brand kit ID, and reference path are defined.

At this moment, the only feature available in Platform DXP is brand-aware content generation. Editors can input text and Stream will return suggested versions based on brand tone and structure. It’s possible to generate multiple variants and select the most suitable version directly within the Content Editor.

Other features mentioned in the session are currently in development. These include language translation, content structure generation, component generation, content auditing, image-to-alt-text suggestions, A/B test ideas, and personalization suggestions. While some of these were demonstrated visually, they are not yet part of the released functionality in XP or XM.

This session helped clarify what’s usable today and what’s coming next, especially for teams looking to bring AI-driven enhancements into their existing Sitecore projects.

Step-by-Step Optimization for Next.js and Sitecore JSS

This session began with a focus on infrastructure and how Vercel’s Fluid Compute model improves scalability and efficiency. It enables in-function concurrency, dynamic scaling, and regional failover, while also reducing cold starts and supporting post-response tasks. In addition to performance benefits, it can help lower infrastructure costs by using compute resources more effectively.

Middleware configuration was another important consideration. Removing unnecessary custom middleware and simplifying logic in the rendering layer can improve response times and prevent cache-blocking behavior.

The session then covered Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) as a way to serve static content quickly while keeping it fresh. Short revalidation windows can lead to stale responses and high function usage. Increasing revalidation intervals and relying on on-demand revalidation provides better cache control and efficiency.

For on-demand revalidation, the session showed how to implement a secure API route that triggers page updates selectively. This approach uses a GraphQL query to determine which content changed and revalidates only what’s needed, without requiring a full redeploy.

The final focus was on image optimization. Recommendations included switching to next/font, enabling the latest Next.js image optimizer, applying compression, and using caching to improve load time and reduce bandwidth usage.

Together, these techniques offer a practical guide to boosting performance in Next.js-based Sitecore JSS projects.

Elevating Developer Experience: Modernizing the JSS SDK and Starter Kits for XM Cloud

This session focused on Sitecore’s efforts to modernize the JSS development experience for XM Cloud. The core message was clear: remove legacy complexity and offer a clean, lightweight SDK and starter kit for headless development.

The legacy JSS SDK has been broken down and reduced to its essential parts. Its replacement is the new Content SDK, a modern, leaner alternative that provides structured content access without the overhead of the full JSS stack. It’s designed specifically for XM Cloud.

The Next.js starter kit has been simplified significantly. Folder structure was cleaned up, and legacy complexity was reduced. Plugins, black-box utilities, and deeply nested logic have been removed. Folders like lib and temp still exist but have been trimmed down. What remains is a clear layout of TypeScript modules, reusable middleware functions, and centralized configuration in a single file.

Common features such as personalization, multisite support, and redirects are now handled through modular middleware. Performance audits using Lighthouse helped guide improvements in speed, layout stability, and bundle size.

The Content SDK documentation was revised and aligned with Sitecore’s newer SDKs like the Cloud SDK and .NET Core SDK. A public beta is available on GitHub at https://github.com/Sitecore/content-sdk.

Navigating through Sitecore’s Personalization Archipelago

This session compared how personalization can be achieved using different Sitecore products, showing the same scenario implemented in both Sitecore XP and Sitecore Personalize.

With Sitecore XP, personalization is configured using profile cards, pattern matching, and rules managed inside the Content Editor. It’s a self-contained system, designed for integrated experiences within the XP stack. XP was described as reliable and mature, with personalization tools built into the platform.

The session then moved into Sitecore Personalize, which takes a composable and client-side approach. Using the Engage JavaScript SDK, developers can track user behavior and define experiences using settings like channel, language, and currency. The platform offers a UI to create and manage experiences, preview personalized content, and evaluate visitor types using logic in code.

Personalize was positioned as flexible and minimal. It supports open integration with other systems and does not require Sitecore CDP. This makes it suitable for a variety of architectures and use cases.

A final decision tree summarized the session: if you are still on XP, XP personalization remains an option. If you are building for XM Cloud, Personalize offers a lighter, more flexible model. Both approaches remain valid depending on your setup and goals.

Sitecore's Marketplace Roadmap Review & Developer Program

This session highlighted how Sitecore is expanding its Marketplace offering with a focus on developer experience, extensibility, and future-proofing for XM Cloud.

The Marketplace SDK v1 enables developers to build apps that integrate with Sitecore's platform via secure communication with the Unified API Layer. It includes built-in support for authentication and authorization, and provides type-safe access to APIs like Experience Edge and content authoring endpoints. Marketplace apps must be hosted by the developer, but can also be tested locally during development.

Marketplace apps can come in various forms, such as embedded iFrame apps, full-screen applications, or dashboard widgets. Each app communicates securely with the Sitecore host and can access tenant and user information where needed.

The Developer Portal currently supports app registration, visibility settings, and profile metadata. Apps can be listed as public, private, or made available to selected tenants.

Sitecore also shared what’s coming next. The roadmap includes submission workflows, notifications, upvoting, developer insights, CLI tooling, Marketplace app versioning, Git integration, improved hosting provider connectors, and updates to the BLOK design system. The vision is to open the Marketplace to the broader developer community, enabling faster delivery of reusable functionality and integrations.

A walk-through of XM Cloud Content

This session introduced XM Cloud Content, the successor to Content Hub One. It’s positioned as an enterprise-grade, headless CMS designed to support both developers and marketers with a modern API-first approach.

XM Cloud Content provides flexible content modeling through content types, taxonomies, and fragments. Content types define structure, taxonomies handle classification, and fragments allow for modular reuse across models. These components make it easier to manage structured data and support omnichannel delivery.

The platform follows a headless architecture. The front-end application (the “head”) is decoupled from content delivery, enabling developers to control layout, routing, and rendering logic. Common use cases include content reuse across websites, apps, and other digital channels. Architecturally, the system includes publishing and delivery services backed by Sitecore Edge, with content accessed via GraphQL APIs.

Content items move through lifecycle states such as Draft, Published, and Archived. Publishing is handled as a state change rather than a workflow trigger. Items can be versioned and published across environments. Roadmap features include environment merging, more field types, hierarchical taxonomies, reference relationships, and governance-related improvements like content availability and archive dates.

Conclusion

SUGCON Europe 2025 was packed with great sessions that showcased just how much progress Sitecore has made since Symposium 2024. The pace at which new features and improvements are being delivered across the platform is impressive. With so much momentum and exciting developments ahead, there's a lot to look forward to.