What is Serialization in Sitecore.

Serialization allows developers to easily move and share serialized items across different environments. Serialization is the process that converts database items to text files.

Sitecore has to introduce content serialization tools like:

Internal tools: ClI (Command Line Interface), and GUI (GUI-Graphical user interface)

External tools: TDS, and Unicon

Serialization can be done either manually or automatically:

1. Manual serialization is employed when you need to push or pull content items to or from a Sitecore instance on demand.

2. Alternatively, you can utilize the CLI and SVS to activate a watch command. This feature will continuously monitor for changes in Sitecore and automatically synchronize serialized items to disk.

Key benefits of Sitecore Content Serialization:

1. Version Control: Enables version control using tools like Git, simplifying tracking, comparison, and rollback.

2. Collaboration: Facilitates collaborative work across multiple developers or teams, improving efficiency in branching, merging, and conflict resolution.

3. Deployment and Environment Management: Streamlines deployment across different environments, ensuring consistency and reducing deployment errors.

4. Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Supports CI/CD practices with automated serialization and deserialization, ensuring reliable deployments.

5. Disaster Recovery and Backup: Simplifies backup creation and restoration, providing added data protection alongside source code.

Configure serialization in Sitecore step by step:

Step 1: Download the Sitecore Management Services Package using the following link (for Sitecore 10.3)

https://dev.sitecore.net/Downloads/Sitecore_CLI/5x/Sitecore_CLI_52113.aspx

Step 2: Install it on your Sitecore instance using Sitecore Control Panel->Install a package or Development Tools -> Installation wizard

Step 3: Open the command line interface or PowerShell interface using the administration account and execute the following command dotnet new tool-manifest is used in .NET development to create a dotnet-tools.json file in the current directory.

The command "dotnet new tool-manifest" is used to create a dotnet-tools.json file, which serves as a manifest file for .NET Core global tools.

This command is used by users to add a NuGet package source named "Sitecore" from the specified URL "https://sitecore.myget.org/F/sc-packages/api/v3/index.json " using the .NET CLI.

The command "dotnet tool install Sitecore.CLI" is used by developers to install the Sitecore Command Line Interface (CLI) tool. This tool enables developers to interact with Sitecore environments from the command line, allowing for various tasks such as configuration, deployment, and management.

The command "dotnet sitecore init" initializes a Sitecore project by creating the necessary configuration files and setting up the project structure.

The command "dotnet sitecore plugin list" is used by developers or administrators managing Sitecore installations to list installed plugins, providing visibility into the plugins currently integrated into the Sitecore environment.

This command "dotnet sitecore plugin add -n Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Serialization" is used to add the Sitecore serialization plugin named "Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Serialization"

The command "dotnet sitecore plugin add -n Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Publishing" is used by developers to add the Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Publishing plugin to their Sitecore environment. This plugin enhances the publishing functionality in Sitecore, providing additional features or extending existing capabilities related to publishing content within the Sitecore platform.

The command "dotnet sitecore login" is used by users to authenticate with a Sitecore instance. By providing the authority URL for the Sitecore Identity Server and the Content Management (CM) URL for the Sitecore instance, users can log in. The option "--allow-write true" specifies permission for write operations during the session.

Step 4: CLI Command

dotnet new tool-manifest

dotnet nuget add source -n Sitecore https://sitecore.myget.org/F/sc-packages/api/v3/index.json

dotnet tool install Sitecore.CLI

or

dotnet tool install Sitecore.CLI --add-source https://sitecore.myget.org/F/sc-packages/api/v3/index.json

dotnet sitecore init

dotnet sitecore plugin list

dotnet sitecore plugin add -n Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Serialization

dotnet sitecore plugin add -n Sitecore.DevEx.Extensibility.Publishing

dotnet sitecore login --authority https://{Sitecore identity server} --cm https://{Sitecore instance} --allow-write true

Step 5: Configure sitecore.json and module.json files

The sitecore.json file is a project configuration file used in Sitecore for serialization tasks. It defines settings for how content is serialized, such as the serialization format, root paths, and automation tasks. It has several properties, including a modules property that,

The module.json file, on the other hand, is used specifically for configuring serialization settings for individual Sitecore modules or features. It allows developers to customize serialization settings for specific modules within their Sitecore solution.

Overall, both files play a crucial role in configuring serialization in Sitecore, enabling developers to manage content synchronization and version control effectively.

Step 6: Following commands of the Sitecore Command Line Interface (CLI) toolset, specifically designed for serialization tasks.

dotnet sitecore ser pull: This command is used to pull serialized content from a Sitecore instance to your local development environment. It synchronizes the content stored in Sitecore with your local files, allowing you to work on the content locally.

dotnet sitecore ser push: Conversely, this command is used to push serialized content from your local development environment to a Sitecore instance. It updates the content in Sitecore with the changes you've made locally, ensuring consistency between your local environment and the Sitecore instance.

dotnet sitecore ser pull (from CMS to solution)

dotnet sitecore ser push (Solution to CMS)