Resolving a Common Configuration Issue in Sitecore XM Cloud with Next.js

Recently I found an issue while working with a Sitecore XM Cloud environment integrated with a Next.js application. The problem manifested when attempting to open the Pages editor, leading to the following error:

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Error Rendering Rendering:

No JavaScript render engine factory was found for the `https` engine type. Check the `getRenderEngineFactory` pipeline to ensure that a factory is returned for the `https` engine type. Also, check the spelling of the engine type name to ensure it matches the type being requested.

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This error stemmed from an incorrect configuration setting in the CSR.Project.Common.Multisite.config file. Specifically, the serverSideRenderingEngine was mistakenly set to "https", which is not a valid rendering engine type in Sitecore's default configuration.

Root Cause

The serverSideRenderingEngine setting in Sitecore configurations specifies the rendering engine type used for server-side rendering. According to the Sitecore documentation on HTTP Rendering Engine, the supported rendering engines include http, but not https. Configuring an unsupported value, such as https, caused the system to fail when resolving the render engine.

Solution

To resolve the issue:

1. The value of serverSideRenderingEngine was changed from "https" to "http" in the configuration file.
2. The updated configuration was deployed to the XM Cloud environment.
3. After redeploying, the Pages editor was tested, and the error no longer occurred.

Here’s the corrected snippet from the configuration file:

xml

<setting name="serverSideRenderingEngine" value="http" />

Lessons Learned

1. Thorough Documentation Review: Always refer to the official documentation when dealing with configuration settings to avoid introducing unsupported values.
2. Testing in Staging: Deploy configuration changes to a staging environment first to validate functionality before pushing them to production.
3. Collaboration with Support: Leveraging the expertise of Sitecore Support helped identify and confirm the root cause efficiently.

Final Thoughts

This experience underscored the importance of precision in configurations when working with Sitecore XM Cloud and Next.js. Missteps like these, although minor, can significantly impact functionality. By sharing this resolution, I hope to help others who might encounter similar issues.

As always, I remain committed to contributing to the Sitecore community by sharing insights and solutions gained from real-world scenarios. Let's continue innovating and overcoming challenges together!

If you've faced a similar issue or have further insights, feel free to share your thoughts below.