We’ve redesigned the Global Menu to deliver a more intuitive, scalable, and visually engaging navigation experience across Liferay DXP. This update introduces a single, unified entry point to access all platform capabilities, reducing fragmentation and making it easier to move across features.

As part of this transformation, the DXP Control Panel has also been rebuilt with a cleaner UI, improved information architecture, live filtering for faster discovery, and a simplified landing home with contextual shortcuts.

Key Benefits:

• One clear entry point for all Liferay functionalities

• Reduced navigation complexity with consolidated access points

• Faster discovery through live filtering and improved structure

• Greater productivity for administrators and content teams

• Scalable foundation to support future platform growth

We are excited to announce the arrival of the Native Elasticsearch 8 Connector. This isn't just a version update; it’s a foundational shift that ensures Liferay DXP remains at the cutting edge of search and AI technology.

As it was communicated in 2025, Elasticsearch 7 has reached end-of-life on Jan 15, 2026 and is no longer available as a supported search engine for Liferay DXP 2026.Q1 and onward.

Part of this shift, 2026.Q1 ships with a native Elasticsearch 8 connector, replacing the previous Elasticsearch 7 connector, which had provided a compatibility plus mode to operate Liferay DXP with Elasticsearch 8 servers since 2023.

Key Benefits:

• Next-Gen AI & Search Capabilities: The native connector unlocks high-performance new generational features like dedicated vector search, semantic search queries, and native inference that upcoming and planned Liferay DXP features will benefit from.

• Seamless Forward Compatibility: Thanks to the Java Client API, Liferay DXP is now more resilient than ever. The client is designed to stay compatible with future Elasticsearch updates, ensuring that minor version upgrades won’t disrupt your operations or break your integration. (Liferay will still very the compatibility to ensure.)

• Future-Proof Security & Support: By moving to a fully supported, native Elasticsearch 8 connector and environment, you eliminate the risks associated with end-of-life software and ensure your infrastructure meets modern security standards.

The Bottom Line: This update transitions Liferay from "compatibility mode" to "innovation mode," providing a faster, smarter, and more stable search foundation for your enterprise.

A new, dedicated Scope configuration is now available within the Query Builder, allowing administrators to precisely limit search results to specific Sites, Asset Libraries, and Spaces.

Key Improvements

• Dedicated Configuration: We recommend using this native Scope setting instead of manual filtering via out-of-the-box or custom query elements. It provides a more intuitive and performant way to define the search boundary.

• Default Behavior: If no specific Site, Asset Library, or Space is selected, the Blueprint will search across all available scopes by default.

Behavior Note: Scope Hierarchy

When a scope is defined within a Blueprint, it acts as a strict boundary.

• No Overrides: Search-time parameters (such as those from a Search Bar widget or the Headless Search API’s scope parameter) cannot override or expand the Blueprint’s pre-defined scope.

• Filtering Logic: Any scope requested at search time must be a subset of the Blueprint’s scope. If a user or API requests a scope that falls outside the Blueprint's configuration, the search will return empty results.

 
Besides the new scope configuration, the Query Settings section has been renamed to Source and moved to the main query builder screen, simplifying the editor experience.

 Key Benefits:

• Dedicated Configuration: We recommend using this native Scope setting instead of manual filtering via out-of-the-box or custom query elements. It provides a more intuitive and performant way to define the search boundary.

• Default Behavior: If no specific Site, Asset Library, or Space is selected, the Blueprint will search across all available scopes by default.

Search Blueprints as Collection Providers (GA)

The ability to use a Search Blueprint as a Collection Provider has moved from Release to General Availability (GA). This integration allows you to leverage the advanced filtering and boosting logic of Blueprints directly within Collections to display highly tailored results.

Key Enhancements

• Opt-in Integration: This remains an optional configuration. Users who previously accessed this via the LPS-129412 Feature Flag will find the functionality now natively available.

• Subtype Filtering: You can now limit queries to specific subtypes directly within the Searchable Types configuration (located under the Source section, formerly Query Settings).

• Simplified Filtering: For Documents and Web Content Articles, you can now select specific Document Types or Web Content Structures within the UI. This eliminates the manual overhead of creating custom query elements to filter by structure keys or IDs.

Semantic Search with OpenAI Integration (GA) [For LES Subscribers only]

Semantic search, powered by direct integration with OpenAI as a text embedding provider, has officially moved from Beta to General Availability (GA).

Configuration & Opt-in

To ensure zero impact on existing installations, this feature remains opt-in. To begin leveraging semantic search, administrators must manually configure the connection:

• Path: Navigate to Instance Settings > Search > Semantic Search.

• Action: Enable the OpenAI Text Embedding Provider and configure semantic ingestion for your desired content types and languages.

• Documentation: Please refer to the official guide for detailed setup instructions and for customizing search with semantic search.

Status of Other Providers

While OpenAI is now GA, other text embedding providers (such as txtai and Hugging Face) remain in Beta. These can still be accessed and tested by enabling the existing feature flag (LPS-122920) under Instance Settings > Feature Flags > Beta.

Assets that are currently being modified within a publication are now protected from deletion in production by default.

Previously, this behavior was optional and disabled by default. It is now enforced automatically to ensure greater stability and data integrity when working with publications.

Key Benefits:

• Prevents most of the deletion modification conflicts that could only be resolved by discarding changes

• Provides safer default behavior without requiring configuration

Reviewers can now directly access the desired asset edition screen when clicking Edit or Edit in Production from the Publications Review Change screen.

• Content Pages → Page Builder

• Widget / Portlet Pages → Page editing interface

• Page Templates → Template editor

• Other page types (Panel, Page Set, URL, Embedded, Link to Page) → Configuration screen

Key Benefits:

• Speeds up the review process

• Aligns edit actions with user intent

A new Pending approval publication status and filter option are now available in the Publications list.

Publications automatically receive the Pending approval status when at least one linked asset is still in Draft or Pending workflow status. A dedicated filter allows users to quickly identify publications that are not yet ready to be published.

Key Benefits:

• Speeds up the review and approval process

• Provides immediate visibility into publication readiness

• Improves clarity of workflow-related behavior

Liferay has significantly enhanced how content and experiences are managed with the new CMS, Objects, better content promotion between environments, and many other features that didn’t exist when the Publications' framework was designed.

Instead of redesigning the framework for this new scenario, we are developing a new set of tools that will still support Publications' use cases with even greater efficiency and flexibility:

• Marketing teams will orchestrate new content and page versions as campaigns through a new “bundling” feature.

• Live experiences (“Production”) will keep safe from ongoing or unapproved content and page changes through enhanced content statuses and versions governance.

• Authors will keep free to create, change, and preview their assets in context with a new Preview Framework.

Moving Publications into maintenance mode allows us to continue supporting current users while focusing on this new strategy and the next generation of publishing tools.