Introduction

This chapter will demonstrate how to install Alfresco, introduce Alfresco Explorer—the web client interface for managing the repository, and the applications that are bundled with Alfresco standard distribution.

Towards the end, you will understand how Alfresco stores and organizes the uploaded contents. We will also be acquainted with the default spaces that come with the Alfresco repository.

Today, Alfresco is the leading Open Source alternative to Enterprise Content Management—alternative to Microsoft SharePoint?, Documentum?, Open Text?, and so on. Alfresco is developed using best-of-breed Open Source technologies such as Spring, Hibernate, Lucene, modern standards such as JSR-168, JSR-170, Level 2 Web Services, Java Server Faces, and so on. Alfresco manages almost all types of content within an—enterprise documents, records, web pages, images, XML documents, or any other files.

Some of the most important capabilities and features of Alfresco are: