What's New in Liferay DXP 7.4

 

Liferay DXP 7.4 represents a landmark release packed with new capabilities that accelerate development, improve governance, and enable modern digital experience delivery. Below is an overview of the five key feature areas introduced in this release, each of which is covered in full technical detail in the sections that follow.

01

Liferay Objects — Low-Code / No-Code Application Builder

A revolutionary low-code development capability that empowers business users and developers to create fully functional custom applications directly through the Liferay UI - no Java code, no server deployment required. Define data models, relationships, validations, workflows, and REST/GraphQL APIs entirely through a visual interface. Custom data models with multiple field types Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs Object relationships, validations and workflows Seamless integration with Liferay search and permissions

02

Client Extensions — Modern Extension Architecture

The definitive replacement for legacy Hook and EXT plugin patterns. Client Extensions allow developers to integrate external applications built in any modern JavaScript framework (React, Angular, Vue) without deploying code into the Liferay JVM - making customisations upgrade-safe, technology-agnostic, and independently deployable. External apps outside the Liferay JVM Custom Element and IFrame deployment strategies YAML-based configuration and deployment Fully upgrade-safe, no core API dependency

03

Enhanced Headless APIs & GraphQL -API-First Content & Data Delivery

Significantly expanded REST and GraphQL API coverage makes Liferay 7.4 a genuine headless platform. Every content type, custom Object, and platform entity is accessible via OpenAPI 3.0-compliant endpoints and a unified GraphQL schema, enabling any frontend or third-party system to integrate seamlessly. OpenAPI 3.0 REST APIs for all content and data Unified GraphQL endpoint with schema introspection REST Builder for rapid custom API development OAuth 2.0 and JWT security with scoped access

04

Style Books & Improved Theming — Token-Based Visual Design System

Style Books introduce a structured, token-driven approach to managing site visual design. Designers and content managers can control typography, colours, spacing, and component appearance through a visual UI without deploying theme code, enabling rapid brand changes and multi-brand portal scenarios. Design tokens for colours, typography, and spacing Live preview when adjusting Style Book values Single theme supporting multiple visual identities Automatic propagation to all Fragments and pages

05

Search Blueprints & LES Integration — Advanced Search Configuration & Enterprise Search

Search Blueprints provide unprecedented control over search query construction, result ranking, and filtering — all without writing Java code. Combined with Liferay Enterprise Search (LES) capabilities including Learning to Rank, Cross-Cluster Replication, and Monitoring, this release delivers enterprise-grade search infrastructure. Visual Blueprint editor for query construction Boost rules, filters, conditions and aggregations Learning to Rank ML-based relevance tuning (LES) Cross-Cluster Replication for HA search (LES)