Version Purging in AEM

In a standard installation, AEM creates a new version of a page or node whenever you activate a page (after updating the content). You can also create additional versions on request using the Versioning tab of the sidekick. All these versions are stored in the repository and can be restored if required.

These versions are never purged, so the repository size will grow over time and therefore need to be managed.

AEM is shipped with various mechanisms to help you manage your repository:
the Version Manager
This can be configured to purge old versions when new versions are created.
the Purge Versions tool
This is used as part of monitoring and maintaining your repository.
It allows you to intervene to remove old versions of a node, or a hierarchy of nodes, according to these parameters:

• The maximum number of versions to be kept in the repository. When this number is exceeded, the oldest version is removed.
• The maximum age of any version kept in the repository. When the age of a version exceeds this value, it is purged from the repository.

Version Manager
In addition to explicit purging by means of the purge tool, the Version Manager can be configured to purge old versions when new versions are created.

To configure the Version Manager, create a configuration for:
PID com.day.cq.wcm.core.impl.VersionManagerImpl

Purge Versions Tool
The Purge Versions tool is intended for purging the versions of a node or a hierarchy of nodes in your repository. Its primary purpose is to help you reduce the size of your repository by removing old versions of your nodes.
http://localhost:4502/etc/versioning/purge.html