What is the difference between Sling Models and WCMUsePojo?

Both Sling Models and WCMUsePojo are used in AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) to provide backend logic for components and allow HTL (HTML Template Language) templates to access data. However, they have some key differences:

WCMUsePojo:

Older Approach: WCMUsePojo was the traditional way of providing backend logic in older versions of AEM (primarily AEM 6.1 and 6.2).
Inheritance: You need to extend the WCMUsePojo class to use it.
Explicit API Calls: Accessing common objects or property values often requires writing more code and using explicit API calls.
Limited Features: It has fewer built-in features compared to Sling Models.

Sling Models:

Modern Approach: Sling Models are the recommended approach for new AEM projects since AEM 6.3.
Annotation-Driven: Sling Models are annotation-driven, making them more concise and easier to read.
POJOs: They are Plain Old Java Objects (POJOs), meaning they don't need to extend any specific AEM class.
Simplified Access: Sling Models provide a simpler and cleaner way to retrieve objects and property values through annotations like @Inject and @OSGiService.
More Features: They offer features like model export for JSON serialization, custom injectors, and more.

Here's a table summarizing the key differences:

Feature	WCMUsePojo	Sling Models
Approach	Older	Modern
Inheritance	Extends `WCMUsePojo` class	POJOs, no inheritance required
API Calls	More explicit API calls	Simplified access through annotations
Features	Fewer built-in features	More features, including model export and injectors
Recommendation	Not recommended for new projects	Recommended for new projects

In essence:

Sling Models are a more modern, flexible, and powerful way to provide backend logic for AEM components. They are easier to use, have more features, and are the recommended approach for new AEM projects.
WCMUsePojo is an older approach that is still supported for backward compatibility but is not recommended for new development.