1. What is AEM?
AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) is a comprehensive content management solution for building websites, mobile apps, and forms. It helps marketers and developers deliver personalized digital experiences by combining digital asset management with a powerful content management system.
2. What is the full form of AEM?
AEM stands for Adobe Experience Manager.
3. What are the main features of AEM (as of 2025)?
- Drag-and-drop interface for easy page authoring.
- Template Editor for dynamic and reusable templates.
- Touch-optimized UI for seamless authoring on any device.
- Multi-Site Manager (MSM) for global website management.
- Integrated Digital Asset Management (AEM DAM).
- Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Analytics.
- Content Fragments and Experience Fragments for headless CMS and omnichannel delivery.
- Improved integration with Adobe Sensei for AI-powered content automation.
4. What are the advantages and limitations of AEM?
Advantages:
- Seamless integration with Adobe Marketing Cloud.
- Centralized DAM system for assets.
- Personalized content delivery at scale.
- Scalable and cloud-native architecture.
- Component-based architecture enables reusability.
Limitations:
- High cost of licensing and implementation.
- Steep learning curve for beginners.
- Performance can degrade if not optimized properly.
- Requires strong DevOps and infrastructure management for on-prem deployments.
5. How do you access content in AEM?
Content can be accessed using AEM Content Services, which expose structured content via RESTful APIs, ideal for headless CMS use cases.
6. What does “CQ” stand for in AEM?
“CQ” stands for Communiqué, the former name of AEM before it was acquired by Adobe.
7. Does TestNG support automation testing of AEM UI?
Yes, TestNG can be used for automating AEM UI tests, often in combination with Selenium and JUnit.
8. What are the types of interfaces available in AEM?
- Touch UI (modern interface for authors)
- Classic UI (deprecated but still found in older projects)
- CRXDE Lite (developer tool for JCR nodes)
- Sites Console, Assets Console, Tags Console, etc.
9. What are components in AEM?
Components are reusable building blocks used in pages to provide specific functionality (e.g., text, image, carousel). They include templates, dialogs, Java classes, and HTL scripts.
10. How do you create a component in AEM (2025 approach)?
- Create component folder in /apps/your-project/components.
- Add cq:component node with sling:resourceType.
- Create HTL file (e.g.,
component.html). - Define dialog under
cq:dialog. - Include component in page using template policies.
- Deploy and test via AEM Sites.
11. What are Client Libraries in AEM?
ClientLibs manage front-end assets like JavaScript, CSS, images, and fonts. They support minification, versioning, and dependency management.
12. What is a Tag Library in AEM?
AEM supports JSP Tag Libraries for Classic UI. However, modern AEM development uses HTL (Sightly), which doesn't rely on tag libraries.
13. How does the Dispatcher work in AEM?
The Dispatcher is Adobe’s caching and load balancing tool. It improves performance and security by caching responses and filtering requests to the AEM publish instance.
14. What is Replication in AEM?
Replication is the process of transferring content from Author to Publish instance. It also involves flushing the Dispatcher cache after content updates.
15. What if Replication Fails in AEM?
You can check the replication agent logs or visit: /etc/replication/agents.author.html. Failed items will appear in the agent's queue. Troubleshoot network, permissions, or payload size issues.
16. What is Reverse Replication in AEM?
Reverse Replication sends data from the Publish to Author. It was used for syncing user-generated content like forum posts or comments, but it's rarely used now.
17. How do you start AEM in Debug Mode?
java -agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=*:5005 -jar aem-author.jar
18. What is Sling in AEM?
Apache Sling is the web framework underlying AEM. It maps HTTP requests to content resources stored in JCR and renders them using scripts (HTL, JSP, etc.).
19. How to call a service from a Sling Model in AEM?
Use @OSGiService or @Self annotation:
@Model(adaptables = Resource.class)
public class MyModel {
@OSGiService
private MyCustomService myService;
}
20. What is Overlay in AEM?
Overlay is used to customize OOTB AEM components or configurations by copying them from /libs to /apps. This allows safe customization without altering core files.
21. What is the difference between Author and Publish instances in AEM?
The Author instance is used by content authors to create and manage content. The Publish instance is used to serve content to end users. Replication transfers content from Author to Publish.
22. What is the role of CRX and CRXDE Lite in AEM?
CRX is AEM's built-in content repository based on JCR. CRXDE Lite is a browser-based tool used to inspect and edit the JCR repository.
23. What are Content Fragments and Experience Fragments in AEM?
Content Fragments: Reusable, structured content without layout, ideal for headless CMS.
Experience Fragments: Groups of content and layout components reused across pages or channels.
24. What is a Template in AEM?
A template defines the structure of a page. In editable templates, authors can use Template Editor to define layout, allowed components, and policies.
25. Difference between Static and Editable Templates?
Static Templates: Created via JCR nodes, less flexible, need developer support.
Editable Templates: Created via UI using Template Editor, allow dynamic configuration by authors.
26. What is a Sling Model in AEM?
Sling Models are Java classes annotated with @Model to map AEM resources or requests to objects. They are used for clean backend logic.
27. What is AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS)?
AEMaaCS is Adobe’s cloud-native version of AEM with continuous delivery, autoscaling, and infrastructure handled by Adobe.
28. How do you handle multilingual content in AEM?
By using AEM’s MSM (Multi Site Manager) with Language Copies and Live Copy features.
29. How do you implement personalization in AEM?
Through Adobe Target integration, ContextHub, and Targeting modes, you can serve personalized content based on user segments or geolocation.
30. What are the major run modes in AEM?
author – for authoring environment
publish – for live content delivery
dev, stage, prod – to distinguish environments