In Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), a Component is a modular, reusable unit of a web page that defines how content is structured and displayed. Components are the building blocks of an AEM page, allowing authors to drag and drop elements to create digital experiences without coding.
* Reusable – Components can be used across multiple pages.
* Configurable – Can be customized through dialog boxes.
* Drag-and-Drop Support – Authors can add, arrange, and edit components easily.
* Dynamic & Personalizable – Can show personalized content using Adobe Target & ContextHub.
* Supports Sightly (HTL) – AEM’s templating language for cleaner, more secure code.
* Integrates with Headless CMS – Can expose content as JSON APIs for headless delivery.
AEM provides pre-built components that cover most common use cases. These are called Core Components and are optimized for performance, security, and best practices.
Examples of Core Components :
* Text Component – Adds formatted text to a page.
* Image Component – Inserts images with built-in lazy loading & resizing.
* Carousel Component – Displays multiple images in a slider.
* Navigation Component – Generates dynamic menus based on site structure.
* Breadcrumb Component – Shows page hierarchy for easy navigation.
* Form Components – Includes text fields, checkboxes, and submit buttons.
Core Components are regularly updated by Adobe and are recommended over custom-built components.
When OOTB components don’t meet business requirements, developers create Custom Components using HTL (Sightly), Java, CSS, and JavaScript.
Examples of Custom Components :
* Product Showcase Component – Displays products dynamically from a database.
* User Testimonials Component – Fetches customer reviews and displays them in a styled format.
* Location Finder Component – Integrates with Google Maps for store locations.
Custom components are useful when businesses need highly specific functionality not available in core components.
These components allow other components to be placed inside them to create flexible page layouts.
* Layout Container – Defines page sections with drag-and-drop capability.
* Column Control Component – Creates multi-column layouts dynamically.
* Accordion & Tabs Components – Organizes content into collapsible sections.
A component in AEM typically consists of:
| File/Folder | Purpose |
|---|---|
/apps/project/components/ |
Stores custom components. |
component.html (HTL File) |
Defines the HTML structure of the component. |
_cq_dialog.xml (Dialog File) |
Creates an authoring interface for content entry. |
| CSS & JavaScript | Defines component styling and interactivity. |
| Sling Model (Java Class - Optional) | Fetches dynamic data for the component. |
* AEM Sites – Web pages, blogs, and landing pages.
* AEM Forms – Dynamic form fields and data collection.
* AEM Screens – Digital signage and interactive kiosks.
* AEM Headless – Deliver content as JSON APIs to mobile apps, IoT, and SPAs.