// AEM Insider · Video 2
How AEM Pages
Are Built
Components & Templates Explained
Hands-On Demo · Local Author & Publish
// Part 01
On-Premise vs Cloud
AEM comes in two types — on-premise (AEM 6.5) and cloud (AEM Cloud SDK).
AEM 6.5
On-Premise
- Customer-licensed
- Needs a license.properties file
- Java 8, 11, or 17 (by version / SP)
- Tied to your org's AEM contract
VS
AEM Cloud SDK
Cloud
- Local dev for AEM as a Cloud Service
- No license file needed
- Java 21 (11 dropped Feb 2026)
- Download requires org-level access
// Part 02
Setting Up AEM Locally
Software, folders, and your first two servers.
- 01Check java -version — you need Java 21.
- 02Get the SDK zip from Adobe's portal, then unzip it.
- 03Copy & rename: aem-author-p4502.jar / aem-publish-p4503.jar.
- 04Start one by double-click, the other by command.
terminal
# start the author instance $ java -jar aem-author-p4502.jar
No port in the name? AEM defaults to 4502, 8080, 8081, 8082, 8083, 8084, 8085, 8888, 9362, or random.
// Part 03
Console Tour
Sites and Assets — where pages and media live.
Sites
Every page lives here
Browse, create, and organize the pages of your site.
Assets
Your media library
Upload and manage images, video, and documents.
OSGi
Developer settings
Configuration for the platform — a future video.
Plus CRX DE, the Page Editor & Package Manager — more on these later.
// Part 04
Installing WKND & Creating a Page
Install a ready-made site, then create your own page.
- 01Get it from github.com/adobe/aem-guides-wknd.
- 02Grab aem-guides-wknd.all-x.x.x.zip (not "-classic").
- 03Install via Package Manager — AEM's content app store.
- 04Install it on both Author & Publish.
- 05Pick a template and create your page.
publish login (if prompted)
$ localhost:4503/libs/granite/
core/content/login.html
// Part 05
Authoring the Page
Dragging components in and adding real content.
TitleImageTextButton
- 01Drag in the Title, Image, Text & Button components.
- 02Fill in each one through its dialog.
- 03No code, no developer needed.
// Part 06
Going Live
Connecting Author to Publish, and hitting publish.
Authorwhere you built it
→
Replicationthe bridge
→
Publishlive for visitors
- 01Set up the replication agent.
- 02Test the Author → Publish connection.
- 03Hit Publish and see it go live.
// That's Video 2
Next up:
a real project.
Video 3 → Building a Multimodule Project · folders, pom.xml & deploying to your local servers
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