AEM Developer Starter Kit

If you're a new Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Developer, you'll quickly discover a vibrant community and ample documentation covering a wide range of AEM topics.

However, with such an abundance of information, it's natural to feel unsure about where to begin. You might need help setting up your environment or configuring AEM to meet specific project requirements. In this blog, we’ll share some insights on how to kickstart your AEM learning journey, giving you the essential knowledge you need to get started.

1. What do you need to become an AEM developer?

With genuine desire, you can achieve anything. However, prior knowledge holds a distinct advantage. Here's what I think you should know:

• Java: While being an expert is not a prerequisite, having a solid understanding of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts and their application in Java is crucial. Additionally, having a basic knowledge of Dependency Injection would be highly beneficial.
• Maven: Knowing how to read a multi-module project is good enough to start.
• JavaScript: Modern web development patterns require advanced knowledge of JavaScript (JS), so you will have to really learn it at some point. However, understanding the basics is enough for now.
• CSS: Along with JS, it can give you a better understanding of the whole picture of how everything works together, so it would be nice to have.

2. Setup your local environment

For beginners, starting with an Author environment provides a comprehensive learning experience to kickstart your journey as an AEM developer. However, to gain a deeper understanding of real-world AEM projects, exploring the workings of a Publisher and a Dispatcher is worthwhile.

The process of setting up a publish instance is quite straightforward. In essence, it involves steps similar to spinning up an author instance, with the only difference being in the port and run mode configurations.

Previously, configuring a dispatcher used to be a laborious undertaking. However, thanks to the convenience of Docker, you can now easily achieve this task by following a few simple steps. Check the official AEM Dispatcher Docker repository from Adobe for more info.:

3. Start with Adobe's tutorial

The Wknd site serves as the official Adobe tutorial designed to assist beginners in embarking on their AEM journey. Whether you're entirely new to the platform or relatively new, this resource comes highly recommended. Focusing on core concepts and recommended practices, it offers invaluable insights.

You can learn more about the WKND tutorial here.

4. Continue exploring other resources

Once you have completed the Wknd site tutorial, you'll be well-prepared to explore diverse projects and examine how seasoned professionals design their AEM implementations. To further enhance your knowledge and skills, here are three suggested avenues you can pursue:

• Adobe ACS AEM Commons project. Within this resourceful toolkit, you'll find a collection of reusable components designed to ease your workload as an AEM developer. However, it doesn't stop there. By exploring the official GitHub repository, you can delve into the inner workings and construction of these tools, gaining valuable insights and expanding your knowledge along the way.
• AEM Core Components. In due time, you'll become acquainted with these components. What's truly exciting is that you can delve into their official Git repository to explore how they were crafted.
• Experience League Community. This is the official Adobe Community, where you'll find an abundance of blogs, ideas, and other valuable content, all tailored to support your AEM journey. However, what truly sets this community apart is the ability to glean insights and learn from the mistakes of others.

Wrapping up

Learning a new technology can be quite daunting, especially without a solid starting point. These insights will serve as a guiding light to help you navigate the exciting path of becoming an AEM developer. Happy coding and here's to a successful adventure ahead!