Glossary
Purpose: Fast lookup of AEM terms with React-world anchors where one exists.
Who this page is for
| Audience | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|
| All engineers | Bookmark this — the first weeks are acronym-heavy |
Platform terms
| Term | Meaning | React anchor |
|---|---|---|
| AEM | Adobe Experience Manager — the CMS platform | — |
| JCR | Java Content Repository — the tree-shaped content database | Persistent Redux store |
| Oak | The JCR implementation used by AEM | The store's engine |
| Sling | The REST/web framework mapping URLs to content resources | React Router, but path = data |
| OSGi | Java module system hosting backend services | Backend module bundler with DI |
| Felix | The OSGi container implementation (see /system/console) | — |
| Granite | Adobe's foundation UI/platform layer | Platform design system |
| Coral UI | The admin UI component library (dialogs use it) | Internal component library |
| CRXDE Lite | In-browser repository IDE | Redux DevTools for the JCR |
| Dispatcher | Caching/security web-server module in front of publish | Nginx + CDN |
| Replication | Moving content author → publish | Deploying state, not code |
| Reverse replication | Publish → author content flow (rare) | — |
Content terms
| Term | Meaning | React anchor |
|---|---|---|
| Resource | Anything addressable in the repo (node, property, synthetic) | A state slice with an address |
sling:resourceType | Property linking content to the component that renders it | Component type in a config-driven renderer |
Page / cq:Page | A site page node with jcr:content payload | A route + its page component |
| Component | Renderable unit: HTL + dialog + optional model | React component |
| Dialog | Author-facing form defining a component's editable fields | Props controls |
| Editable template | Author-manageable page structure + component policies | Layout component with allowed children |
| Policy | Per-template configuration of a component's options | Prop constraints |
| Content Fragment (CF) | Structured, channel-neutral content (pure data) | A typed JSON record |
| Experience Fragment (XF) | Reusable authored page fragment (content + layout) | Shared composed component |
| ClientLib | Managed JS/CSS bundle with dependencies | Webpack bundle |
| DAM | Digital Asset Management (/content/dam) | Asset pipeline + store |
| Tag | Taxonomy label under /content/cq:tags | Normalised category IDs |
| MSM / Live Copy | Multi Site Manager — inherited site copies | Upstream/downstream forks with sync |
| Launch | A future-dated copy of pages for staged edits | Long-running content branch |
Delivery & ops terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Run mode | Startup flag set (author/publish/dev/stage/prod) selecting config |
| Bundle | A deployable OSGi jar (your Java code ships as bundles) |
| Content package | A zip of repository content/code installed via Package Manager |
| Sling Model Exporter | Renders a Sling Model as JSON (headless delivery) |
| QueryBuilder | AEM's high-level search API over the JCR |
| Workflow | Modelled multi-step process over content (approvals, DAM processing) |
| Service Pack (SP) | Cumulative AEM 6.5 patch release |