How to Set Up a Local AEM Author Instance

An AEM Author Instance is essential for enabling content authors to easily design, create and review content that gets published using the DXP. In this short post, I’ll explain what you need to do to set up a local AEM Author instance.

Getting Started

Before we dive into the authoring interface, let's check we have everything needed to start installation:

1. Java installation.

2. Maven installation.

3. Quickstart Jar and license files. You're going to need your organization to provide this to you as your organization must be an Adobe partner.

4. 5GB of disk space.

5. 2GB of memory available.

The Installation Process

First, let's review the process for each of the three main operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Java Installation:

Linux

1. Package Manager

   1. Debian/Ubuntu: Use apt to install openjdk-11-jdk:

      Install Java

      sudo apt update
      
      sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk
      

   2. Configure JAVA_HOME variable

      You need to find the .bashrc file in your home directory (it is hidden so you must unhide files to be able to see it), and add this to the file.

      JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64
      
      PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:$JAVA_HOME/bin
      
      export JAVA_HOME
      
      export JRE_HOME
      
      export PATH
      

2. Verification

   Check Java version:

   java -version

macOS:

1. Homebrew (optional)

   If not already installed, consider using Homebrew for easier package management:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL

   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. JDK Installation

   Use Homebrew:

   brew install java11

   
   

   Or, download Oracle OpenJDK:

   • Download JDK 11 macOS DMG

   • Double-click the DMG and follow the installer instructions.

3. Verification

   Check Java version:

   java -version

Windows

1. JDK Download:

   • Download Oracle OpenJDK:
     Download JDK 11 Windows x64 here

2. Installation

   Run the downloaded executable and follow the installer instructions.

3. Verification

   Open a command prompt and run:

   java -version

Installing MAVEN

Linux

1. Download the Apache Maven TAR.GZ Archive: As always, grab the latest version (e.g., apache-maven-3.9.0-bin.tar.gz).

2. Extract the Archive: Open a terminal in your download directory and use tar -xvzf apache-maven-3.9.0-bin.tar.gz (adjust for your version). This will create a directory named apache-maven-3.9.0.

3. Set the M2_HOME Environment Variable: Add export M2_HOME=/path/to/apache-maven-3.9.0 to your .bashrc file (replace /path/to/apache-maven-3.9.0 with the actual directory path). Reload your .bashrc with source ~/.bashrc.

4. Add Maven to your PATH: Edit your .bashrc again and add the following line: export PATH="$M2_HOME/bin:$PATH". Reload your .bashrc as before.

5. Verify Installation: Open a Terminal and type mvn -version. You should see the installed Maven version information if everything went smoothly.

macOS

1. Download the Apache Maven Binary Archive: Grab the latest stable version (e.g., apache-maven-3.9.0-bin.tar.gz).

2. Extract the Archive: Navigate to your downloads folder and unzip the archive using a tool like unarchiver. This will create a directory named apache-maven-3.9.0 (your version may differ).

3. Set the M2_HOME Environment Variable: Open Terminal and execute export M2_HOME=/path/to/apache-maven-3.9.0 (replace /path/to/apache-maven-3.9.0 with the actual directory path).

4. Add Maven to your PATH: Append the following line to your .bashrc file: export PATH="$M2_HOME/bin:$PATH". Remember to reload your bashrc file with source ~/.bashrc.

5. Verify Installation: Open Terminal and type mvn -version. You should see the installed Maven version details if everything went well.

Windows

1. Download the Apache Maven ZIP Archive: Similar to macOS, download the latest version (e.g., apache-maven-3.9.0-bin.zip).

2. Extract the Archive: Unzip the downloaded file using a tool like WinZip or 7-Zip. This will create a directory named apache-maven-3.9.0 (adjust for your version).

3. Set the M2_HOME Environment Variable: Right-click your system icon and select "System Properties" > "Advanced" > "Environment Variables". Click "New", set "Variable name" to M2_HOME and "Variable value" to the path of your extracted Maven directory (e.g., C:\apache-maven-3.9.0).

4. Add Maven to your PATH: Edit the "Path" variable within Environment Variables. Click "Edit" and append ;%M2_HOME%\bin to the end of the existing Path value.

5. Verify Installation: Open a Command Prompt and type mvn -version. You should see the installed Maven version information if successful.

Installing the AEM Author Instance

These steps are the same for Linux , Mac, and Windows.

1. Create an AEM folder.

2. Next create an author folder within the AEM folder.

3. Copy and paste the Quickstart Jar file and the license files inside the author folder.

4. Rename the quickstart file for aem-author-p4502.

5. For WIndows and Mac, a double click on the quick start should do it.

6. For Linux:

   • Open a terminal and navigate to the author folder containing the aem-author-p4502 file.

   • Run java -jar aem-author-p4502.jar.

7. Wait until AEM opens a browser to log in.

Wrapping Up

The process for setting up a local AEM Author instance is straightforward but it’s essential you remember the prerequisites we outlined to avoid any errors.